Inspectors' Review:
Oh a chain!!! Can I have it?
Box is 4/4 paws!
So...we taking a trip to Prague now?
Hey! When did we get a new inspector??
Let's get to it - we got a potion to make!
MOM! Come look at this!
I'll just sit here and wait until you figure this out...
Boss' Review:
Emerald Flame is a tabletop puzzle adventure by PostCurious that follows the history and intrigue of a powerful and fabled elixir. Having played PostCurious other experiences, Tale of Ord (limited release) and Whispers In The Wood (limited release), I was immensely excited to see this game come to Kickstarter in 2020 and, after some pandemic delays, it finally arrived on my door steps and I just had to dive in!
Story:
Jules Redmond, founder of Koschei Society, has reached out to you regarding assistance in uncovering an alchemical recipe that has the potential of doing great things. With your experience in language and history he is sending you the artefacts and information obtained from his research into the topic, stemming from artifacts from 15th century Prague with hopes you can tease about the past and uncover what was discovered.
In terms of story, I found the premise to be intriguing and engaged my curiosity. There are two stories happening at the same time - the one in the past between two friends in the search for the emerald flame and in the present where you are working with Jules and his assistant, Jesse, to discover what one friend unearthed. The balance of visuals and storytelling was superb and I had quite a few moments where I felt awe, suspicion, sadness, and more. The one thing I did note was I felt Jesse was a little too flat a character in comparison to the others.
Puzzles:
In terms of puzzles, Emerald Flame uses tracking, visuals, logic, pattern recognition, and more. Each chapter has a good balance in puzzle difficulty with 1-2 tough ones that worked alongside the medium difficulty puzzles. In addition, the non-linear fashion of the game meant you can prioritize how you want to puzzle and build up to the difficult puzzle, which can act as a finale to the chapter. These puzzles generally have a more visual style to them so make sure to use a keen eye when you are observing things. I also recommend just taking time to take in the artwork in this game that is both beautiful and integrated extremely well in the puzzles. I found the puzzling enjoyable, challenging, and extremely rewarding. There are quite a few “aha” moments when you figure out the importance of an image, artifact, and document that has you scrambling to find the other papers and I have found PostCurious provides these moments really well throughout my puzzling journey with this company. These are the kind of puzzles you can really dig into and, with a refill kit, writing, cutting, and drawing on components adds the immersion so don’t be afraid!
Customer Service:
In terms of customer service, while the game as delayed because of shipping and pandemic related issues, Rita (the creator) kept people regularly updated and shared photos, successes, and challenges faced in her journey to produce this game. I found the level of communication provided encouraged me to believe and support this creator and I ended up backing her other project, Light In the Mist, even without having Emerald Flame yet. In addition, response times to inquiry and questions are quick. The hint system provided is detailed and incremental and one of my favourites - I especially love having a place to submit my answer to double check if I’m on the right track. I did reach out to creator and let her know I would recommend providing a visual for 1-2 puzzles that require things to be in a certain order as someone without visual memory can have difficulty putting things together when reading a hint. Essentially, excellent customer service and the hint system gave me what I need to feel confident going forward!
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Emerald Flame provides an enriching journey through alchemic history, filled with art, mystery, and a splash of storytelling that bound everything together in a beautiful green bow. I think this kind of game is excellent for medium level puzzlers who love a lighter story and smooth puzzles that encourage you to look at the bigger picture. The ending of this game also gave players a fair and intriguing choice that I loved seeing come to fruition. This game is on the longer side with each chapter taking 2-3 hours (for me it was 1.5 chapter one, 3 for chapter 2, and 4 for chapter 3). You can easily break this up over the course of a few days and there are no cliffhangers so you feel good walking away for a bit. I have always said PostCurious is one of my favourite companies and highly recommend Emerald Flame for history lovers, puzzle seekers, and curious aficionados!
Check out Emerald Flame here!