Escape Team – Review 

Foreword:   

I got access to the game and missions through the game’s design team. I have played 5 missions so far (4 if you don’t count the training mission) and I will get to the others soon! I had a really nice time with it at 2 players but the next time I bring it to the table I’m going to be trying for 3-4 players. This one is worth a read. 

From the Publisher:  

I’m always hesitant of print and play type games because they have let me down repeatedly in the past. However, I knew this one was going to be different from the start when there was an associated APP to download (free). The PNP material itself wasn’t a lot of pages per mission and only a couple of simple household items (paper, pen, scissors, and/or tape) were required. Really easy to set up and fast to get started.

Favorite:

Not surprisingly, I loved the puzzles. They have packed each mission with several neat little puzzles and as you get further in the missions, some serious brain burners. 

Least Favorite: 

I’m not one that enjoys hints, but they are there to tempt you. I gave up on one of the tougher puzzles that I just didn’t understand and pushed past it using the hints which eventually just gave me the solution to the puzzle. Even with the solution and the hints, I never did understand how they got it. It provided quite a lot of disappointment and frustration in myself, but that isn’t the game’s fault. I simply couldn’t solve one of the puzzles.

Overall: 

This game was a great follow through on an amazing idea. Being able to quickly gather and play this game on a moment’s notice is incredible. The cost per mission (or discount for packs) is also ridiculously fair ($1.99/per). They give a couple free for you to try out and see if it’s for you. I’m giving this one the seal of approval, and expect it to continue to grow as a brand. 

Areas they did well: 

– Super accessible, quick to set up and play

– Free app and trial missions

– Excellent value / cost

– No prep or notice required. You can decide to buy the game and play minutes later.

– Responsive and functioning APP

– Great puzzles

– Teamwork and interaction

– Game length and breaking each game into phases

– Selling missions separately or as packs, you can invest as little as $2 for some evening enjoyment.

– Interactive community and ability to build your own missions (on their website) you can also play other homemade missions.

Areas they could have improved:

– The hints themselves were alright, but riddles too. They were time based and only were available in certain increments. Unfortunately, if you were going to cheat (like I was forced to on one of the puzzles) you’d lose basically all the time needed to finish in order to do so. Getting stumped is going to cost you! In fairness, you are defusing a bomb.

–  I believe the game was originally in German, so I am concerned the full depth of translations may not make it through.

– It suggests to break the team up to work on other phases solving the next clues and racing the clock. This is a great strategy and necessary to win, but, it does have flaws. Sometimes key information required for phases is placed on sheets from other phases. So, they may not be able to go ahead successfully.

– When testing a code, it will always validate each number from left to right and stop when one is wrong. Meaning, if you got the first digit wrong, you tested the code but essentially only tested one digit for right/wrong. If the remaining numbers could flash red or green, that would be really helpful.

Final Thoughts:  

I don’t know who I wouldn’t recommend this too. You can check it out for free (or the cost of printing a few pages) and it gives you a wonderful peek into what the game, and really the genre, is all about. I am excited to try out the rest of the missions and to try some of the fan-made missions. This is a no brainer for me. Take a minute and head over to their site to get the free mission(s), grab the app, grab a few friends and see what you think. I will not be surprised when you’re interested in the additional missions. 

I‘ll see you next time, back here at The Game Table,

Zerility

Here’s a link to their website if you’d like to find out more:

http://www.escape–team.com/