Last summer, Kyle and I discovered “EXIT: The Game” when we were browsing through a game shop. We had done a couple escape rooms in the past and enjoyed them, and thought this small box sounded like an escape game of its own-solve riddles to win the game. Plus, you don’t have to awkwardly and politely work with strangers to solve the puzzles. At the time of writing this post, there are 6 different puzzles available. We started with The Abandoned Cabin, and I think it is a good one to select if you’re trying out the series for the first time. At 2.5/5 stars difficulty, it is sure to stump you a few times, but it isn’t so difficult that you begin to get cranky (not speaking from experience with The Polar Station, or anything…).
Before beginning the game, the team will need to read the instructions (duh, right?). I mention this because you aren’t allowed to look at the game materials while you read the instructions. This can make learning the rules slightly confusing at first, but things come together quickly once play begins. One great thing about EXIT is that you can decide how seriously you want to take it—clue and solution cards are available to make things easier (but using them impacts your score in the end!). The Abandoned Cabin took two of us about an hour to complete, using only a few hint cards. The Polar Station was rated as being more difficult, and it took the two of us longer-plus we needed more hints. If you’re planning to play with a group, a more difficult adventure might be the way to go so it lasts a bit longer.
You “win” the game when you solve all of the puzzles, but a 1-10 star score is also determined based on how long it took, how many players there were, and how many hint cards were used.
The only con I have for the EXIT games (aside from how it brings out a healthy bit of rage) is that they are not able to be played more than once-you can’t even pass the game on to someone else, because folding/cutting/tearing is necessary to help solve some of the puzzles. We attempted to keep one in pass-along condition, but it impacted our score because we spent extra time re-creating pieces.
Overall, if you’re into brain teasers, puzzles, and/or escape rooms, this game series is worth a try! If this sounds right up your alley, check out this 3-pack of EXIT games on Amazon! Have you played any at-home escape rooms before? What did you think!? Let me know in the comments!
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This is a brilliant alternative to Escape Rooms. Even though you can’t pass them on, it’s a fraction of the cost of a single player. My daughter wanted to go with friends for her birthday last year, and it cost around $200 after everything. Pricey for just one hour! Too bad you can’t order a restock kit or something similar to replace the consumable items.