Room Escape Artist

Journey to the Twicelore

Location: at home

Date Played: May 2026

Team Size:  we recommend 1

Length: 306 pages; expect about 30-45 minutes per each of the 18 chapters

Price: MSRP $29, but on Kickstarter for $26 while the campaign is active

Kickstarter Campaign

The Kickstarter campaign for The Stormlamp Rituals is live now through July 2nd! Check out the campaign page for the full details on backing.

REA Reaction

We have come to expect great things from a PostCurious production, and Jack Fallows’ The Stormlamp Rituals followed in that tradition. The Stormlamp Rituals was more than just a book. It styled itself an “illustrated puzzle narrative” (in the way that PostCurious tabletop games refer to themselves as “puzzle tales.”) It certainly lived up to those three descriptors: the art was varied and gorgeous, almost every page presented a short puzzle to overcome, and the story was engrossing and meaningful.

Evaluating The Stormlamp Rituals on those three dimensions in isolation would not be adequate. While the art, puzzles, and story were all wonderfully-presented elements on their own, Jack Fallows integrated all three facets in a way that elevated them. The art and illustrations gave context and imagery to the story and the full-page pictorial chapter introductions set the stage for the narrative and provided little moments of contemplation between solves. Each puzzle was a small work of art, bringing to life some piece of the magical, lore-rich world that Fallows created. It should be noted that readers may be familiar with this world already, as The Stormlamp Rituals is a compilation and expansion of Jack Fallows’s Cryptogram Puzzle Post.

The only mark against this blending of visual elements were the hint pages. These pages are necessary and extremely helpful; well-crafted progressive hints are a hallmark of PostCurious productions. The Stormlamp Rituals used a standard red reveal text filter to keep hints hidden until needed. Each chapter had two pages of hints, and these very red pages stood out against the rest of the artwork. This may have been a necessary evil with no better alternative.

Of note, it seemed that The Stormlamp Rituals was intended to be a single-use product. There were destructible elements contained in a satchel attached to the back cover, and ample room to solve the smaller puzzles inside the book itself. While there will be a file available to reprint the destructible pages, the book itself felt as though it wanted to be written in, to be an active chronicle of Anna’s journey. In 2022, I wrote about a panel at PAX Unplugged that included Jack Fallows. He talked then about destruction sometimes being part of the art itself (and provided an early sneak peek of the cover!), so perhaps that was part of the point of this puzzle collection. Once you have played The Stormlamp Rituals (and we recommend that you do), this book becomes a beautiful piece of interactive art in and of itself.

Who is this for?

• Story seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Art lovers
• Fantasy fans
• Best for players with at least some experience

Why play?

• An intriguing and moving story
• Beautifully integrated puzzles, art, and story

Story

The protagonist, Anna, ran away from home to follow in the footsteps of her mother, with only her grimoire to guide her. The story followed Anna’s journey to find her coven while avoiding supernatural enemies.

Setup

The Stormlamp Rituals is ready to play as soon as the reader sits down with it. The instructions are short but cover everything the reader needs. A pencil, some paper, and a pair of scissors are all that is needed. Of note, The Stormlamp Rituals is playable completely offline.

Gameplay

The Stormlamp Rituals was a magical fantasy novel with a short puzzle on just about every narrative page. Gameplay revolved around finding a solution to each puzzle ‘step’ and using that information to help solve the next puzzle in the chapter.

Over the course of 18 chapters, the puzzle types varied in both type and difficulty. Most puzzles were of easy-to-moderate difficulty, with a few puzzles being tougher or more complicated and layered.

Analysis

➕ The Stormlamp Rituals, as a physical object, was a work of art. It’s what we have come to expect from PostCurious productions, and Jack Fallows’ presentation through multiple art styles all but demanded to be appreciated on multiple dimensions.

➕ The puzzles were perfectly integrated into the narrative, making for a fully diegetic experience. As the protagonist Anna encountered problems, challenges, and other ordeals we solved them right alongside her.

➖ The hints pages were helpful, but also the only design choice that felt out of place in the rest of the book.

➕ The satchel attached to the back inside cover that contained the interactable and destructible elements was an adorable and functional use of space.

➕/➖ From a narrative perspective the ending came suddenly, but left the story well-positioned for a future second volume and continuation of Anna’s journey.

📖 Puzzles were not necessary to solve for narrative understanding, and The Stormlamp Rituals can be read as a novel without solving – though that means missing out on the puzzles and how they integrate with the narrative ending of the book.

➕ Given the amount of puzzles in The Stormlamp Rituals, there was very little duplicating of puzzle types. Each challenge felt fresh and like it was meant to be there.

Tips For Players

• Space Requirements: A comfy chair and some table space to work on
• Required Gear: A pencil, notebook, and scissors

Buy your copy of PostCurious The Stormlamp Rituals, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: PostCurious provided a complimentary game.