Emerald EchoesPostCuriousEscape roomTabletopChallenging and mysterious in equal measure, ‘Emerald Echoes’ offers elegant puzzles in a longer format than PostCurious’s lighter ‘Ministry of Lost Things’ series and ‘The Morrison Game Factory’. We needed hints at times to help nudge us towards the right path, and it’s worth splitting the experience up across multiple sittings—even if you have the urge to finish it all in one go. The narrative and careful curation of materials helped elevate this tabletop puzzle experience, leaving me all the more excited to play whatever PostCurious release next.
Sleddy Lost TapesKey EnigmaEscape roomTabletopWith enough ARG elements to activate your inner internet sleuth, ‘Sleddy Lost Tapes’ delivers varied puzzles and creepypasta vibes with its charming retro props and aesthetics. If you’re on the fence, try their free demo. It’s great.
Box Two By Neil Patrick HarrisTheory11 OnlineEscape roomTabletopThroughout ‘Box Two’, the animated personality of the central character shines as the most memorable part of the experience. While the box’s engineering and design is something of a marvel itself, the puzzle flow quickly falls into an instructional experience that is more directive than explorative for the players. Where ‘Box One’ built towards a narrative resolution, ‘Box Two’’s final puzzle felt confusing and misaligned with the overall experience. It’s hard not to compare the two ‘Box’ experiences. ‘Box Two’ was enjoyable, but does unfortunately pale when compared with its predecessor. Nonetheless, experienced fans and new tabletop escape room players will find a handful of enjoyable moments throughout ‘Box Two’.
The Medusa ReportDiorama OnlineEscape roomTabletopLoaded with gorgeous materials, an intriguing premise and a variety of narratively linked puzzles, ‘The Medusa Report’ stands out amongst the best tabletop escape room games. Despite the fact we hadn’t played ‘The Vandermist Dossier’, the first in the trilogy, we were able to access, understand and explore the narrative and puzzles without any issues. There are bonus puzzles that link the two games together and you need both games in order to access those puzzles. That being said, the full standalone experience is stunning, from the surprises to the ‘a-ha’ moments. The ‘lo-fi’ design is refreshing as well—the entire game exists within the box, aside from the hints and conclusion, and it only adds to the yesteryear aesthetic and immersion.
A Most Mysterious ConventionArcadium AdventuresEscape roomTabletopAn interesting collection of puzzles. Some elements may have benefitted from further cluing and signposting, but the quality of the paper products cannot be faulted. A few connections to the wider Arcadium lore can be found within this tabletop escape game!
Confounding Confectionery by Arcadium Adventures – Milk Chocolate by Melbourne CocoaArcadium AdventuresEscape roomTabletopA unique bite-sized take home puzzle experience with a hard edge. While the experience has a good range of puzzles contained in its compact snack packaging, one or two puzzles felt quite tricky without taking a hint or two to help connect the dots. Further signposting, or perhaps simplifying one of those puzzles may provide a better experience to accompany the wonderful chocolate. They do well to fit so much into such little space whilst maintaining the aesthetic and look of a regular chocolate block box. Arcadium continues to unfurl their lore through their at-home games and at their Brisbane chapter. I look forward to their next major story reveal.
Witchery SpellDarkParkEscape roomTabletopBetween ‘Never House’ and ‘Witchery Spell’, DarkPark have designed immersive at-home escape room experiences. ‘Witchery Spell’ takes the top position as our favourite tabletop escape room, with ‘Never House’ coming in close behind. ‘Witchery Spell’ features unique props and digital tech that blurs the line between the real world and the game’s experience. It’s a delight. If you can get your hands on a copy, don’t hesitate. Play it!
Never HouseDarkParkEscape roomTabletopWe thoroughly enjoyed the props contained in DarkPark’s ‘Never House’. The flow was maintained well and afforded order to the multilinear delivery of the props. It wasn’t obvious, to us at least, where to actually begin once the box was opened and the introduction completed. That being said, once we had explored the props and sorted some of the puzzles and observations, we discovered the centrepiece to the experience and from there, the beautiful set of props told a dark, enthralling story. Between ‘Witchery Spell’ and ‘Never House’, DarkPark set the industry bar high for tabletop games.
A Most Mysterious Cloakroom DiscoveryArcadium AdventuresEscape roomTabletopA fun at home escape room puzzle game that builds the complex world of Arcadium. Each prop is thoughtfully created with appropriate paper in mind, which was a nice touch! The hint system was clunky at times, but didn’t massively impact the overall experience. The Easter eggs scattered throughout this case will delight those familiar with Arcadium’s unfolding lore.
Welcome to FunlandEscape Room The GameEscape roomTabletopOne of their best games, the puzzles and theming was great!
Wild West ExpressEscape Room The GameEscape roomTabletopOne of the best Escape Room The Game tabletop experiences.
EXIT: The Game - The Haunted Roller CoasterThames & KosmosEscape roomTabletopThis was fun, not their best game but it wasn’t disappointing! Theming and carnival pieces were cool. Art was great, as always.
EXIT: The Game - Theft On The MississippiThames & KosmosEscape roomTabletopA different vibe. Very tricky, not quite like their other games! Some people may truly enjoy the multilinearity of this game.
Secret AgentEscape Room The GameEscape roomTabletopI remember not enjoying the ambiguity of a specific puzzle in part 3, not their best game. They do have some fun ones though!
Another DimensionEscape Room The GameEscape roomTabletopI vaguely recall this one as having some fun components that made for a unique experience when compared to the other Escape Room The Game tabletop games.
The MagicianEscape Room The GameEscape roomTabletopPlayed this one quite a while ago, but I remember enjoying it!
Nuclear CountdownEscape Room The GameEscape roomTabletopA fun game from the starter pack — my pick of the lot!
AsylumEscape Room The GameEscape roomTabletopThese games were fun, quick rooms that offered different puzzles to compensate for two players.
