Puzzling Pursuits - "The Fifth Column"

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Company: Puzzling Pursuits

Game: The Fifth Column

Country: USA 🇺🇸

Language: English

Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬

Genre: Detective

Date Played: December 18, 2023

Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7/10

Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommend 1-6 ppl)

Time: Unlimited (Approx 2-4 hrs)

Price: $34.95 (FREE Standard Shipping in the US)

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The German Reich has officially fallen and World War II has come to an end… except a rogue Nazi group seeks to infiltrate and bring ruin to the allies. This element known as “The Fifth Column,” has somehow made it onto the US land and are hidden in Manhattan. A communication between members has been uncovered and Commander Jacob Williams has turned to his finest agent to help crack the decryption hidden amongst these papers to uncover what dastardly plans this Nazi loyalist have for the home of the free and brave. What nefarious plot are their hiding and can we stop it in time?

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Following a similar vein to all previous Puzzling Pursuit games, the game arrives in a sturdy matte cardboard box with a thematic design wrapping it. Inside there are two dossers that look like briefcases labelled Part 1 and II. Inside are a range of paper materials from letters, posters, maps, telegrams and more.

I felt overall the look fit the post WW2 vibe and the classy and sophisticated quality added to the feel of immersing yourself into the game.

Photos above are property of Puzzling Pursuits

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After receiving the game introduction and opening the letter, the premise is laid out quite solidly with a nudge on where to start first. These games have a semi open world puzzling style where there is a clear and defined end puzzle that can only be solved once all others are but you are free to do the other puzzles in what ever order. I felt the narrative grew as the story continued and was post powerful during the second act, but the first act was a fun adventure of dipping your toes into a thematic setting puzzle experience.

There is an online web portal for this game that allows you to check answers and access hints. As you check your answers you will receive little messages from the command center that helped build the story for me. In addition, there are certain envelopes that cannot be opened until instructed so submitting the answers is essential to get that notice.

The hints are well scaffolded with additional images as you progress in case you need the visual which I loved seeing that support. There is also an “Enhance your Game Night” section which gives you suggestions on how to set the mood for a true game night with food, drinks, costumes and music you can play to spice up your experience.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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As mentioned before, the game is generally non-linear with an end puzzle being the focus for each part. This means you can easily divide and conquer if you are a larger group. These puzzles generally have a lot of logic word puzzles but also quite a few math puzzles as well. We recommend having plenty of paper set aside as you will need to write out patterns. You also will need to write on puzzles at times.

What I found most fun about this experience was the layered use of some of the materials. Reveals had us diving back to part one to unravel a new clue that was such an “aha” moment. I also enjoyed the decryptions and ciphers as they made for satisfying reveals that helped flesh out the story.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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"The Fifth Element" was an engaging new chapter in the Puzzling Pursuit world of puzzling. The story is straightforward but still offers twists that work so well into the setup of the puzzling. The clues, materials, and reveals all fit within the theme and world as well as draw you in. This game challenges you to work through word problems so don’t be afraid to write out steps or reach for the detailed and extremely useful hint system. Once again Puzzling Pursuit continues to create fascinating experiences and I am very curious to see what comes next!

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(If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

Disclosure: We thank Puzzling Pursuits 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.

#JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #TabletopGames #PuzzlesByMail #SubscriptionGames #PuzzlingPursuits #Detective #Mystery #USA