This is more than a T-Shirt – this is a wearable adventure!
While at the beach one day, you stumble upon an odd amber-colored bottle. You open it up, cut free a strange map…and find a t-shirt? Intrigued, you find yourself pulled into a tale of pirates and secret treasure, just waiting to be uncovered. You charter a boat and set your course, confident that if anyone can discover the TREASURE TROVE OF PIRATE COVE, you can.
When we played the first game by Solve our Shirts, Escape the Maze of the Minotaur we pretty much shouted from the rooftops about how great it was. As soon as we saw that they were releasing a second game, AND that it was pirate themed, we didn’t hesitate for a second and got our order in ASAP.
Considering that our package was shipped from America we were quite surprised that we didn’t have to wait very long for it to arrive, nor did we encounter any issues with customs (a bonus) – so this game is very much available in the UK (and other countries too), so don’t let the fact that they are US based put you off.
When we played ‘Escape the Maze of the Minotaur’, Liz got to keep the t-shirt. This time I made sure to order in my size so that I didn’t miss out on getting a cool t-shirt to wear at the end of the game. Yes, that is the best thing about Solve our Shirts, not only is it an escape room-type game but you also get a t-shirt that you can strut around in afterwards. Nothing with the game destroys the shirt so you get a truly wonderful keepsake.
Other than the contents of the bag, the only other thing you need to play this game is a computer with an internet connection (although water would be helpful too). We saved this game for after Christmas, locked ourselves away in our cosy den and were beyond excited to finally enter Pirate Cove.
CONCEPT/EXECUTION
The concept of The Treasure Trove of Pirate Cove is much the same as their first game, in that you have a t-shirt that you need to refer to for the puzzles and then you need to enter your findings in a web portal. The web portal is built on the same platform as CU Adventure’s other online games, The Lost Temple and Floor 13 – which if you haven’t played, you really should! This online portal is slick and very easy to use and works well as a great extension to the t-shirt.
Inside the pack you will find items that you would be expecting, the t-shirt and various envelopes that you open once instructed to do so, but there were a number of extra items which we weren’t expecting and once again show the attention to detail and thought that CU Adventures have put into this game – this is more than just a game, this is an experience to behold.
Liz and I have been discussing this game a lot, and Liz says she prefers the Labyrinth game but I personally preferred this one. Ok, Labyrinth had perhaps more surprises but I’ve a soft spot for pirate themed games and I felt the extras that went into this game just added an extra je ne sais quoi.
The online portal is good and guided us nicely to what we needed to look for on the t-shirt but the real star of the show is the t-shirt itself. I don’t know how well it will last in the long run, but right now it is bright, colourful, soft, and is something that I will totally be wearing the next time we go out in the real world and play escape rooms. No detail was too small to see, everything was clear and easy to follow, and quite simply, I loved it.
I must admit that the portal added much more to the game than I was expecting. Background music added that feeling of being by the sea (think seagulls and waves) and then some cracking songs sung by ‘pirates’ added some great whimsical fun.
When it came time to end the game, there was a clear ending although one does have to make a choice. We made the obvious choice but we did go back to explore what the other option would have given us, and once again this gave a chance for the CU Adventures/Solve our Shirts humour to come through.
PUZZLES
We found the puzzles in this game to be perfectly logical and a delight to behold, each one made sense and each more clever than the last. As you would expect, a lot of this game revolves around observation and finding things within the t-shirt – it’s kinda like a seeing eye puzzle where the more you look at the t-shirt, the more you notice.
Some of the puzzles involved audio, but to make the game more accessible you are able to click a button to view the lyrics – we certainly found this useful! It’s also worth noting that colour blind players should have no issues in this game as nothing seemed to revolve around colours.
As with all good games, everything you need is contained within the game itself. If you have something and you’re not sure of the order – look again – it’s definitely in there. We thought we had solved one puzzle and started to get frustrated with ourselves until we looked again and noticed something that seemed like just innocent detail in the t-shirt, but actually turned out to be guiding us to do something else with the information. I love these multi-step puzzles!
CLUE SYSTEM
As the puzzles made so much sense we didn’t actually need to consult the clue system at all. However, being the thorough reviewers that we are (and the fact that it’s possible to ‘Reset’ your game portal) we were able to go back and have a look at the clue system. If you need a clue, there is always the option for ‘hints’ at the bottom of any page with a puzzle on it. If you click on this you will be shown a simple nudge, but you are able to click many more times and get more guidance to help you find the solution on your own. If that still doesn’t work for you, you are then able to view the solution to help you move forward with the game.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Not enough games come with/on t-shirts. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting a nice pin badge from a game, but a t-shirt that I can wear is next level stuff. We loved The Treasure Trove of Pirate Cove and really really really hope that Solve our Shirts make a third game!
Although we played this as a team of two, this would be a great game to play with the family. I would imagine that kids would enjoy the music and the details on the t-shirt. The only issue is that you would have to decide on who got the t-shirt at the end
TOOLS REQUIRED
- Laptop/Desktop with an Internet Connection
- Water
Final Rating:
Puzzles | |
Concept/Execution | |
Clue System | |
Value for Money | |
Enjoyment |
Team: 2 players
Time Taken: 1hr 14 mins
Website: https://www.solveourshirts.com
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