Category: CU Adventures in Time & Space

CU Adventures – Solve Our Shirts: Escape from the Maze of the Minotaur [Review]

by David Spira, posted in CU Adventures in Time & Space, Products, Reviews, Tabletop Escape Game

A monster with the body of a man and the face of a puzzle.

Location:  at home

Date Played: December 2020

Team size: 1-4; we recommend 2

Duration: 60-90 minutes

Price: $35-$40 for a single shirt, $50-$60 for the deluxe edition, couples packs also available

REA Reaction

To the best of my knowledge, Escape from the Maze of the Minotaur is the first time that puzzles, cotton, and a bit of polyester have been blended together to create a play-at-home escape game… and it was great fun.

Assortment of t-shirts showing the front and back designs in assorted colors.
Image via CU Adventures

Solve Our Shirts is onto something and I strongly recommend it. The question that you have to answer for yourself is which edition you’re purchasing:

  • Standard ($35-40) – the core product
  • Deluxe ($50-60) – the core product + a few added props and puzzles
  • (Or the couples version of either of these)

My advice: The core product stood firmly on its own. If your budget is tight, this was the main event and you will not feel like you missed out.

If you’re not going to miss the extra $15-20, the premium product added a few good puzzles and a prop that gave me a good laugh, and now sits on my desk.

The couples version is great if the t-shirt design speaks to you and a puzzle solving companion in your life. While we appreciated having two shirts side by side for solving, a second shirt added no additional content.

All options are good options; simply pick the one that speaks to you. I can’t wait for more Solve Our Shirts.

  • Model wearing teal t-shirt with the puzzles removed.
  • Model wearing red t-shirt with the puzzles removed.
Images via CU Adventures

Series Overview

This review only covers details specific to this individual shirt from Solve Our Shirts.

For a detailed explanation of the concept and mechanics, and a general analysis of the entire product line, check out our Solve Our Shirts Overview.

Continue reading “CU Adventures – Solve Our Shirts: Escape from the Maze of the Minotaur [Review]” →

CU Adventures – Solve Our Shirts [Overview]

by Lisa Spira, posted in CU Adventures in Time & Space, Products, Reviews, Tabletop Escape Game

SOS FTW

Location:  at home

Date Played:  December 2020

Team size: 1-4; we recommend 2

Duration: 60-90 minutes

Price: $35-$40 for a single shirt, $50-$60 for the deluxe edition, couples packs also available

REA Reaction

Solve Our Shirts is a burgeoning product line that blends physical props, t-shirt design, and a digital interface to create a novel way to puzzle. The concept was cool and the execution was stellar.

CU Adventures has achieved a renowned status for their escape room design pre-2020, and their digital escape game design throughout 2020. With games like the 2020 Golden Lock Award-winning The Lost Temple and the similarly brilliant Floor 13, this small company from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois has provided some of our favorite puzzling experiences of the past year.

While there is only one installment currently in the Solve Our Shirts lineup, we have it on good authority that there will be more coming, so with this overview, we’re ready for when future installments arrive.

In the meantime, Escape from the Maze of the Minotaur is a must-play game for the at-home puzzler.

Red and teal puzzle shirts folded and laying beside one another.

Series Installments

  • Escape from the Maze of the Minotaur (review)

Who is this for?

  • Story seekers
  • Puzzle lovers
  • Players who want a souvenir of their puzzling
  • T-shirt wearers
  • Any experience level

Why play?

  • Inventive puzzles
  • Surprising moments
  • You still have a high-quality t-shirt after you’ve solved all the puzzles.
Assortment of t-shirts showing the front and back designs in assorted colors.
Image via CU Adventures
Continue reading “CU Adventures – Solve Our Shirts [Overview]” →

CU Adventures in Time & Space – Floor 13 [Hivemind Review]

by REA Hivemind, posted in CU Adventures in Time & Space, Hivemind

Floor 13 is a combination digital + printable game created by CU Adventures in Time & Space in Urbana, IL.

The print and play packet resting on a laptop keyboard.

Format

Style of Play: fusion of point-and-click adventure game and print-and-play tabletop escape game

Required Equipment: computer with an internet connection, printer, pen and paper, scissors, tape

The no-printer variant is really good, but the print-and-play version is better. Also, make sure that all players are using the same packet (print or no-print).

Recommended Team Size: 1-3

Play Time: about 60 minutes

Price: pay what you want; minimum $10

Booking: purchase online and play at your leisure

Description

Floor 13 was a fusion of LucasArts-style point-and-click adventure with tabletop escape room. We received a PDF with about a dozen printable pages (there is a no-print variant as well), and a few pages had bits that required cutting out. Then we used a web-based interface to click around and interact with the game world. This interface kept us organized while presenting the puzzles as well as the story.

Avoid using the paper elements before being instructed to do so or you might short circuit the game.

Hivemind Review Scale

REA's hivemind review scale - 3 is recommended anytime, 2 recommended in quarantine, 1 is not recommended.

Read more about our Hivemind Review format.

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CU Adventures in Time & Space – The Lost Temple [Hivemind Review]

by REA Hivemind, posted in 2020 Golden Lock, CU Adventures in Time & Space, Hivemind

The Lost Temple is a combination digital + printable game created by CU Adventures in Time & Space in Urbana, IL.

Lisa and David on Zoom with Escape The Roomers, a Print and Play game sitting on their keyboard with scissors and a pen.

Format

Style of Play: fusion of point-and-click adventure game and print-and-play tabletop escape game

Required Equipment: computer with an internet connection, printer, pen and paper, scissors, tape

This game was designed to be printed. There is a “no print” version, but using it really does rob you of this game’s finest moments. We strongly recommend doing most of the cutting out prior to the start of the game. (Keep track of the page numbers for the things you cut out.)

Recommended Team Size: 2-4

Play Time: about 2 hours

Price: $10 for print-and-play with higher prices for shipped components

Booking: purchase the game and play at your leisure

2020 Golden Lock Award Ribbon
2020 Golden Lock Award Winner

Description

The Lost Temple was a fusion of LucasArts-style point-and-click adventure with tabletop escape room. We received a PDF with a couple of dozen printable pages, many of which had bits that needed to be cut out. Then we used a web-based interface to click around and interact with the game world. This interface kept us organized while presenting the puzzles as well as the story.

The flooplan for a university library with a hand written letter on it.

Hivemind Review Scale

REA's hivemind review scale - 3 is recommended anytime, 2 recommended in quarantine, 1 is not recommended.

Read more about our Hivemind Review format.

Continue reading “CU Adventures in Time & Space – The Lost Temple [Hivemind Review]” →