Room Escape Artist

Live long and puzzle!

Location: at home

Date Played: October 6, 2025

Team Size: 2-4; we recommend 1-4

Duration: 30 minutes

Price: £35 on kickstarter

REA Reaction

Minty Noodles is currently running a kickstarter campaign for their tabletop puzzle game series, Interstellar Adventures: The Sincerest Form of Flattery. The campaign reward options offer a 3-episode game pack, but this review only covers the first episode.

I received a review copy of the first episode, and it struck me as a delightful cross between a comic book and a choose-your-own-adventure story, with logic puzzles and codes throughout.

The story featured a space crew consisting of a diverse set of beings from all across the universe, reminiscent of a classic popular space-themed TV show. The game cards were richly illustrated and I found the comic-book art appealing. Each card was numbered, and the solution to each puzzle was the number of the next card to draw from the deck. That card would also contain instructions for additional cards to draw, and cards that could now be discarded. In this manner, the cards that were out on the table were constantly changing.

Interstellar Adventures is a worthy addition to the tabletop puzzle game space. Structurally, it is similar to the popular UNLOCK! series. However, Interstellar Adventures is a self-contained package that does not require downloading any app or internet access. Instead, progressive hint cards are included in the game pack, which makes the game portable. Furthermore, the game is fully resettable and can be passed on to other players.

The puzzles that I encountered in this episode used fairly straightforward mechanics, so it is probably most appropriate for newbies or playing with younger puzzlers. However, I found the story engaging, and if the subsequent 2 episodes are of a similar style and quality, I would enjoy seeing the characters continue to develop over the series of games. If you’re looking a starter tabletop escape game, consider backing Interstellar Adventures: The Sincerest Form of Flattery on Kickstarter before their campaign ends at the end of the month.

Who is this for?

• Fans of retro-style art
• Story seekers
• Newbies

Why play?

• It would be a good way to introduce tabletop puzzle games to new or younger players.
• Since the game was completely self-contained; it can be played when traveling.
• The art was pretty!

Story

The game was set on a spaceship in the distant future. The multi-racial crew originated from all over the galaxy and was tasked with exploring unmapped regions of space.

Setup

The game was played with a deck of numbered, illustrated puzzle cards. Solving puzzles revealed the numbers of subsequent cards to be drawn. There were progressive hint cards, and bonus and penalty points. Some additional 3D game components were used for a few puzzles.

Gameplay

Minty Noodles’ Interstellar Adventures was a standard play-at-home puzzle game with a lower level of difficulty.

The puzzles tested observational skills, pattern recognition, and logic.

Analysis

➕ The comic book art style was nostalgic and charming.

➕/❓ The puzzles were slightly challenging, but mostly straightforward and approachable for inexperienced players. Interstellar Adventures never asked me to think outside the box.

➖ The price was above average for the genre, but the gameplay was shorter and simpler. It felt too light on puzzle content.

➕ The game was non-destructive, and could be repacked for a different group of players, improving its cost-effectiveness.

❓The little spaceships were cute, so I was looking forward to using them. However, they were only used for one activity that was not as puzzley as I would have liked. Perhaps they might be reused in subsequent episodes?

➕ The progressive hint system was simple yet effective.

➖/❓Interstellar Adventures was pretty straightforward, in puzzle design and game design. This might be perfect for their target audience, but left me wanting more. There was an opportunity for innovation and novelty.

➕ The game was playable anywhere since all necessary game materials were included in the box and no internet access was required.

Tips For Players

• Space Requirements: Room for a couple of stacks of cards and some working area was the bare minimum, though puzzle solving would be easier with more room to spread cards out.
• Required Gear: No additional materials were required, though a pen and paper would come in handy for solving puzzles.

Get your copy of Minty Noodles’ Interstellar Adventures by backing them on Kickstarter.

Disclosure: Minty Noodles provided a complimentary game.