Unlock! 🔐
Let's get out of this submarine/island/lab/haunted house/cursed temple/wonderland!
When you read the subtitle, you might ask “Has Chi lost his mind?”.
It is a fair question, for which the answer is always “just a little bit”.
A good follow up question might be… “Well, which one is it? Is it the island? Or the haunted house?”, for which I will jump out of my chair, leap onto the internet, crawl out of your phone/monitor, and scream in your face, “ALL OF IT AND MORE!”
See? Just a little bit.
Unlock! An Escape Room Adventure Game! is a series of card-based cooperative games that require players to work together to solve a bunch of puzzles in order to advance, and eventually complete, the story.
With just one hour on the clock and roughly 60 cards in a deck, your team will be immersed in the roles each adventure requires.
You might be adventurers rescuing friends from a dinosaur infested island, or a crew surviving in a malfunctioning submarine, or sheriffs protecting a train from bandits, or parents comforting your child terrified by monsters under the bed!
So. Much. Fun.
Full disclosure, I spent a good 15 mins sitting, writing and re-writing the reasons why exactly we are recommending Unlock! the series. I wrote “it’s just so much fun” a bunch of times and then deleted that sentence over and over because it doesn’t feel like I am properly articulating the reasons… but it is indeed just so much fun!
So why is Unlock! so much fun? (Ok this is the last time I am going to write “so much fun” in this newsletter, pinky promise)🤞
Reason #1 - So. Many. Adventures.
It could be because… even after I have played almost every single adventure and I am still left wanting more.
We are still surprised and continue to be impressed with how the publisher, Space Cowboys, have created so many intriguing stories, each with special mechanisms and themes that fit well with the story.
Each box has three adventures and there are currently 10 boxes published, which is a lot of adventures!
Everyone I have shown this game has enjoyed it. And if your kids love it, I’ve just helped you plan the next few Christmas and Birthday gifts for them. You’re welcome. 😊
Reason #2 - Such. Cool. App.
Could it be because of the well-designed, free app that accompanies the game? 100%.
The app serves as a timer, includes special features for each story (I won’t spoil them for you), hints for when your team gets stuck, and affirmations when your logic earns you the next few clues.
It’s funny when you are wrong, and it’s rewarding when you are right.
It even has themed background music for each story, which I am playing in the background right now as I am writing to you (the one from 80s retro game themed story “Insert Coin” in the Heroic Adventures box). It’s a great example of how to integrate an electronic device really well with board games while not taking away the focus from what truly matters: the physical and social experience of playing a board game.
Reason #3 - So. Many. Lightbulb moments. 💡
Is it so good because when your team is stuck on a puzzle that no one can figure out, your friend urges you to just get a hint from the app, right then you get a lightbulb moment that you could connect two pieces of the puzzle a certain way, your team goes “ya, maybe…”, and they watch you key it into the app, the whole room is quiet and no one draws a breath, and then the app gives you that familiar comforting electrifying tone letting you know you are indeed CORRECT, sending the entire team cheer and high five and fist bump??!!
Absolutely!
And I am willing to bet this will happen to you and your kids too.
It is just so much fun.
Overview
Age: 10+ years
Skill Level:
Teamwork: 10+ years
Logical Thinking: 10+ years
Spatial Awareness: 10+ years
Players: 1-6 (but really it is best with 2-4)
Duration: ~60 mins
The basics of Unlock! are extremely simple. Have a look at this quick trailer video which explains them well…
Basically, you play with a deck of cards.
All Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green cards have a number, and Grey cards have a letter:
Red ❤️: These are the “Locks”, you need to find the right “Keys” to unlock them and get the next clue. For example, in the tutorial there is a Red 35 card which is a Locked Cabinet.
Blue 🔵: These are the “Keys”, you need to match the right key to a lock. For example, in the tutorial there is a Blue 11 card A Key. If you think this card goes with Locked Cabinet (Red 35), you add the two numbers together (11 + 35 = 46), and then see if the deck has a card 46. If it does, you flip this card over as your next clue.
Green 🟩: These are “Machines”. To use them, you key the number into the app and try to solve the puzzle. Usually you need to find clues in the rooms to learn how the machine works first.
Grey 🏳: These are usually locations (where you can find more clues), interactions, and penalties.
Yellow ⭐️: These are the “Codes”. You need to find, discover and solve these codes, then key the code into the app to progress in the game. The final “Exit Door” card is usually a yellow card. When you key in the correct code for this final card into the app, you will be victorious.
Where to get it
Space Cowboys has been releasing new Unlock! games since 2017, making it quite accessible in local game stores. If you can find a copy there, please do support them.
If you want the comfort of ordering online and having it delivered to your doorstep, please consider buying at this affiliate link, which will support Game & Learn.
If you want to try it before you buy it, then click here to download the print-and-play tutorial AND three free demo games!
How to use this game
Learn the game (plus free demos!)
The Unlock! series has done a fantastic job of teaching you the game without you having to go through and read the rulebook! How is it possible! 🤯
Well, with each box you purchase, you will always find a 10-card, 10-minute tutorial that you can immediately pick up and start playing.
Once you are done with this tutorial, you will be able to play all the available adventures.
It’s definitely one of the best ways I’ve ever seen of teaching a board game (I also find it hilarious that the tutorial is escaping an OFFICE. Well played Space Cowboys, well played).
Don’t believe me that the design of this tutorial is so good? Well click here to download the print-and-play tutorial AND three free demo games!
This is already a really cool and quick art-and-craft project for the family. Just make sure you don’t read the cards when you are cutting out the game. ✂️
For all the therapists and teachers reading this, you know what to do. 😜
Tell the story
Usually we prepare a script in this section for you to look cool in front of your kids, but not this time!
