Purely Puzzles
Imagine
An envelope lands on their doorstep.
Inside is a letter from someone they know, but not who.
There’s a message for them,
but for it to be revealed they’ll have to solve the puzzles within.
They’ll have to solve…The Enigmagram!
Send an experience they won’t forget
and put their wits & imagination to the test.
Who doesn’t love getting post? Well, unless it’s a bill of course. But a mysterious envelope, full of puzzles and codes to unlock a secret message from an unknown sender is always exciting when it drops through the letterbox. At least, I know I was excited when The Enigmagram dropped through the door.
This isn’t the first time we’ve encountered a mysterious envelope being posted through the door – there are a number of companies out there that offer this secret, puzzle solving message service so we’ve encountered this sort of thing a few times now. But they’re all a little different, and we were looking forward to finding the time to devote to solving the mysterious contents. The opportunity finally presented itself on the spur of the moment weekend get-away, so it’s fortunate that you only need basic internet access to check the hints and eventually reveal your message.
(N.B. If you’re thinking of sending an Enigmagram, you can choose from the Original, 2nd, 3rd or Junior Editions. I had a sneaky peek at the clues, and it looks like each is distinctly different, so it’s worth noting that this particular review relates to the game we received, which is the 3rd Edition.)
CONCEPT/EXECUTION
The wax seal on The Enigmagram gave us a hint of the things to come in terms of the quality of the materials, and once it was broken and the contents revealed, we weren’t disappointed. Sifting through the high-quality materials, it became apparent that with the exception of one puzzle, the challenges could be solved in any order, so long as you make a note of where the solutions fall in the sequence to reveal your secret message online. Unlike some of the alterative secret message games, The Enigmagram doesn’t have an underlying narrative driving the puzzles, making this open format possible, and also ideal if the recipient is actually multiple people. The lack of narrative also didn’t detract from the fun. In fact, once we were able to find the time to devote to solving the cryptic contents of the envelope, we quickly found ourselves fully engrossed in the challenges and enjoying the pure puzzling to be had.
PUZZLES
The difficulty of each puzzle contained within The Enigmagram is as varied as the styles within the envelope. Word games, logic, a bit of maths, plus some lateral thinking and even a bit of searching all make an appearance. Puzzles were well thought-out and fair. Even the ones that we needed to take hints on were simply because of our own assumptions, and not looking closely at what the challenge actually required. I will admit, the mechanics of some of the puzzles, riddles, games, and challenges within the envelope were familiar, but pleasingly, none of the puzzles in the 3rd Edition felt like those “Facebook” puzzles that were all the rage at one point (you know the one’s I mean.)
I gather from The Enigmagram’s website that the 2nd and 3rd Editions are more challenging than the original, but there is also a Junior Edition, so make sure you choose accordingly for your recipient.
CLUE SYSTEM
Enigmagram have stuck with what works to help out anyone that’s struggling to get through the puzzles by using a webpage with a series of gradual hints to get players on track when they’re a little stuck.
Alongside the hint system is the entry system to retrieve your message. If any of your solutions to the puzzles is incorrect, you will be told exactly which answers are incorrect. Which means you know exactly which puzzle to have a closer look at, rather than going through all ten again.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Why send a card when you can send an experience? The Enigmagram is a wonderful way to send a little something extra with whatever message you wish to convey, whether it’s a Happy Birthday, revealing a secret holiday, or simply to tell someone you’re thinking of them.
TOOLS REQUIRED
- Internet
- Pencil
Final Rating:
| Puzzles | |
| Concept/Execution | |
| Clue System | |
| Value for Money | |
| Enjoyment |
Team: 2 players
Time Taken: 40 mins
Website: https://theenigmagram.com
*Disclaimer: we weren’t charged for this experience, but this has not influenced our review.
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