Enigma Fellowship: The Lost Knowledge

Prof. McEwan, a renowned archaeologist, is missing. His research group thinks he may be in danger. He was searching for a lost artifact of great significance. The Enigma Fellowship has been engaged to locate him and help solve his quest.

Rating: Detailed!
Completion Time: 1:45:00
Date Played: 8th December 2020
Party Size: 2
Recommended For: History Buffs, Adventure Seekers

The Lost Knowledge is the first in what is surely to be a very exciting series of play at home game subscriptions and I’m very glad to have set aside an evening to fully dive into this wonderful adventure!

The story goes, you are an investigator with the Enigma Fellowship and you have been set on a case concerning a missing person – Professor McEwan, after his research assistants flag his unusual behaviour in their most recent postcards from him. So off you go to the university, where you must first find a way to unlock his office, unlock his safe, figure out where he’s gone, then head off on your own adventure as you track him down.

Along the way, you’re guided by a whole host of actors reading each part via the online element which is a great touch, if rather funny to have your every action narrated. “You gasp”, the audio element says. So I turn to my partner and we both gasp at each other in unison, before cracking up laughing.

Another interesting part of the gameplay which I’ve not yet come across in another experience is how certain parts are locked off from you. You start with a large envelope, and soon hit a ‘roadblock’ of a QR code and a “Do Not Open Until Instructed”. Once you have been instructed, you’ll find more evidence and another locked envelope, then another. It’s pretty cool – like the Russian Dolls of the escape world, and cleverly done. About as close to a real life escape room experience as it’s possible to get in a paper based game.

In terms of puzzles, we were pleasantly pleased to find a wide, wide range in there. There’s a LOT of content. At least 2 hours worth, and no two puzzles are the same. I’d probably say this game is around ‘intermediate’ in terms of difficulty. There was nothing we were both absolutely stumped on, but some puzzles will take longer to solve and others you’ll have to really think outside of the box to work out how to play.

I also found that I learned something new whilst playing! I don’t want to give any spoilers (and mentioning puzzles found at the end of the game will spoil the first half of the game), but there are certain ancient societies and cultures I immediately rushed off to learn more about, thanks to this game! I applaud the creators’ research.

Overall, really good fun! A great game to play whether or not you’re a newbie to the play at home genre, or a veteran. You’ll find yourself surprised, excited, and feeling accomplished when you finally ‘win’ the game.

The Lost Knowledge can be purchased for $22 USD on Enigma Fellowship’s website.