Inspectors' Review:
Postcards are tasty.
Paper is soft.
10/10 napping game.
This envelope is suspicious.
This other one is, too.
Why do they think you're some puzzling magician, mum? You can't do anything with us nowadays...
I solve it already so let me take a nap while you work this out.
Boss' Review:
The Lost Knowledge is the first game created by German-based puzzle company, Enigma Fellowship. I have reviewed their other games in the past (see The Submerged Sentinel, The Monsters in the Wild) but I was also curious about the first one. My sister purchased it as a special birthday gift and I finally decided to dig into it today to see how this bi-monthly subscription service all began!
Story:
This game begins with your boss, Michael Burges, contacting you to assist in the disappearance of Professor McEwan as his research group believe he is in danger. McEwan is known for his fondness for puzzles and they need you to assist in deciphering his cryptic messages that may lead you to where he has vanished to. This particular narrative is quite winding and I enjoyed the journey it took me on. The audio element that is providing through a guiding website keeps up progression and I also liked how it ensure there is a focus along the journey. This style is linear in both narrative and puzzle style and worked well to build anticipation as you draw closer and closer to your goal(s).
This game is entirely paper-based and is sealed in a series of envelopes that are "locked" with a password. Using the website portal individual in the introduction card, you will be guided to what envelopes you need to open and when you input the correct password into the website, the game will indicate when you can open the envelopes. I liked how all the paper elements helped build the story to assist the audio narrative provided by the website.
Puzzle:
In terms in puzzles, they were fairly straightforward, but we got stuck on two that required us pulling out the hints. There is a good variety with puzzles such as ciphers, pattern recognition, logic, and a little bit of math. An interesting part of Enigma Fellowship is their use of games related to the country/culture that is the focus of the experience. I really appreciate the inclusivity and the gamification of it to relate to puzzles. That said, there is one puzzle that needs a bit more sign posting because it draws reference to the real-world that easily can de-road players. Thankfully the hint system is there to assist! Overall, I enjoyed the puzzles and they have plenty of styles to play to different players strength; as such I recommend playing with other if you can. I thankfully had a math person join me which saved me on multiple occasions.
Customer Service:
For customer service, I think this company goes above and beyond to ensure their players. When my sister first purchased the game she actually order Monsters in the Wild, which Anuj and Orsi, the creators, knew I had ordered. They actually reached out to my sister and worked together to figure out which game I did not have and they also sent along some delicious German treats for a birthday celebration. In addition, the hint system they have constructed for this game is comprehensive and nicely staggered to ensure players have a chance to solve it without feeling like they’ve given up. You still feel good solving even with the hints.
Conclusion:
In the end, The Lost Knowledge is the perfect start for Enigma Fellowship’s puzzle journey. More simplistic than their other games, the structure and style of this game is excellent for new players to dip their toes and get a sense of who this company is. The strong narrative nicely compliments the puzzle styles and the adventure builds as you continue along the experience. This is a great game for an evening of puzzling with friends and family but can also be broken up across two days if you want to. I can’t wait to see how much more this company will continue to innovate their style as the series go on!
Check out their website here.
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