If you’ve dabbled within the Puzzle world for a bit there are a few games that circle around because of something special. Wilson Wolfe Affair was a Kickstarter launched in November of 2017 that boasted hours of engagement and plenty of items and components to keep you engaged and focused. While the company, Simulacra, appeared to disband after producing the game and have not produced a game since, the games lives on in mixed company. I was able to find a used copy of the platinum tier edition and wanted to share my thoughts so let us begin!
Story:
The story of Wilson Wolfe Affair follows an investigation into a strange occult and one poor employee who appears to have become embroiled in their strange plots. This story is meant to be carefully pieced together by players so I don’t want to give away too much. Essentially, the game focuses around a diary of a man who becomes employed by a company but his diary, like his mind, is scattered brained with pages out of order and dates missing or partially complete. Each entry contains a puzzle to solve that helps you, and the employee learn more and more about the cartoon company and its rather insistent employees. These puzzle connect back to different items in the box that further build up the story and world with additional lore around the history of the company and what is happening.
This game is massive in scope and I can understand why the game was delayed. When you open the box with the game it's overwhelming as there is no rhyme or reason to its boxing. Some of the criticisms of this game is the poor packaging.
Now I thought the story was extremely well done. The mechanic to have players pieces together the chronology kept my group engaged and theory building the entire time we played. As we solved each puzzle we learned something new and it twisted our path further down the line. I enjoyed how the additional components in the game (depending of the tier you have changes the scope of what you have) build the story so you not only have the protagonist's perspective but the people surrounding the main character and all their manipulations. This game requires a lot of reading but each thing you read is rewarding. Over, if you love true story building, Wilson Wolfe Affair has captured a great aesthetic with the cartoon 1930s theme and interactive story. I will say the ending was a little anticlimactic with a conclusion that leaves the immersion but the journey was enriching.
Puzzles:
The puzzles for Wilson Wolfe Affair ranged from easy to challenging to downright impossible depending on the entry. For the most part, all the information you needed was self contained but there were few puzzles where I ended up having to do some deep googling to unearth the answer. Puzzles included ciphers, tracking, pattern recognition, and observation. You are told at the beginning none of the puzzles require being destroyed to be solved which I greatly appreciated. The puzzles I most enjoyed the most really utilized the animation studio as I felt those puzzles really captured the theme of the game.
Now, there were a few puzzles that seemed disjoined and extremely difficult. Even with the hints I was unsure how you were meant to navigate them. At the same time there is over 15 hours of gameplay so the majority puzzles were good but I recommend using hints when you are stuck for longer that 15 minutes so you don’t drain yourself too early on. In addition, I recommend playing with friends as the longer puzzles can turn a little tedious if you’re unable to divide and conquer. I found my group did best with going through each journal entry and once we got to the end of the journal, we spent time reorganizing the entries before solving the remaining documents hanging about. The reorganization requires some amount of deduction and I enjoyed that element to the game. I also recommend not trying to brute force any ciphers while playing as it can spoil other game components. If you don’t understand a cipher, you are likely missing a piece you haven’t connected yet. In the end, the thematic puzzles were well done and added to the story but there few puzzles that felt misplaced and needed more sign posting.
Customer Service:
I received this game second hand so I can’t speak towards the purchasing and ordering from Simulacra. I will also add that you won’t be able to get this game from the company any more - you can find copies sold on eBay or Facebook groups like Puzzle People. In terms of the hint system I felt the online hints were well organized and easy to navigate. They are labelled and clear to follow. At the same time, there are also three videos that are included in the game that are on the website but if you have the USB add-on you can have the videos saved there.
Conclusion:
Wilson Wolfe Affair provides players with a fascinating and detailed puzzle world that encourages true participation in story building and exploration. The puzzle ranged vastly from easy and straightforward to challenging with attention to themes carefully built in each of them. I feel the delays in the game led to the introduction to some out of place puzzlings and an ending that didn't truly reflect the journey but playing with friends can help move past the more strange and tedious games. I truly wish Simulacra had continue their game creations and there is so good in Wilson Wolfe Affair. If you are able to get your hands on a copy for an affordable price, I will say you’re in for a treat but it is by no means perfect!