Escape the Plagues

Review

Game Description

“Level up your Passover experience with Escape the Plagues! This family-friendly exploration of our modern plagues will spark discussion about how we can truly escape and what it means to be free.”

Personal Experience

I read about this game over on Room Escape Artist and was really intrigued by the concept. While I’m not Jewish, I strongly believe in learning more about other cultures and customs that differ from my own; I also am a strong advocate for Social Justice, so that aspect was appealing to me as well.

The game is marketed towards families and, while the charming art style seems geared more towards children, I think people of all ages will have fun with it. I liked the little touches sprinkled throughout the game that encourage participation and discussion; the questions the game asked are appropriate for all ages but still designed to provoke contemplation and reflection, even for adults.

I played on my own, so unfortunately I didn’t get to have much discussion during the game, but I still really enjoyed my time with the game. Even though the puzzle play is geared towards beginners—and so a bit on the easier side—it was still a fun game experience. It took me about a half hour to play through the game.

Narrative

The game is written in the style of a script and players are encouraged to choose roles to play and read their parts out loud. The writing is well-done and, smartly, focuses less on the specific issues at hand and more on the actions we can take to help fight for a better world, deftly tying it to the story of passover and the actions taken by the people in that story to fight for a better world.

Puzzle Play

The puzzles were well-designed and are a great on-ramp for younger players and new players into the puzzle-game genre, introducing them to basic puzzle ideas that will be built on and expanded in higher-difficulty level games. While none of them will be particularly challenging for enthusiasts, they were still fun to go through.

If you do get stuck, hints are provided in mirror-writing on the final sheet. (Reminding me of the “Hawkeye Collins and Amy Adams” mystery books I used to read as a kid, which was a nice little nostalgia trip!)

Recommendation

This is a great game (that won’t take all evening) and a wonderful conversation starter for families that want to talk about social justice and the actions they can take in their own communities. If you’re looking for a starter game to introduce younger players to the genre, I think this game would be a great purchase for you. Plus, a healthy percentage of the proceeds go to some great charities, so it’s a win-win all around.