Inspectors' Review:
We're hunting for a TAIL in a TALE? Hahahahaha...I don't get it.
You know paper is excellent for eating...no? Well I tried.
What about the wood?
Opposable thumbs are an asset for this game...get over here boss!
I think I should read this one, mum. I have the more appealing voice.
Boss' Review:
The Magical Tale is a premium special edition wooden book puzzle experience by creators, Anuj and Orsi, who are the masterminds behind the tabletop puzzle company, Enigma Fellowship. If you been exploring my blog or big Facebook puzzle groups like Puzzle People, you may have heard of them. Enigma Fellowship is a subscription-based puzzle service that provides a 2-3 hours narrative puzzle games every alternate month. The themes range from finding lost civilizations to diving deep into ocean waters. I have reviewed their previous experience, The Lost Knowledge, Scattered Cards, Submerged Sentinel, Monsters in the Wild and Dinner Party. This new game is a special holiday release that will be available for a limited time and I was gifted this as a lovely Christmas present. I cannot wait to discuss this so let’s dive in!
Story:
The story follows a young dragon, Theo who has lost his tail through a rather embarrassing situation. Unfortunately, an untamed tail will release magic across all the realm in chaotic fashion, which can be quite dangerous. With your assistance, Theo must track down where his tail has gone and fix the chaotic magic left behind by this mischievous appendage. I personally found this story to be a beautiful children’s tale. This game is set up as a true fairy tale book with puzzle envelopes on over other page filled with paper components to help you fix what the magic has left behind. I can truly picture reading this book to children and breaking up the story with fun puzzling activities to truly engage children. In this frame of mind, this game is tailored to a younger audience or a young at heart audience. If you enjoy fairy tales with light puzzling, then this story has it all.
Puzzles:
As for the puzzling, I found it to be a light puzzling experience. The puzzles range from physical manipulation, logic, mazes, math, and more. Inside each puzzling envelope, there is a clue/instruction to get you started and there is no additional information required outside the game. Your goal within each envelope is to solve for a spell that will stop the chaotic magic. I really enjoyed how each solution revealed itself and the safeguards to ensure you didn’t open the wrong magical spell. I will note I did struggle with one puzzle as visually I was struggling to piece it together, so I recommend having someone who is good a visual puzzles to be around or use the hint system. The rest I was able to complete with minimal hints. My favourite puzzle ended up being ones that had a physicality to them to reveal the words. I would say these puzzle adds an engagement level to the story experience; though, you are easily able to bypass them by turning the page.
Customer Service:
In terms of customer service, I always like to say Enigma Fellowship goes above and beyond. My copy arrived damaged, and they were very kind to send a new copy quickly. I also liked how they included a physical hint system with each puzzle so you can truly embrace an offline game. There is an online hint system available but it is a little unpolished with typo or two. That said the physical hint system was perfect and I had no issues with that one.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The Magical Tale provides the young (at heart) a wonderfully fantastical tale about a dragon and the ending was sweet and perfect. The blending of story and puzzle was well done and definitely would be perfect for beginner puzzlers. The puzzles are not necessary to read the story but they allow players to feel a part of Theo’s story and provide excellent "aha" moments to rewards you as the story progresses. I would recommend this to those who are looking a beautiful story with light puzzling alongside a really nice collectable!
Check out Enigma Fellowship here.