Inspectors' Review:
Oh, this paper feels nice!
It's also quite slippery!
See, this is why I refuse to try fruit - it's gonna poison you someday, boss!
There's a dating site here, boss! You should check it out!
I would but, uh, can't read or write still...
Wax seals might look delicious but they are not meant for eating!
Boss' Review:
In case you missed the Kickstarter and the previous case I reviewed, Fairy Tale files is a quarterly subscription that was kickstarted by Michelle and Yacine of Society of Curiosities, another quarterly subscription that focuses on treasure hunts. Each case of Fairy Tale Files follows you assisting Inspector Maximillian Lepoof of the Magical Mishaps Agency in solving strange cases happening in happily ever after. Last case focused on the murder of Cinderella's stepsister but this case focuses on Snow White and poisoned apples.
Different than what was initially planned in the Kickstarter (which focused on the seven dwarves as the suspects), three princesses have fallen under the spell of a poisoned apple and there are only three suspects who have intimate knowledge surrounding these kinds apples, the Evil Queen, Snow White, and Grannie Smith, the main producer of apples in the land. With Maximillian as ground support, you navigate the land in search of clues to identify who could possible have caused this AND how can you save these princesses. Now, recognizing this game is meant for a younger audience compared to Society of Curiosities, I found the story simple and easy to follow along. The AI nudges you along to each location, prompts you to keep looking, and give you specific questions to answer with the ultimately goal of you having all the clues to deduce who did it at the end. This is excellent for newer and younger puzzlers who aren’t sure how puzzling and deduction work. The story is straight forward enough to prevent confusion as you move forward and I found I was more easily able to recall clues from previous puzzles or evidence to relay back to Maximillian in this episode compared to the previous. I wasn’t really surprised by the poisoner but I did like the additional theming that played a part in the final solution via a private account of Maximillian.
For puzzles, the ease of the story line made puzzle solving quicker and more efficient. The puzzles ranged from locked boxes, pattern identification, logic puzzles, and more. These puzzles weren’t hard but they were fun and I did enjoy figuring them out quickly. It reminded me of an escape room where you want the players to catch on in a quicker time frame than a longer narrative puzzle experience because they only have 60 minutes. One of the puzzles does require colour so be advised if you are colour blind. Visuals also played a big role in these games but also riddles so make sure to take a moment after reading something before you discard it. I will add the visuals are beautiful so I enjoyed inspecting them for clues because ultimately this is a deduction puzzle game and you need to be observant. There are little puzzles to help you gain assistance from other characters and to enter locked areas but to solve the poisoner and save the princesses you need to collect all the information you gained to identify a person and a plan. In this line of thought, writing stuff down is important if you tend to forget.
Customer service was excellent as always. The game arrived in a timely fashion and the AI was ready to help. I found the hint system using a magic mirror to be fun and a cute way to incorporate help – I can just imagine kids yelling “mirror mirror” as they type to Maximillian for help. My game arrived aged and with an wax seal which was so satisfying to break open – my last game’s seal cracked during transit. Note my game is from the collector edition.
Overall, I found The Curious Case of the Poisoned Apples to be a sweet and magical journey. I enjoyed the deduction, the artwork, and the set up of the puzzles. As an experienced puzzles I wasn’t challenged by the game but after a long day of work it really satisfied my puzzling craving. It’s also a quick game and took my around 45 minutes to play through alone which is much quicker than my last game. If you looking for a whimsical game filled with light deduction and puzzles on an evening at home, I recommend trying out this game! It’s great not only for kids interested in puzzles but also puzzlers looking for a quiet night in.
Check out their website here.
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