EXIT: The Game review

As a person who has been through many breakout rooms in Riga and has also created two myself, for a long time I looked at "Exit: The game" very skeptically. I remember that rooms like this have a lot of physics puzzles that are often mind-boggling - including lasers, magnets, scales, secret doors and rooms! And I felt that putting it into a little book and over a dozen cards would lose a lot. Even the fact that the game series won the "Kennerspiel des Jahres" award in 2017 failed to convince me. I hadn't looked at this game until I got a box of one as a birthday present. I will try to give a review on whether this game is worth it. This review will be spoiler-free.

Subject matter

The traditional breakout room theme is kept. The characters of the game are stuck somewhere and need to get away from a certain place. I've played versions where you need to escape from an abandoned cabin in the woods, a pharaoh's tomb, or escape from a forgotten island. The game includes a small, thematic book, where the game rooms are illustrated, as well as a stack of tasks. For example, in the version of the forgotten island, everything is stylistically marked in the logbook. I appreciate the style with which these books are created, as each topic has a different and very integrated design, although the challenge is and will be to hide the logic puzzles in a format that is both interesting and thematic.

Components

This is one of those games where quality components aren't a priority, especially since the in-game magazine is torn and shredded within the first few minutes, and once played, it's a wasteful game. The size of the text and images in some of the drawings really bothers me. When playing with several players, it is often difficult to see what is happening at the other end of the table, and it also happens that a lot of small and important details are drawn on a small card.

Mechanics

The basic mechanics of Exit: The game series are linear puzzles that you have to complete one after the other to get through the room. Usually, players will have several clues, which will be enough for one puzzle, and will be missing for another. There are 10 such puzzles in the game, solving each one gives you additional clue cards that help you with the next tasks.

The mechanics of checking whether the players have come up with the correct solution to the task are very elegantly developed. Each set of the game has a large rotating disk that can be rotated to obtain certain numbers. They then lead to cards that show you if you're on the right track. At first, we were afraid that we would accidentally enter something wrong and spoil the game for ourselves. But from experience, when we get stuck, we try all kinds of crazy theories, which have always led to declarations that they are wrong.

It's nice that the game doesn't penalize you for the pace of the game. It has a point system that gives points for completing faster as well as how many threads are used. But it's a gamer's adventure, so if you're having fun, it doesn't really matter if you set the record and beat the game in 40 minutes or play for 4 hours.

Multiplayer

Are not! After each game, many cards are torn or drawn. Not to mention the magazine. If your mother taught you not to tear up books as a child , this game is not for you. But I wouldn't want it to deter me from buying the game. The box costs around 16 EUR in the Brain Games store, and at least for us so far it has been +/- two excellent hours in the company of friends. In addition, this is a great gift for gamers with the hope that you will be able to participate in this adventure yourself.

Rating

I like Exit: The game more than I expected. I will gladly continue to gradually get to know new boxes with other stories. I believe that this game does not replace a breakout room, where you have to be physically in the room and experience everything on your own skin. However, it is a very good time spent with friends, worth trying at least once and then see if you want to continue. Rating 7 out of 10 .

You can buy the game in Brain Games stores or in the online store: EXIT

"EXIT" games are also available in Latvian , as well as special versions with puzzles . In the fall of 2021, the first "EXIT" advent calendar appeared, which was only available for pre-sale.

Board Game Geek rating: 6.84 - 8.22

Author: Kristaps Auzāns