Groundhog Gambit: Rapid Review
Information:
Mechanics: Escape Room
Player Age: 13+
Player Count: 1 - 4 Players
Time to Play: 120 Minutes Game Designer:
Jonathan Chaffer
Game Artist: Jonathan Chaffer, Karl Juhlke
Publisher: Grand Gamers Guild
Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher.
Rundown:
Groundhog Gambit is the latest theme added to the escape room game franchise that focuses on holidays called Holiday Hijinks. These games are always contained within 18 cards but utilise all the space necessary on the front and back of the cards to deliver a fun and challenging experience.
Cards will either contain information or have a riddle/puzzle to solve. These answerable cards are denoted by a red question mark and will have answers that need to be written into the app. These answers may be numbers, phrases, or a single word.
Alteration:
As this game isn't replayed I am instead going to talk about the alteration of this Holiday Hijinks compared to the rest of the series.
This incarnation has something I haven't seen before in the other three Holiday Hijinks I have played; interactable objects. On the back of the card, it will say something like ‘while you have this item you can type look at (insert number shown on card)’.
In doing this, it is immersing the player further into the game by interacting with objects on a level that I haven't seen in this franchise before. (example of interactable objects below)
Spoiler
The big twist (alteration) with this Holiday Hijinks is that during the game you will reach a certain point where you have to create a word using the clocks on the back of the cards. Once this happens the players put all the cards back and restart the adventure. The rooms may be the same but the puzzles have unique outcomes due to the item system. The item system allows players to interact with the same puzzle in a completely different way, as each time warp you will unlock different items that will reveal different dimensions to each puzzle.
Spoiler Points:
- The clocks on the back of the cards are used in multiple unique ways that always keep the last puzzle of each room engaging.
- The puzzles in each room may be the same in theory but still as challenging as the last time you were faced with the puzzle.
- The item system added a massive layer to the puzzle to make this possible.
- Fantastic play on the time warp theme leading to a very entertaining
game.
Production:
The production is best discussed in reference to the app and how much use you get out of the cards. The app keeps track of which items you have unlocked throughout your gameplay and will keep the prompts loaded so you can easily interact with the numbers as they come up. This is one of the most uses I have seen out of the 18 cards in the whole franchise. Due to this new mechanism, and a surprise twist, this game really leaves you feeling like you’re experiencing Groundhog Day for yourself.
Interaction:
This is a really puzzly escape game that has so many challenges ahead that it breaks itself into two parts. In total this took me and my wife about 3 hours to play but that is not a deterrent as this game kept us engaged the whole time.
Determination:
Key Points:
- Interesting use of items and the app to create an added dynamic to the game.
- Massive amount of use out of 18 cards.
- Some puzzles may feel the same but have a fresh layer to them.
- The app kept track of what items you had so instead of typing it everything you could simply click on item.
Groundhog Gambit proves that there is still a lot of design space in the Holiday Hijinks system. This game felt completely different from the other Holiday Hijinks in a great way. While being an escape room it also incorporated elements that made it feel like a point-and-click adventure thanks to the different ways the items interacted. For only 18 cards this game had a large experience, this entry has gone beyond the other three i have played and is easily earning a Go to Golden Game Seal.
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