Solve puzzles to escape the Boogeymen, Scheherazade's Last Tale, and the Challenger.
Table of Contents
Location: Home
Date Played: Apr 2023
Team size: 1-4; we recommend 1-2
Duration: 1 hour / game; total 3 hours
Price: ~S$50 on Amazon
Premise
"Unlock! Exotic Adventures" is part of the Unlock! series, a cooperative card game inspired by escape rooms. This series offers three different adventures:
- Night of the Boogeymen: Help William fend off his nightmares.
- Scheherazade's Last Tale: Relive the ultimate tale of the Arabian Nights.
- The Challenger: Save the members of Professor Challenger's latest expedition from an island full of dinosaurs.
Each adventure has its own narrative, but they follow a somewhat familiar formula used by the publisher, Space Cowboys. While the stories aren't groundbreaking, they provide an enjoyable context for the puzzles.
Components
As with all Unlock! series, "Exotic Adventures" includes three cases, each with around 60 cards, a tutorial deck, and an instruction manual. Players also need to download the companion app (available for iOS and Android), which serves as a timer, sound effects provider, and clue system. Additionally, this series includes two props to assist in solving certain puzzles.
Gameplay
The gameplay in "Unlock!" follows a standard pattern: players start with an introductory card and proceed by finding card numbers and solving puzzles using the clues provided in the cards or the app.
The first case introduces four cards that add a new dynamic to the gameplay. While the concept is interesting, the execution could be improved, as some cards are easily bypassed.
The third case significantly changes the gameplay by introducing a map in the app. Players can move on adjacent parts of the map, with each move consuming in-game time. Spending too much time exploring can have consequences. However, this mechanic led to frustration for your team, as revisiting areas to view puzzles or clues wasted precious in-game time.
Puzzles
The puzzles in the first and second cases are relatively simple but effective, offering moments of satisfaction when completed. There are a few challenging puzzles, but overall, they enhance the experience.
However, the third case proved to be a disappointment. Many puzzles were ambiguous and confusing, exacerbated by the new gameplay mechanic. Some puzzles required knowledge outside the game, which is not typical for the Unlock! series. This caused frustration, leading to frequent checks of the hint system and solutions.
Verdict
"Unlock! Exotic Adventures" offers enjoyable experiences in the first two cases, but the third case's disappointments overshadow the series. With standard puzzles and a frustrating third case, it's difficult to recommend this series when there are more enjoyable Unlock! options available.
Rating: 2/5
★★✩✩✩
You can get it on Amazon
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