Exit: The Abandoned Cabin - Kennerspiel Des Jahres Winner, Card-Based Family Escape Room Game for 1-4 Players, Ages 12+, Blue

Danielle United States

A great game if you are logical; not so much fun if you aren't

Background of the reviewer: Middle-aged mom with years of experience in the Pokemon TCG competitive community. I am a casual gamer who mostly plays with my family (Catan, Ticket to Ride, Fluxx, Pandemic) or Solo Marvel Legendary. Always looking for new gaming opportunities. Experience with Escape Room Games: This is my first purchase of and experience with a table-top escape room game. I purchased this after reading multiple BGG reviews of all of the currently available escape room games. I have not done any live escape room experiences. Out of the box: The instructions are super explicit about not examining the included materials. The box contains a plastic wrapped set of cards, a cardboard decoder, three “strange” items, a book and a rule book. The instructions are very clear in guiding players through setting up the game without accidentally revealing any information that would ruin the experience. Everything is very well-constructed and a good value for the price. It was very easy to get the game started. The other suggested materials were pencils with erasers, a pair of scissors and some paper. How hard is this to play? The directions are very clear and easy to understand, and we quickly got the hang of trying different things, talking things over, and thinking outside of the box as much as we could. The game is very well constructed and all of the components work well together. My wife and I found the puzzles extraordinarily challenging. The suggested playing time is 60-90 minutes and after two hours we were not even halfway done. We got the first riddle, but then had to use one clue on the second riddle, 2 clues on the third and could not solve the fourth. Despite how hard this was for us, it was still fun as we had some “ah-ha we got it” moments, only to realize we did not. The clues we did reveal showed us that were on the right track multiple times, but just couldn’t quite bring it home. Interestingly, each time the clue showed us how close we had come, we eagerly moved to the next riddle thinking that it would be the turning point for us. (it never was) We are clearly not of the ilk that finds success at games like this, and in hindsight, neither one of us is into puzzle-solving. We don’t do Suduku, anagrams, or other logic puzzles. I think if we had more brain-stretching experiences like this we would have fared better. We boxed it back up, but fully intend to pull it out again when are refreshed, and maybe have a third person to join in. Even though we have decided this game probably isn’t for us, we will be buying the next one in the series for our 14-year-old son who definitely loves puzzles and challenges like this. What, exactly, are you doing when you play? You are using the provided materials to solve riddles. All of the information you need to solve the puzzles is there, you just need to figure it out. Each riddle you solve “unlocks” the next set of riddles. At first you are solving one riddle, but then move on and have multiple riddles involved. You and the other player(s) are working together to brainstorm ideas of what might work. Each time you think you have it solved, you use the cardboard decoder to check your answer. If you are wrong, you go back to the drawing board. The decoder is very well made and a clever way of guiding you without revealing anything. Recommended number of players: The box says 1-4 players but I think 4 is on the high end. There is not, in my opinion, enough to keep 4 people occupied. I think this would be a great date night activity (if the couple are a lot more logical than my wife and are), or maybe for three people. I think this could also be played by six people if you used two copies (or photocopied a second set of the book) and agreed to not work ahead of the other players but worked side by side. The book that you are referring to is hard to share with two people, let alone 4, and it’s a crucial part of figuring things out. I also question the 12+ age rating. I am not sure a group of 12-year-olds could figure this out without an adult involved, but others may disagree. Once my 14 year old plays the next one in the series (after Christmas) I can update my thoughts. Replayability: This is a consumable game -- components of the game are marked or destroyed as part of the play. Also, once you solve the riddles there is no point in re-playing it. When my wife realized it was not re-playable she was at first confused. Why did I buy a game that we would just throw away when we were done with it. Once I explained that it cost less than a movie ticket (I got it on sale for $10), and this was our date night activity, it made more sense to her. Final thoughts: Although this ended up not being the type of game I think we would play again (we’ll stick to Pandemic and Marvel), I do not regret the purchase in the least. I would highly recommend this to those who: enjoy logic puzzles; are creative problem solvers; have a fairly high frustration tolerance; are interested in stretching their mental muscles. It is extremely well-made, clever (at least as far as we were able to proceed), and a great experience for a good price-point. If you are considering purchasing an escape room table top game (or dropping the big bucks for a live experience), I would suggest this as a good entry game. If you enjoy it, you can consider the more expensive options out there. If, like us, it’s not your cup of tea you are out less than $15.

Amazon Customer United States

Two hours of escape room puzzle solving fun!

These guys have developed a great system of puzzles, answers, and clues to let you tailor the difficulty to your own group or level of persistence. This is the second “Exit” series box I have played, the first was the pharaohs tomb. Both were great fun with a variety of twists and turns in the puzzles. You start the game by reading the brief introduction and taking out of the box only the items you are told. One by one you collect the clues, unlock new items and puzzles, and by the end you have used everything in the game. There are a couple items in each box you don’t get for quite a while, but seeing them doesn’t give anything away. Figuring out how to use them is the trick. New areas are shown in the main booklet and on cards you get for solving puzzles. Read carefully, look closely, and try to think outside the box or you will never escape the escape room in a box. Trying to beat the clock without using the included HINT cards may be impossible. I recommend these games without hesitation. Great series. Once you try them you will recommend them to others. Yes these are use-once games. And underpriced for the fun and sense of accomplishment you will get from completing a well designed escape room experience at your own game room table in the safety of your own home. Note: to be clear, you can actually pause or stop playing at any time, the peril is strictly fictional. ;)

Jill Maragos United States

So much fun!

My husband and I used to regularly go to escape rooms before the pandemic hit. Since our local escape rooms were closed down due to COVID, we were looking for something to do instead. And, I came across these games. We absolutely love them! We find them just challenging enough to keep us thinking but no so weird or out there that you're left thinking "No one would have ever gotten that!" I find these games a great way to get out of my own head. and focus on something other than anxiety producing thoughts You know how they say the idle mind is the devil's playground? Well, my idle mind is the devil's Busch Gardens. He has a big ol' blast in there. "Oh no, the dog just barked! Now the neighbor probably hates me!" "Oh no the doorbell just rang. What if it's not UPS or an Amazon Prime driver and it's a serial killer?" "My husband loves Mexican food and we haven't gone out for it lately. He's probably gonna leave me now." Playing these game revokes Satan's annual pass. Or, at the very least keeps him off the Cyclone for an hour or so. So, snuggle in on a date night or get together with some friends and forget about the world for an hour or two. They're a blast and a great way to challenge your mind at the same time!

Ty United States

Mentally challenging, but fun and doable game!

A fun game! This is our third "exit" game in a box and they have all given us an hour or more of fun. Which, if you think about it, when was the last time you spent less than 20 dollars and had 1+ hours of fun for 4 people? The clues can be odd at first if you haven't done a game like this, but once you solve a few you start to figure out how to think them through. Plus if you get really stuck there are help cards to get you though. When we have played this game it was me (28) my girlfriend (24) and her parents (60+) and it was fun for everyone and everyone was able to contribute to the solving of the clues. Though some of the clues are difficult. Of course, different versions have different levels of difficulty so find the one that best fits your group. For the abondoned cabin, the difficulty was beginner with some questions being a little more "medium." It helps to have some idea of how these games works, but with that said, this would be a good starting box.