EXIT: The Game
Age: 12+
Players: 1-4
Play Time: 1-2 hours
Difficulty: 3/5
The boy and I enjoyed our first EXIT game enough that we decided to step up the difficulty with the The Sinister Mansion, which we actually found a little easier than the Level 2 The Cursed Labyrinth because we had a better idea of what we were doing and what kind of things to look for.
However, this one is a little different in that it appears less linear, at least in the beginning, and you are allowed to look at every page of the game booklet right off the bat. This was somewhat overwhelming at first, because you have no idea where to start, but once you figure out the first puzzle and get the ball rolling, the flow does improve significantly. As with The Cursed Labyrinth (and I assume all EXIT games), you solve three-digit codes with a rotating cardboard wheel and use Riddle Cards to take you to the next puzzle, Clue Cards when you get stuck, and Answer Cards when you think you've cracked the code.
Again, you're not going to get a lot of immersion with these tabletop games, though on the plus side, The Sinister Mansion does have less to read. The puzzles are just as clever and unique, but as often is the case with tabletop escape room games, they can get a little finicky at times when you have to cut and fold and look at things through certain holes from certain angles. Unless everything lines up perfectly, you're not going to get the right answer, and it can get rather frustrating.
On the whole, we liked it a little bit better than The Cursed Labyrinth because the puzzles made slightly more sense and thus made the game more fun and less frustrating.
RATING: 7.5/10
PROS and CONS of EXIT: The Game
+Clever puzzles that offer a strong challenge
+Ingenious design that requires you do use every part of the box
+Beautiful artwork
+Interactive - requires using pencils, rulers, scissors, and your hands
–Requires a lot of reading
–Game can only be played once (as you may have to destroy certain parts)
–Puzzles can be frustrating, especially for the inexperienced
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