Do you enjoy puzzles, logic, and riddles? Escape games may be right up your alley! My family recently discovered escape games, and I have to admit that I am hooked. EXIT the Game is one of the original escape board game lines.
Our least favorite part of these games is their one-time use. Even when we purchase games at the thrift store (which is most of the time; the only reason we tried them at all is that I found one still in plastic wrap for only $3!), we still like to get lots of plays from it. Or at the very least, be able to pass it on to another family to enjoy.
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EXIT Games Are Not Really Reusable
We were able to pass along the first Finders Seekers escape game to another family and were hoping to be able to do the same with the EXIT the Game games. However, the EXIT game requires folding and cutting parts of the game. We tried to avoid destroying pieces, but that wasn’t always possible. We taped them back up as best we could.
The first EXIT the Game we tried was Theft on the Mississippi. This one was rated three out of five in difficulty and was … HARD. It would have been much easier, I’m sure, if we’d started with one rated one out of five. There was a learning curve to get our brains to think out of the box which was a challenge.
Escape Rooms for Older Kids
These games are rated 12+. Usually, my kids are more than capable of playing games for older kids. As I’m always telling my kids, games are rated based on how much testing the game makers want to pay for. This means that we don’t tend to pay much attention to these age ratings. However, my kids (9 and 11 when we tried our first EXIT the Game) were not so interested in the game. However, if you have older kids, I think these games would be great for them.
(Looking on Amazon, they do also have several games specifically for kids. So my kids might appreciate those more.)
While our first EXIT the Game was just a theft, our next was a murder. My family has been playing games like Clue and 221B Baker Street for years, so a murder (without explicit, macabre descriptions) is no problem for my kids. However, your family may differ, so bear that in mind. Finders Seekers games are all supposed to be family-friendly.
These are the cards – without spoilers! – included in our first EXIT game. All their games have similar card sets.
EXIT the Game Games Are Reasonably Priced
Generally, EXIT the Game games run around $15-$20. Compared to Finders Seekers, which run $30 each, EXIT games are a much better deal. We also found the EXIT the Game to be much more difficult, which I prefer. In addition, the EXIT the Game is entirely self-contained; no internet connection is needed.
I still struggle with the single-use aspect of EXIT the Game. All paper and cardboard materials are recyclable, which helps some.
This is what the game looks like when you open the box. Again, they all start out this way. They’ll tell you what you can look at and when you can look at other parts.
Recently, my husband and I found Escape Academy on Epic Games. As a video game, there is no material waste (except in the scrap paper we use!), but it does require internet and is more screen time. However, it’s been a nice way for me to scratch this itch of mine without contributing to landfills too much.