Ahh, Valentine’s Day. A holiday all about love, flowers, romance, and … puzzle solving? Hmm, doesn’t sound exactly right, but sure, if you say so! If you want a chance to make it to your Valentine’s Day date in time, you’ll need to be quick, keep your wits about you, and maybe think with your heart a little. Good luck!
What Is It?
An 18-card cooperative escape room game where players will work their way through a series of puzzles in order to win. Puzzles will vary in both style and difficulty, so players can never be sure what to expect as they continue on. The game also utilizes an online app that can be accessed by URL or QR code where players can can helpful information or hints if they get stuck, and where they will need to input answers to now which card(s) to take next in order to get one step closer to success.
Who Is It For?
- Ages 12 & Up – Some puzzles are harder than others, and adults can definitely work with younger players who want to participate
- 1 – 2 players – You can go through it solo if you’re an avid puzzle solver. I prefer it with 1 other player. You usually only have 1 or 2 puzzles at a time, so there’s not a lot for a big group to work on.
- Fans of escape room style games / puzzles
- Players who don’t mind using an online site with a board game
PROS
- Cool cover art
- Puzzles are clever and thematic
- Puzzles are varied so players of different problem solving skills can take turns at solving
- Plays smoothly
- Hints available if you’re stuck
- Small/portable
- Website provides you with any knowledge you’ll need to solve puzzles, so you don’t have to rely on prior knowledge
CONS
- The small package is nice, but hard to store among other games without feeling like it gets lost
- Sometimes you only have 1 puzzle to solve at a certain point, so there’s not a lot for players to do if you have a large group (I think it shines at 2 players, personally)
Final Thoughts
I love escape rooms, and escape room games, but not all the board games work super well. This one is definitely a keeper though! I’ve been a big fan of this Holiday Hijinks series, and this is no exception.
I think that the game feels very thematic to the holiday, and really sets an effective atmosphere for players, which is great. I also think that the website works well and provides players with everything they may need during the game.
I am always a little bit iffy on web-based sites/apps for board games, because I worry that if, one day, the site isn’t supported anymore, then the game won’t be playable. I certainly hope that doesn’t happen so that I can revisit these over the years as I forget their solutions. Overall, a very solid escape room here for a pair or small group, and I definitely recommend it!
Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 8/10
Designer – Jonathan Chaffer
Artists – Josh Cappel, Jonathan Chaffer
Publisher – Grand Gamers Guild
MSRP – $9.99
Website
*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*
If you like what I do, consider Supporting Me.
If you like what I do, consider Supporting Me.
Jonathan Chaffer
Thank you for the kind words!
I make a personal commitment that, if the publisher’s site were to go away for some reason, I will make the website available at an alternative location. This app is intentionally designed as a self-contained bundle of files that does everything in the browser (not on the server), so you can also grab the whole thing and play offline if you are technically inclined.
Steph
That’s awesome to know! Thank you for sharing!