Photos above are property of Identity Games
Company: Identity Games (Distributed in North America by Kroeger inc.)
Game: Escape Room The Game: Fall of the Dawnstar
Country: Netherlands 🇳🇱
Language: English
Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬
Genre: Sci-Fi
Date Played: September 2, 2023
Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6/10
Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommended 1 to 2 Players)
Time: Unlimited (Approx. 2 Hrs.)
Price: $19.99
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Residing in the year 2281, you have just completed a fix of the malfunctioning telescope in the Xanite galaxy. Packing up and ready to head home, you get a pressing communication from command center. A terrestrial scout ship not far from you has sent out an SOS signal and the responsibility falls on you to investigate the situation.
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Opening the box, you are greeted with some cardboard pop outs that include the puzzle decoder and its keys which will tell you if you have the correct answer. You will also see 6 closed boxes as well as instructions on how to play the game and an introduction.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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Reading through the instructions and the introduction, we were then directed to open a specific box. Inside, there were puzzle pieces and some items. On the inside of the lid, was some narrative that continued the story. After assembling the jigsaw puzzle, we had to solve the enigma at hand by looking at the picture we put together and sometimes using the other items provided. The jigsaw puzzles typically consisted of less than 100 pieces and were not your traditional rectangular pictures. The story to the game was fun little mystery. As we opened each box and read the next pieces of the story, it transitioned nicely to the "next room" that needed to be explored.
Once we though we solved the puzzle, using the circular decoder, we would put the key discs on top of it and rotate the keys based on the numbers of each key. Once rotated, 4 characteristics will be revealed. If the 4 characteristics match the symbol on one of the boxes, you are correct and can open that box to continue the game.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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Having played a few of their other jigsaw puzzle games, it was nice to see some different puzzles than before. There were a few surprisingly clever puzzles that blended nicely into the game. They included some eureka ones, following instructions and logic puzzles.
The hints for hte game were givin on the back of the instructions. Unfortunately, they are grouped together so if you only need one hint, there is a chance you may see more. They did do a great job in alternating the hints though so that the hints for the first puzzle are right side up, while the hints for the second puzzle are upside down to avoid accidentally revealing too much.
Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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"Fall of the Dawnstar" (and the other Identity Game puzzles) are a nice blend for those who like to build jigsaw puzzles and solve enigmas together. The jigsaw puzzles are small, but challenging with their unique shapes. The enigmas integrate nicely to the game and this one stands out by using the jigsaw puzzles in unique ways. The story is also a nice mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seats as you play. We played with 2 people, but another person would have worked nicely with the game. More people, and you will be on top of each other to see the puzzle. This one is recommended for those who like sci-fi themes as well as thosse who like a combination of jigsaw puzzles and enigmas!
Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of the game:
(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 Identity Games for providing us with a sample of this game. Although complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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