Dispatch - Presented by Breakout (w/ Angels and Airwaves) - "Lifeforms"

Photo above is property of Dispatch - Presented by Breakout (w/ Angels & Airwaves)

Company: Dispatch - Presented by Breakout (w/ Angels & Airwaves)

Game: Lifeforms

Country: USA 🇺🇸

Language: English

Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬

Genre: Paranormal

Date Played: December 21, 2021

Difficulty (based on 1 player): 7/10

Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommended 1-2 Players)

Time: Unlimited (Suggested 2+ Hours)

Price: $29.99

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At the center of your mission is a woman. A woman who went missing to reappear only days later with no memories of her past…Previous agents who travelled to Albuquerque have left you their case notes and files in untangle the strange circumstances of her disappearance. You see, Vivian is not all that she seems, and one name stuck with her despite her strange happenstances…Victor. You need to get to the bottom of this and it seems finding this Victor may be the key to unlocking this strange case.

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"Lifeforms" comes inside a stylized box containing a memo book from a previous agent, two envelopes (one having a sealed sticker on it), a "what’s inside" card, a room key with a black light, a herbal tea tag, a metal coin, a dog tag, a red magnifying glass, two magazine pages, a missing poster, a photo-booth set of photos, three newspaper clipping, a postcard, a binary alphabet page, a map of Albuquerque, and a schematics page.

The paper quality of the components has a vice variety and feels like something out of a classic paranormal story. I felt the coin provided an excellent way to offer cipher alphabets without being too obvious.

Photo above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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"Lifeforms" takes on a more ARG element to its gameplay. With the exception of the one sealed envelope, all items are accessible from the beginning. I recommend starting with the memo journal as it introduces the story and leads you through the beginning by referencing certain game components to start with. As you begin your investigation you will be directed to websites that will need unlocked, numbers that need calling, and files to unpack.

This game is not linear. There is an end goal and some direction occasionally provided but ultimately you are trying to piece together who is Victor and what happened to Vivian. This definitely utilizes a stronger storyline but it can be non-linear as you piece it together, so I recommend keeping notes and reading things carefully. Note down key things about each item you come across because you never know if that clue may be the key to unlock something or add that vital piece of the story you’ve been missing.

One thing that is a signature of "Dispatch" games is that they do not provide any hints or solutions. They really like their game community and encourages their players to ask questions in their Facebook or Slack group and help each other. You can of course also email the "detective" that can help you in the game. This unfortunately does mean that you might have to take a "break" during the game if you get stuck and help is not provided immediately.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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The puzzles in Lifeform are interesting and tailor themselves more to an ARG game

than a puzzle experience. What this means is the puzzles themselves aren’t hard, but

the open world nature of the game can mean you might become a little lost if you aren’t keeping track. There were lots of ciphers, searching puzzles, riddles, and observational puzzles. Majority of the puzzles were key to providing passwords and usernames for online content but there were a few that were provided more for atmosphere than contributing to the story and mystery. I found a few of these extra puzzles were fun but there were others where I wish the solution tied back to the experience a bit better.

I enjoyed the investigative feeling these puzzles gave during the play-through. I truly felt like I was solving a mystery as I bounced between website and the physical artifacts to see what relationships I could find. There were some good “aha” moments when a cipher provided the vital password I needed to get through the midway point of the game. There is also a good deal of story revealed behind each puzzle which I appreciated as someone who enjoys stories.

Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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"Lifeforms" is a paranormal mystery that has you exploring online and digging deep into physical components to uncover the truth behind such strange circumstances. It

provided an excellent atmospheric feel to the experience, and I enjoyed the nostalgic element and the little touches that harkened to the genre. This game is tricky because of its open world feel but for those who enjoy a little ARG to their experiences this is an awesome idea. For the price, I got about 2 hours of gameplay which is a good deal! I recommend this for those who enjoy paranormal, exploration, and ciphers with their gaming! Are you ready to explore the phenomena in this adventure or will you also be lost to the memories?

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(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

Disclosure: We thank Dispatch - Presented by Breakout for providing us with a sample of their game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.

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