Elgin Escape: Santa’s Last Parcel (Play at Home) 

Festive family fun!

After a busy evening delivering parcels to children worldwide, Santa has finally arrived back at his Grotto in the North Pole. He turns round after putting the sleigh away and discovers a parcel lying on the floor tucked under the seat. He lifts the parcel to discover there is no name or address on the parcel. Can you work quickly to find out where it needs to be delivered to in time for Christmas morning?

‘Tis the season to be festive, and with another demi-lockdown announced in the UK, what could be better than bringing back some favourite traditions from last year: The Play at Home Escape Game. Especially one that is themed for the season.

We first came across Elgin Escape in June 2020 when we played their first online game, Murder Mansion and just nine months later we played the company’s second game, Piper Asylum earlier this year. We enjoyed both of the games, so it was a no brainer to get into the festive spirit with their latest game: Santa’s Last Parcel.

After a weekend of decorating trees and wrapping gifts, a Tuesday evening after work seemed like the perfect time to get another boost of Christmas cheer, so we booted up our laptops, logged into the game, and settled in to watch the briefing video from Santa himself.

CONCEPT/EXECUTION

Santa’s Last Parcel is a browser-based online escape game and operates much like the company’s earlier two games. The platform allows up to six devices to connect using the same game code, and like both Piper Asylum and Murder Mansion, once someone on the team solves something, a message pops up to say the puzzle has been solved and everyone on the team is pulled through to the next part of the game. Don’t worry if you’re not the most tech-savvy person – the platform is incredibly simple, and not only is there a briefing video for the story, but there’s even a tutorial video to walk you through exactly how everything functions.

In terms of gameplay, Santa’s Last Parcel is a very basic point and click game that guides players through the game in a very linear fashion to uncover the recipient of Santa’s last parcel. The game isn’t particularly story-driven, but the artwork and sounds that accompany the puzzles help to keep the festive feeling. There is a surprising amount of content packed into the game, and every time we thought we were finished, we clicked through only to be presented with yet another puzzle. But eventually, we helped Santa to deliver his last parcel and received a nice little roundup of our achievements at the end.

PUZZLES

Santa’s Last Parcel has 14 puzzles in total (I know, because the platform gave credit to Gord for solving all of them since he types faster than I do!) These puzzles incorporated a wide variety of tasks including very simple observation, listening, codes, pattern recognition, logic and even a bit of maths (actually, quite a lot of maths). Puzzles ranged from incredibly simple to a bit more complex but were generally well signposted and pleasing to solve. I do say generally as there was one that was actually just an exercise in frustration, so although we knew exactly what we needed to do, we were unclear on precisely how to do it and ended up needing to take a clue.

Online escape games can be forgiven for breaking one of the cardinal rules of an escape room (no outside knowledge) for the simple reason: you’re already on the internet. So be prepared, you may also be giving your internet researching skills and festive season knowledge a bit of a workout with this game! It’s also worth remembering that although the game does work for solo players, if you’re in a team, it’s best to remember that teamwork makes the dream work, as good communication skills will make many of the tasks if not easier, then more efficient.

CLUE SYSTEM

Help is never far in an Elgin Escape game, and that’s equally true for Santa’s Last Parcel. There is a giant CLUE button on the top right-hand side of the screen that you absolutely can’t miss. Thanks to the collaborative nature of the game, everyone on the team must agree that they do really want to take a clue, so there will be no clandestine clue taking from any team members to try to cheat the system either, especially since the platform also makes to sure to let the team know exactly who requested the clue.

Once your entire team has decided you really do need help, the system will lead you through a series of granulated clues to get you back on track. If you’re the kind of person that likes to tally up how many clues you take, you’ll probably be pleased to know that the first clue you take for each puzzle is the only one that counts in your final clue tally, so you don’t have to feel as though you’re being unjustly penalised for requesting help if the first clue doesn’t get you where you need to be.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you’re looking for a festive game to bring the family together, whether you’re all around one screen or dotted across the globe, Santa’s Last Parcel could be a great option for a bit of lighthearted puzzling.

TOOLS REQUIRED

• Laptop/Desktop computer
• Speakers turned on
• Notepad for note taking
• Search Engine for possible internet research

Final Rating:

Team: 2 players

Time Taken: 36 mins

Website: https://www.elginescape.com

*Disclaimer: we weren’t charged for this experience, but this has not influenced our review.