This is because Unlock! already comes prepared with a short script for each adventure which tells you exactly what you need to know to get started.
To give you a taste of it, here is an example from “The Tonipal’s Treasure” from the Unlock! Mystery Adventures box.
The treasure of Captain Smith, the greatest Caribbean pirate, is on Tonipal Island!
You were on its trail when the Governor of the island had you arrested and thrown in a damp prison.
Meanwhile, Johnson, the famous treasure hunter, is also on his way to Tonipal, determined to find the hoard before you.
You have no choice but to escape, eliminate the competition and dig up the treasure!
Learning Focus
With the Unlock! series, we are going to focus on another core aspect of teamwork: supporting each other.
Together the human species has achieved many great feats; and anything that is to be considered “great” is never achieved by one person. Of course, there could be more significant contributors within a team, but still no one single aerospace engineer, physicist, computer scientist, mathematician, expert builder, or astronaut could get a human on the moon without each other’s support.
Unlock! provides us with countless opportunities to work with others, and perhaps even more importantly, to make mistakes with each other in a safe environment.
When you play Unlock! with your loved ones, you will certainly encounter many situations where your team tries and tries and tries, and yet you still can’t quite figure out the code. Your kids, your partner, and you might all feel frustrated, unfairly treated, angry, outsmarted, or have “the urge to flip the table” (a very technical board game term).
Here we have prepared a few things you could say and do if your team reaches this point. And get there you will.
Validate your child’s feelings:
“I can see that you are <insert feelings>. That’s ok. Tell me more.”
“I notice you are trying very hard here, this must not be an easy one to crack. How can I help?”
Normalise your child’s feelings:
“When we try and try again and still fail, people usually feel <insert feelings>. That’s totally normal. Is this how you feel?”
“I don’t get it! Argh, I am getting <insert feelings>. Let me just get a glass of water. Maybe when I come back I will see things a little clearer.”
Seek help:
“This is so hard, I have tried this and that and still couldn’t figure it out, I am starting to feel <insert feelings>. Maybe you could give me a hand?”
“I am thinking this, but I am not sure. What do you think?”
Provide encouragement:
“It is hard to think properly when we are overwhelmed by <insert feelings>. What do you think we can do to take a step back?”
“It has been challenging so far and yet see how far we have already gotten! We are stuck for now but we can figure out a way, just like we did all those times before.”
Celebrate trial and error:
“Wow that was a hard one, too bad we didn’t finish the game within the time limit. I am still so proud of you in the way that you kept on trying even after we were stuck on the same puzzle for <X> minutes!”
“Well done honey, I am so glad that I got to play this with you, even if we only achieved two stars out of five. I still had fun with you.”
Pro tips to game and learn
Which box to pick?
As far as I know all the boxes have 3 stories that are at 3 different difficulty levels.
This means you can always start with the easiest one, and then move up to the more difficult ones.
My suggestion is to pick the one with a theme that excites your group the most; whether that be Alice in Wonderland, submarine, pirate, dinosaur, or even Star Wars (yes there is a Star Wars themed one)!
Don’t forget the three demo games you could play too! That might just give you a sense of what themes your group enjoys.
Don’t be a know-all
Ok parents, if you want your kids to have a good time and learn something out of playing games then make a point not to solve all the puzzles and do all the decision making for your kids, as tempting as it may be at times.
I am willing to bet that you will get the most joy out of playing Unlock! with your children when you know the answer before they do, and you quietly guide them to figure out the answer. When this happens let them take the credit for it and see how happy they are at working it out. And see how much satisfaction it brings you.
In fact, I hereby challenge you to do this as many times as possible.
Two players is great
I play this series the most with just my lovely wife Aimee.
It is not too long a game, and it is not very taxing (until you deal with a really tricky puzzle and have your head in your hands), which means we can still play a single adventure after dinner if we have a little bit of energy left before bed time.
You can totally play this with just one child, giving them your undivided attention.
Remember though not to solve all the puzzles yourself!
Swap adventures with others
If you have played other escape room games you might find that they often require you to destroy cards/elements while playing the game.
The Unlock! games spare you from this.
Though the replayability of each story is supposedly low, as once you have gone through it, you know the solutions.
HOWEVER, Aimee and I accidentally played a game that we completed once before, maybe 6 months prior, and we actually didn’t realise until 15 minutes in!
It still took us 45 minutes to complete the game we had played before.
Yes, you can argue that Chi has lost a little bit of his mind, so it is not surprising that he forgets what he ate for breakfast; but I can assure you Aimee is very intelligent.
Anyway, I would suggest that you and a friend buy a different box each. After you are done, you can simply swap boxes with each other. And even after that it is still a perfectly good gift to pass along to others to enjoy.
Keep going even when the time is up
Each game has 60 minutes on the clock, but when the time is up it’s okay… your phone doesn’t explode.
At the end of the game you will be given a final score out of 5 stars once you have completed the story. I believe this score takes a few things into account, such as the time it takes you, the number of hints you used and perhaps penalties you got.
The bottom line is, we can still encourage your kids and your team to complete a game even when you don’t succeed with 5 stars.
Using in other settings
As each box comes with 3 scenarios, and the game offers so many different mechanisms, we think this is a great cooperative game to use in the classroom and in corporate settings.
And if you are a therapist working with children, then the demo games might just be the perfect ice-breaker you need.
Achievement Sheet
We created an achievement sheets to challenge your team a little further! Try completing all these Unlock! related achievements!
Before you go…
We hope you enjoyed our third game recommendation in the teamwork series! Please find the other Newsletters in the teamwork series here:
Arrows and Teamwork - The importance of teamwork and why board games can help us effectively teach it
The Mind - An excellent, silent teamwork game
Regicide - Play with just a pack of cards!
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Until next time, Game and Learn with Unlock! 😉
Love this!