PostCurious: Emerald Echoes | Review

Emerald Echoes Review: Through the eyes of a historical researcher, embark on a fantastical journey to uncover the secrets of a legendary alchemist and her enigmatic companions. With beautifully illustrated puzzles, tactile artifacts, and immersive storytelling, each piece of the puzzle brings you closer to unraveling the mysteries of the past.

Date Played: August 2025
Time Taken: ~4 hours
Number of Players: 1
Difficulty: Medium

Emerald Echoes is the thematic sequel to PostCurious’s earlier title, The Emerald Flame. A game I somehow own three copies of, and I’m putting that down to “hey, I’m just a really big fan okay“. Oh but what an excellent 15 hours it was. So when the team decided to return to the world in a sequel, it’s safe to say I (and most of the puzzling commnunity) was very excited. Despite being a sequel, it can be played entirely standalone. No knowledge of The Emerald Flame is needed, it’ll instead offer just a little extra context for the world and it’s rules.

So what exactly is Emerald Echoes about? It follows the events of The Emerald Flame, and jumps between two academics in the present day and a group of alchemists from the past. Both groups of people decipher puzzles and plot pathways, and you the player are along for the ride. It’s a very narrative experience and as such there’s a lot of reading. First the back and forth between the academics today and their story, and of course the story written in half faded text on old timey scrolls from hundreds of years ago, telling of a journey that spans a lifetime. Although there’s a lot of reading, it’s rewarding unlike any other game. It’ll make you happy, make you sad, and make your heart hurt. The team’s writer, Lauren Bello, has done an exceptional job bringing this world to life on the page.

In each folder there were a number of puzzles each delineated by a numbered card and a few pieces of ephemera found inside the folder. These items included old scrolls, little trinkets, beautiful illustrations, and intriguing looking cipher wheels. It was almost always incredibly well signposted and easy to know where to start, what to look at and how to proceed. But that’s where the easiness “ended” as in typical PostCurious fashion, more than a few were a challenge to wrap my head around but utterly satisfying on the solve.

The game’s prequel, The Emerald Flame contains some of my favourite puzzles I’ve ever played in the world and Emerald Echoes is no different. This game had at least three puzzles in it I’d never seen anything quite like before, and immensely enjoyed. In particular, the use of a coin to solve an interesting cipher, a very hands on puzzle involving a wooden box, a puzzle which reminded me of Light in the Mist, and a Rube Goldberg machine-like puzzle were personal favourites. But hey, no more spoilers than those. You’ll just have to pick up a copy if you want to know what I’m describing.

And how can I write about this game without mentioning the hint system! It’s one of the more impressive hint systems I’ve seen in a long time. It takes place not only entirely offline, but also entirely diegetically as a back and forth conversation between the two main characters as they discuss what to take a closer look at. I enjoyed it so much that even after finishing a puzzle I would always go and read what the hints were. After all, this was such a compelling story I didn’t want to miss even a second of it. It’s like the in-universe equivalent of going online to read a TV show or game’s wiki directory after, in case I missed some small Easter Egg. It’s also the kind of hint system that in puzzle board game boardroom discussions of “how are we going to do offline hints”, I’d wholeheartedly point designers in the direction of PostCurious as an absolute masterclass in this department. I’m giving a talk in November 2025 about diegesis in puzzle design and let me tell you I’m going to be talking raving about the hint system in this game.

Emerald Echoes – The Verdict

I honestly cannot fault this game, it is exactly what you could ever want from a tabletop puzzle game. Well, assuming what you want is a beautifully crafted, thoughtful narrative adventure packed with satisfying puzzles, that is. In films (and art in general) we often talk about the power of a film coming along that completely changes your brain chemistry and for me, this is maybe that game for me? After reading the final words I flopped down onto the sofa and had a little cry. Sure, the story moved me, but also I was moved by how incredibly cool it is that games like this are being made – games that tell important stories, games that absolutely nail the puzzles, and games that look gorgeous doing it. I wanted to play it all over again, but this is a travelling copy and so I had to pack it up and ship it on to the next lucky player.

In terms of who I’d recommend this for – I want to say “just about anyone”, but it’s probably a little too intense for your casual game night. I think this is best played in a small group of 1 – 2 players over a few sessions without too much gap inbetween each one. It’s tricky, but not nearly as much as The Emerald Flame, making it the more approachable younger sibling of that puzzle behemoth. Despite being a sequel, if you’re new to PostCurious, Emerald Echoes is probably the best one to start with as a showcase of just what PostCurious is capable of.

As for me… It’s going to be really hard to review other games after playing Emerald Echoes. I can’t help it if my brain will now use this as the benchmark for future puzzles, saying “well, it’s no Emerald Echoes so…“, and for that I apologise to all other games haha.

Emerald Echoes can be purchased by heading to PostCurious’s website here.

Note, we were sent an early, pre-Kickstarter copy to play for free. Between now and launch, components and artwork may be updated. This has not affected the contents of our review.