We’re still months away from Halloween, but any family game night could benefit from spooky vibes.
In EXIT: Nightfall Manor, players explore an eerie first to make it to Nightfall Manor, a haunted building that nobody dares to go in. Do kids have what it takes?
Designed for preteens, teens, and adults ages 10 and up, EXIT: Nightfall Manor by Thames & Kosmos is one of the newest titles in the company’s long-running EXIT line of escape room-style games. In this game, players have to save their friend Gaston when he goes to investigate the eerie Nightfall Manor in the woods. As players look for Gaston, they have to build jigsaw puzzles and solve riddles to open “locks” by inputting the correct solution codes into the game’s decoder disk.
To find each riddle, players have to build a jigsaw puzzle first. The jigsaw puzzles reveal scenes, which include the locks that have to be opened and are packed with clues that are vital to solving the riddles.
Players can open each lock using the riddle solutions, but they can be harder than they look. If kids get stuck, they can open up the directions and find two clues to help them out! The first clue is more vague, while the second is more specific. If the clues don’t help, they can also look at the solutions. However, the more clues and solutions players use throughout the game, the lower their score will be at the end. There are three different endings to the game based on how high players score, so using clues can be costly! As the game progresses, there are three more jigsaw puzzles players need to complete to reveal more riddles. The puzzles are 88 pieces each, so they are generally quick to put together.
As with all EXIT games, solving the riddles requires a combination of observation and creative thinking. I won’t spoil any of the solutions here, but one riddle involves counting fireflies to reveal the code. As you correctly (or incorrectly) solve the riddles, the narrative of your adventure in the manor continues. I recommend having paper and pen on hand to help work out some of the solutions.
The game is rated two out of five for difficulty, so there are more difficult EXIT games from Thames & Kosmos out there. However, this title may be a bit challenging for first-time EXIT players, young puzzlers, or someone who is playing solo. I spent around two hours playing the game and got around halfway done.
Overall, EXIT: Nightfall Manor is a fun and immersive game, and a great way to get teens and tweens away from screens and using their brains. However, gameplay lasts around 2-3 hours on average. If players are solving the game on their own, it could also take even longer than that. Players may want to block out time so that they know they’ll be able to finish the game in one sitting.
It’s also important to note that, due to the nature of the game, you can only play it once. This may seem like a bummer, but the game does fill a significant chunk of time and can keep up to four players entertained and working together.
EXIT: Nightfall Manor is the perfect game for families who can’t get enough of escape rooms or think that Halloween is the best holiday. But those who are easily scared, beware!
EXIT: NIGHTFALL MANOR
The old man was well-known for his eerie tales of the dark castle on the edge of the forest. Recently, he set out on his own to find the shadowy lord of the manor, but he hasn't returned. Fearing the worst, you embark on a quest to find him. You must solve a series of…