Fox in a Box: A Perfect Day to Save the World (Play at Home)

Retro Point-and-Click Fun

You are agents tasked with the most important mission of your lives – stop the missile launch and save the world by avoiding nuclear armageddon. You will need to use your wits and logic to solve all challenges.

When we visited LA in 2019, we had looked very seriously at visiting Fox in a Box, but, due to the location and our limited time in L.A., we sadly had to give it a miss. Then Fox in a Box came to London, but as they’re located on the opposite side of the city to us, they may as well be based on the other side of the country, and we still haven’t made it to their physical premises. But, thanks to the wave of play at home games being developed by escape room companies, you can now get a taste of Fox in a Box from the comfort of your own home.

Despite the fact that Fox in a Box have franchises throughout the world, and that their LA location seemed to be rather highly regarded, no one seems to be talking about their play at home games. In fact, we came across A Perfect Day to Save the World almost completely by chance, and at roughly £8 with the current exchange rate, decided it would be worth a shot.

CONCEPT/EXECUTION

A Perfect Day to Save the World is a simple point and click game, à la 1990 something. The graphics are simple, but upon further research, the story mirrors that of one of the physical games that you can find at several of their locations (it goes by various names, but always includes “Bunker”); in fact, some of the graphics look like they may actually be renderings of photos taken in some of the physical locations. And after playing, I actually wouldn’t be surprised if many of the puzzles are similar to those found in the physical rooms as well.

The game has no limit on the number of players/devices that are able to be logged into the system using the same code, although they do recommend no more than four, making A Perfect Day to Save the World a good choice for those that want to play from separate locations… Or separate ends of the sofa as Gord and I did. As everyone logged into the platform sees the same thing, it would be rather chaotic with too many people, and communication amongst the team members will be essential as you explore the game. The game is linear, so there’s little need to split up to look at separate pieces of information anyway, particularly if someone has been taking note of anything of interest throughout the game..

PUZZLES

As you’d expect from a game that is essentially a 2D rendering of a physical escape game, the puzzles are very similar to the puzzles that you might expect to find in a traditional escape room, with a number of padlocks scattered throughout the various areas you explore, with combinations that result from observing the surroundings. And to make the game even more similar to a traditional escape game, A Perfect Day to Save the World even incorporates some minor search elements.

But it’s not all searching, observational codes and padlocks. The game also incorporates some more “physical” tasks, plus a bit of logical problem-solving. A Perfect Day to Save the World was actually surprisingly deceptive in its simplicity, and experienced escapers are liable to fall into the trap of overcomplication because of this. We often found ourselves trying to contrive an overly complex solution from the information in front of us, only to realise that it was completely unnecessary, and it was actually as simple as it seemed.

CLUE SYSTEM

Clues for A Perfect Day to Save the World are available to you throughout with a small button in the corner of a screen. If you decide you need a hint, simply click the button to receive a subtle nudge. If you’re still not getting it, the system will ask if you’d like another hint and you have the option to reveal it. The vast majority of the digital games we’ve played utilise a similar clue system, but it was nice that the hints were located within the game’s interface, rather than on a separate document or web page.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m so pleased we stumbled upon Fox in a Box’s play at home games. A Perfect Day to Save the World is a perfect game for those looking to try out their first escape from home, while still being equally enjoyable for experienced players.

TOOLS REQUIRED

• Desktop or laptop computer (does not support mobile devices)
• Stable internet connection
• Notepad for taking notes

Final Rating:

Team: 2 players

Time Taken: 35 minutes

Website: https://la.foxinabox.us