Secret of Dr. Gravely's Retreat

Thinkfun - Escape the Room

Age: 13+

Players: 3-8

Play Time: 90-120 mins

Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate

It had been a while since we played a tabletop escape game, so I decided to look around for some alternatives to the EXIT and Escape Room: The Game. One of the more mainstream, commercial games that kept popping up was Thinkfun's Escape the Room series, so I bought a few that we will be playing through over the next few weeks. First up, Secret of Dr. Gravely's Retreat.

In this story, you are the lucky winner of a free stay at a spa retreat for the wealthy. Upon your arrival, however, you and your fellow guests discover that the resort is not what it seems.

This turned out to be a pretty straightforward, quality escape experience that offered a solid level of fun. You start off with an instruction manual and several sealed envelopes, which you must progress through by solving the puzzles inside, all while learning more about the secrets behind Dr Gravely's retreat. The props are made of almost entirely cardboard, though the way they are folded and the beautiful artwork add weight to the aesthetics.

It is actually quite similar to the EXIT games in terms of design, in that the main method of solving puzzles is an answer wheel, though Thinkfun does not have corresponding answer cards. Instead, the wheel itself tells you whether you got the puzzle right or not, and you go back to the instruction manual to continue the game. The hint system is also the same in that you can seek several hints before the solution is revealed, though instead of hint cards you have to go to the Thinkfun website to find the hints.

Unlike the EXIT games, we found this one to be quite easy, and we finished well below the allotted time without any hints. There was probably only one puzzle that we really got stuck on, whereas for some of the EXIT games we might be stuck on half a dozen. Accordingly, your preference might depend on how much you want to be challenged and how much tend to get frustrated by difficult puzzles. It's a fine balance that will be dictated by your team's experience and skill level.

Difficulty aside, the good thing about this game is that it is easy to learn and the flow is very streamlined. The puzzles are logical and there is sufficient signposting to guide you in the right direction. While there is quite a bit of reading like most tabletop escape games, I did find the narrative well-written and more engaging than the EXIT games (probably because they are translated).

On the whole, we had a pretty good time with Secret of Dr. Gravely's Retreat. We look forward to playing the couple of other ones we got in due course. What's great about this one compared to the EXIT games is that if you took care while playing, you will be able to reset the game (instructions provided online) and either sell it or give it to someone else.

Rating: 7/10