It’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to, cry if I want to, cry… wait. I don’t want to cry… I want to solve puzzles! Oh, looks like I can with The Birthday Burglary! We’ll solve puzzles, open presents, and eat all the cake that we can! We’d better get started!

What Is It?

An 18-card cooperative escape room game where you will work through various types of puzzles (word puzzles, pattern puzzles, riddles, and so forth) in order to win. The game utilizes a website that gives players information (like Morse or braille), can provide hints if you get stuck, and is where players enter their answers to advance through the game. Throughout the game, players will earn various items and will use the website to interact with those items by selecting things like “look at X” or “use X with Card#” for example.

Who Is It For?

  • 1 or more players – Personally, I think it shines brightest with 2
  • Ages 12+ – Some puzzles are harder than others, but I think the game is accessible for a wide range of ages, and older players could certainly help younger ones as well
  • Fans of puzzles / escape rooms
  • Players who do not mind having an electronic component in their board games

PROS

  • Website works well, which lets the game run smoothly
  • No long rule set; Quick overview of the game is enough to get started
  • New interactive items are a great addition to the series and really elevated the game overall
  • Small / Portable
  • Good variety of puzzles
  • Nothing gets destroyed like in some other escape room type games

CONS

  • I wish the website, since it’s necessary to use, had background music to add to the atmosphere of the game
  • Since the cards are small, sometimes it’s hard for multiple people to work on the same puzzle at once, even in a small group
  • It’s size can make it hard to store on your game shelf without getting forgotten/lost

Final Thoughts

You all know by now that I’m a big fan of this series, and this game did not change that. In fact, I think this one made me like these games even more!

While the game isn’t that difficult, (1/3 for difficulty, as shown on the box), I did think that the interactive items (look at, use, et cetera) really gave more to the experience overall, to engage the players.

If you were already a fan of the series, there is no reason not to add this one to your must have list. If you have yet to try them…what are you waiting for? Any of them is a great place to start, but this one, so far, is my favorite.

Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 8/10

Designer – Jonathan Chaffer
Artists – Josh Cappel, Jonathan Chaffer
Publisher – Grand Gamers Guild
MSRP – $10.99
Website

Check out my other reviews from this series:
Cupid Crisis
Pumpkin Problem

*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*

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