I really like escape rooms. Partially it’s the adrenaline of being on a timer, but it’s mainly just about solving the puzzles. A few years ago I brought Hubby The Enigmagram (because we weren’t doing Valentine’s gifts that year, and this wasn’t a present!!) and actually I was slightly jealous that I didn’t get to have a go. Well, fast forward and I’m now an affiliate for The Enigmagram so I go hold of my own one to do a review. Here’s how I got on. I say I, actually I got the kids involved too!
This post contains affiliate links. I was gifted a copy of The Enigmagram so I could write this review but they did not see the contents prior to publication and had no input into its contents.
So is The Enigmagram a family present then?
Free Time with the Kids is all about families. It doesn’t really make much sense for me to review something like The Enigmagram if you couldn’t do as a family. Or that you couldn’t send to a family as a gift. You completely personalise it so yes, you could send it to a family or an individual.
What I actually did, because you don’t need to do the puzzles in any particular order, is gave the kids each some of the puzzles. They then each tried to solve their puzzle whilst the other one was doing a different puzzle. This didn’t really work for puzzle 10, and 11 was a bit too tricky for them.
What is The Enigmagram?
There’s a funky video on their website, but basically when you send someone The Enigmagram they get a letter and an envelope of 11 puzzles to solve. These puzzles give them 11 numbers, which they then enter into a website, along with their identification code, to access their personalised message.
There are now two versions of The Enigmagram available. They recommend doing the original version first, but you don’t have to as they are stand alone products.
Are the puzzles hard?
The puzzles themselves vary in complexity. Some took literally 30 seconds to solve. Some took a fair old while (and I’m still not quite sure what I did wrong the first couple of times I tried to solve puzzle 4. Puzzle 4 is stupid and mean! Sorry, I mean challenging and stimulating. But mean.) If you get a puzzle (4) wrong then there are clues available on the website to help you. They’re in stages so you only get as much help as you actually need. Ultimately it just gives you the answer to that question if you need it to. I didn’t in the end, but it was still stupid. I’m not bitter.
The puzzle I’m most proud of solving is actually puzzle 11 because I managed to figure it out fairly easily when I think it’s supposed to be quite hard. Clearly my brain was having a good day! Apparently it typically takes between 20 minutes and two hours to solve all 11 puzzles. I like solving puzzles that challenge me but don’t make me feel completely thick. This gives a good balance between the two.
So I can’t give someone a physical gift as a prize then?
Yes you can! Once the recipient has solved their Enigmagram they will be able to see whatever you’ve uploaded for them (within reason. Nothing offensive obvs.). This could be a lovely video telling them you love them on Valentine’s day (see what I did there!) or it could be a final clue to the location of their actual present.
If you don’t want someone to open the envelope until a certain date then you can specify this on the envelope. Once the person has solved the puzzle, and accessed the message you get notified.
Our The Enigmagram Review
This is such a clever idea, and a really unique gift – or gift before a gift. I’m really pleased that there are now two versions of Enigmagram available. When I first brought one there was only the original version, and these can only be used once. But now I can get Hubby another one! The puzzles are clever but not so clever they make you feel stupid. As much as I joke about puzzle 4 being stupid, it actually isn’t if you think about it logically. It’s just that I wasn’t adding numbers together. Which is a fairly fundamental problem when you need to add numbers together!!!!!
I like that it’s adaptable. You can buy it for an adult or a teenager to do alone. Buy it for a family to do together. You can buy it as a secret surprise to cheer someone up. Or send someone far away a gift that doesn’t come in a box with a smiling arrow logo on it! Heck, you could even use it to propose! Awwwww.
How much does Enigmagram cost?
They’re £13.99 each with free postage. You can buy yours via their website. They are sent out via Royal Mail and take a few days to arrive. Don’t forget, if you don’t want them to open it until a certain date they can add that to a sticker on the envelope.
If you’re looking for something similar, but that you can do together as a family, have a look at my review of Puzmat which is an escape room on a mat.
If you’re looking for reviews of other family friendly games, puzzles and activities have a look at all of mine here. For reviews of lots of family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon & Herts search the Free Time with the Kids map here.