Price:  $29.99 every other month

Website Description of Box:  “Now you can bring all of the fun of an escape room into your own home…with a different adventure delivered every OTHER month. Work with your friends to crack codes, solve riddles, and conquer puzzles as you solve historical mysteries through time. .”

Shipping: $5.00 in U.S. (varies for International)

Ships to: U.S .& International Countries

This box was sent to us free in exchange for a review.  View our Disclosure to learn more about our process.  This post may contain referral/affiliate links. If you buy something, The Review Girls may earn a commission.

 

I was really excited to receive this box because I am a total geek when it comes to mystery and logic type games. I’ve heard of the Escape Room style companies and I’ve always been interested in going to one of those, so I knew immediately, this would be a perfect box for me.  I love figuring things out and putting my mind to the test.

Keep in mind that I won’t be posting everything the box has to offer because I don’t want to spoil it for everyone. After all, what kind of fun would that be?

I played this game with my husband,  this past weekend, so the game is still pretty fresh in my mind. I wasn’t surprised at how challenging it was from reading previous reviews on similar boxes and I can confirm that it definitely put my brain to the test. My first suggestion would be to play at a table or a flat surface so you give yourself plenty of space to spread all the objects out that you receive within your box.

The first item you should look at is an instruction sheet. It was one of the first items when I opened my box.

Your box also gives you a bunch of awesome stuff to use for puzzles, and as clues to help you solve the mission.

I thought this was pretty cool, and I really like receiving physical clues or other items to help me crack the case!

I loved this black light flashlight that was provided. I couldn’t wait to figure out how I was going to use it throughout the game.

The box also comes with other important paper clues you’ll need throughout the adventure. Make sure to read all of them carefully! I did not post all the papers just to keep it more of a surprise but, this is a sneak peek of what one of the pictures looks like:

The box also contains several envelopes that contain separate clues within each of them. As you can see, there are specific instructions such as to needing permission to unlock. Some other instructions were things like “Password require” or “Three Digit Code Needed”. I thought that was a really cool element to the game.

The details on these envelopes are really amazing and I love how much time and detail went into them. It felt like I was actually in an old country western.

As you can see, you do not want to open any of the envelopes until the game instructs you to do so.  We made sure to follow all the instructions and I guarantee you will want to do the same. Don’t cheat! It will only confuse you further.

Going back to our instruction sheet, If you read it carefully the game will instruct you to go to a website to begin your adventure! A lot of the game is primarily through an online website so don’t forget to have some kind of device that can access the internet. I also believe that most of their games are like this which is perfect in my opinion.  I really loved this because it gave us the chance to pause, or go back and reread an instruction if we did not understand the first time around. Since I’m a visual person, I need to be able to go back and read to ensure I did not miss anything.

This is an insight into what the clues looked like on the website. As you can see, it gives you the option to read everything as well as listen out loud to the instructions. We decided to listen first to the instructions, then go back and reread the points that didn’t make sense to us or needed to reread again for clarification.

Once all the instructions have been read and you are prepared to start the game, make sure you set your own timer. The game doesn’t include one and if you want to stick to the rules, you’ll need to have a device to time yourself.

It’s pretty obvious but, the theme of this box is Western/Outlaw. You’re taken back to the Wild, Wild, West and your mission is to solve all the codes, puzzles, and other logical information you’re given to “crack the code”.  Visualize being on an old train. Can you hear the whistle of the train? When you look out the window, what do you see? This is exactly the kind of mindset to get into to make the game fun.

From the very beginning, the instructions really make it a point for you to pay close attention to every little detail. (Hint: some of the pictures/words/numbers on the box, will be your clues! Make sure you have the physical box with you during the game). I found myself stumped more than I thought I would be, and my husband would agree. We still kept pushing through though and I found myself excited when I was able to figure things out the first time around.  I’ll also add to make sure you are not distracted at all while playing this game. I found it helpful to have scratch paper lying around to jot down some quick notes, but, this is a personal preference. You will need a pencil, however.

At one point during the game, you have the option to “split up” your teams up and choose a side to work with; a gang of outlaws or work with the sheriff, in order to solve the game quicker. Being that it was just us two, we did not split up this but, I realize that in the future, we will make sure to play with more people. Not because it would make it easier but, having fresh eyes on all the clues would have helped us a ton and also having people work on different clues with the time constraints would have been a bonus. Please note it’s not a requirement to play with a bigger party, so it really is your preference on how you choose to play the game.

I inadvertently missed this part, but, depending on your skill level, you can set your timer to different amounts of time. 60 minutes for expert/advanced, 75 minutes for intermediate, or 90 minutes for casual/beginners. I like how you are given this option because, after 60 minutes, we were not able to get through all the puzzles. Darn it! I like to consider myself someone who’s up for the challenge, but, quite a bit of the clue had me scratching my head.

Also, since the game doesn’t set the timer for you, I feel like it would be fun just to keep going, even past the time limits so you can actually successfully complete your mission!

Overall thoughts

My overall thoughts for this box is it’s pretty awesome. I highly recommend anyone who has family or friends game nights, to add this box to your game rotation. I had a lot of fun reading each clue and trying to solve the puzzles. No two puzzles were exactly alike and I really found that to be unique and made the experience that much better.  I like that the box is delivered bi-monthly because I could see how having one each month might be kind of tough to fit into your busy schedule. Since it’s not a game you can work on here and there, you definitely need to dedicate at least 90 minutes to play (if not longer).

After checking out their website, Escape the Crate, also has a ton of cool and different themed boxes to continue the fun. From my understanding, the Outlaw box is also available to purchase on its own, so if you’re thinking of gifts for the holidays, I highly recommend you check them out!

Try Escape the Crate today!

(Psst!  Use code LOCKPICK for special savings)

 

All views in this review are the opinion of the author. The Review Girls will never accept payment in exchange for a review, but will accept a box at no cost to provide honest opinions on the box. This post may contain affiliate/referral links. Read our complete disclosure.