Room Escape Artist

Hieroglyphics for the Next Generation

Location:  at home

Date Played: March 1, 2025

Team size: 1-5; we recommend 1-2 kids plus an adult

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: £22

REA Reaction

For a young audience, The Egyptian Enigma gets the right things right. Its combination of quality materials, lovely illustrations, and digital characters arguing about the fate of the world captured my 9-year-old’s attention, gripping her with purpose and motivation. The integrated timer and dramatic music made her “want to work hard.” We also both appreciated some additional intrigue off the beaten path; it situated the game within a broader universe while making us feel like real sleuths. It was also a sly marketing technique that made us curious about other games in this series.

This presentation did its job in elevating the puzzles, which, in large part, were basic forms of children’s activities aside from the final meta-puzzle. They appealed to my daughter’s sense of competence, but she also declared that a 7-year-old would enjoy them even more! Indeed, parts of multiple puzzles could be bypassed without too much ingenuity, though children might feel more self-satisfied with this than adults. Overall, a child or set of children could probably manage the puzzle mechanics on their own, but reading ability would be a significant limiting factor. An adult could fill that gap but at the expense of some of the core puzzle discoveries.

Finally, as a “History Mystery,” the game did a fine job of introducing players to historical concepts without requiring any outside knowledge. It’s possible players might absorb something new from the gameplay, but learning was not the primary goal of the experience. However, the accompanying fact sheet was a nice touch to review after the game, and budding history buffs might enjoy taking a closer look at the interwoven details after beating the game’s timer.

Overall, this was a well-produced experience that I would recommend for parent-child fun.

Who is this for?

• Scenery snobs
• Budding historians
• Ages 7-9 with adult help

Why play?

• For a family puzzling experience that centers early elementary kids

Story

Agent Cleo, a time traveler working for the Ministry of Time, was stuck in Egypt in the year 1922 after the Baron tampered with her time machine. Having intercepted her distress signal and a packet of relevant artifacts, it was up to us to determine the override code for her time machine, return her to her rightful time period, and avoid an “omni-vortex reality discombobulation.”

Setup

To begin, we contacted Agent Cleo via a website. After hearing her message, a timer kicked off our quest, launching dramatic music in the background. If this music is distracting, you can turn it off without missing any clues.

We received a set of tightly sealed envelopes and instructions for using a custom decoder. Each puzzle produced information that could be decoded to point to the next envelope to open. Incorrect decoding led to humorous “traps” set by the Baron.

Ultimately, we were seeking a four letter code to enter into the website and fix Cleo’s time machine.

Gameplay

The Egyptian Enigma was a standard tabletop escape game with a low level of difficulty aimed at elementary-aged children. Gameplay consisted of jigsawing, mazes, decoding, searching, and making connections.

At least one player must be able to read fluently, and most of the puzzles are more enjoyable for players who can read them.

Analysis

➕ The digital introduction and character presentation were engaging for my highly imaginative daughter, who fully embraced her task of defeating the villainous Baron.

❓ Having a game timer woven into the experience heightened the suspense but risked unnecessary stress for a young audience. In my role as facilitator, I wanted to allow my daughter as much independence as possible because the content was so well-suited for her. I worried that the timer undermined that opportunity.

➕ The physical game materials were of the utmost quality, using a variety of heavyweight papers and card stocks to match the purposes of different artifacts.

➖ The envelopes were very difficult to open, particularly for children. We ultimately used a letter opener.

➕/➖ The puzzles entertained my 9-year-old daughter, but she also felt they were easy, and shortcuts were sometimes possible. Unfortunately, younger players who may enjoy the substance of the puzzles more may lack the reading skills to fully engage with most of them. 

➕ Historical information added seamless flavor to the experience without requiring outside knowledge. Kids can feel pleased with themselves for recognizing references, and a fact sheet at the end of the game allows them to go deeper if they wish.

➕ We were rewarded for exploring the extra materials at the end of the game. It felt like the puzzler’s version of a post-credits scene.

Tips For Players

• Space Requirements: A large table or space on the floor
• Required Gear: A pencil or other writing utensil is necessary. A letter opener is helpful.

Buy your copy of History Mystery’s The Egyptian Enigma, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: History Mystery provided a complimentary game.