INSCAPE - "Stonehenge's Legacy - Puzzle Box"

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Company: Stonehenge's Legacy - Puzzle Box

Game: Furnace

Country: Germany 🇩🇪

Language: English

Type of Game: Tabletop Game 📬

Genre: Medieval

Date Played: December 1, 2024

Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6/10

Size of Team: 1-4 ppl (Ages 14+)

Time: Unlimited (Approximately 90-150 Mins.)

Price: $70.00 USD

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For centuries, there have been those who believe that King Arthur somehow still lives, hidden away in Avalon, waiting for the right time to return and rule Britain, and maintaining his mystical connection to Stonehenge throughout. You’ve never been one of those people, but recently there’s been a strange energy that's been coming from the great monument! Scientists have yet to discover what it means, so you’ve been invited as a puzzle-solving expert (naturally). When you arrive, you’re overwhelmed by sensations and called to a secret panel, where you find a mysterious box. “Release me, and the treasures of the ancients will be yours!” Sounds like a good idea, right? Now, can you just figure out how to get this thing open?

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"Stonehenge’s Legacy" looks pretty slick! The packaging seems high quality, as does the booklet. The puzzle box itself differs from others we’ve played in having printed color images covering the exterior. We appreciated the extra visual interest this provided, without it becoming overly cluttered. All the pieces feel quite robust, and the one time we thought things were a bit janky, it was because we hadn't quite figured out what we needed to do yet. Everything fits well with the Camelot and Stonehenge theming.

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The overall style of game play here is similar to that of other puzzle boxes we've played. There is an initial story presented via the booklet. In this case, there is a clearly indicated “start” to draw your attention to what to try to do first. You'll proceed to figure out how to satisfyingly open various compartments, until you finally reach the last and innermost one. There is a nice build up as you play, with some of the coolest and most visually compelling moments towards the end. At that point, you’ll be directed to a website to hear the conclusion of the story, along with some extra bits of intrigue… Depending on your eyesight and finger size, a flashlight, magnifying glass, and tweezers may come in handy. (We didn't use tweezers, but there were a couple places they could have been useful.) The game can be easily reset once completed for others to enjoy!

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By our count, there are 10 steps to solve the puzzle box. All of the challenges are language-agnostic, as only symbols are used (aside from the word “START”), making this an accessible game to non-English speakers as well (though they might miss out on the story bits). We found the game to have nice flow; once you completed a puzzle, you generally knew what to tackle next. There are both more mechanical puzzles to open compartments and determination of codes for combination locks. There's an online, tiered hint system for help along the way, as needed. And, if you complete all of their boxes, there will be a metapuzzle you can tackle! As we played a prototype, there were still a couple of minor kinks, such as an assembly error and some online components not yet fully built out. However, these will be sorted by the time of full production. There were also two puzzles with a bit of ambiguity in interpretation that could be tightened up a bit. Overall, though, we found the challenges to be diverse and entertaining.

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"Stonehenge's Legacy" would make a fabulous delivery system for a small gift or note (4x4x5cm; ~1.5x1.5x2in), but comes with the added benefit that you get to play it yourself first! (I mean, that's the only way you can hide their gift, right?) It's a bit more approachable than some of the IDventure boxes, seems well-constructed, and has a lot of visual appeal. The experience provides plenty of satisfying physical manipulations, discoveries along the way, and culminates in a few final moments that bring both table presence and a bit of unexpected whimsy. Treat yourself, you and a partner, or gift it to your know-it-all friend who has everything!

Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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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 INSCAPE for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.

#KristaJones #AtHomeGames #TabletopGames #PuzzleByMail #INSCAPE #Medieval #PuzzleBox #Germany