by pnptime

A place shrouded in long-buried secrets. A dark past. A mystery waiting to be solved.

Once you step inside the Manor, there’s no going back till you solve the mystery.

How far are you willing to go? Or, how far can you go?

The Secret of Langton Manor is a PnP escape-room-themed game where you put on a detective’s hat as you solve the mysteries by solving puzzles, searching for clues, and decoding cryptic messages. All the mystery-solving leads to uncovering the truth behind the manor. It’s published by Bromelain Games, and out of the 3 episodes of the game, I had the opportunity to play the first one- Legacy.

As a game developer, I’ve had the chance to publish a deductive game in my country, but experiencing a PnP game that combines deduction with the theme of an escape room is a completely new adventure for me. So I chose to allocate one of my precious Saturday evenings for this game.

So, is the game too lengthy? Too challenging for a start? Is it best to play alone, or with a group? Time to find out!



All you need to play the game
Excited to explore my inner Sherlock, I printed out the main component for the first chapter of the game- 13 sheets of paper. It can be printed in black and white, but since it didn’t use much ink, I decided to go with a color print. Other than the pages you need a pencil, rubber, and a couple of pages to take notes. The majority of the 13 pages that you printed will be cut into smaller portions, so a ruler and pair of scissors will come in handy.

With that settled, it’s time to introduce an element you barely get to see in a PnP game- a phone! You need to install a free App to add another depth to the game. The App will help to verify your findings and also throw in a few hints if you get stuck along the game.

Last but not least, the two intangible elements that you need to play the game- time, and a generous amount of level surface. The gameplay can range from 1 to 2 hours, so make sure to allocate plenty of time to avoid rushing. The game involves lots of paper cutouts, so the level surface (a table for example) will enable you to organize them better, in sequence.

Don’t look for a playthrough video for this game, unless you want to get bamboozled with spoilers for all the clues!



How I played the first chapter: Legacy
On a cold Saturday afternoon, I brewed a warm cup of coffee and confined myself in the dark study room lit only by the soft glow of a lamp. I bet you can feel my excitement! I am a big fan of deductive games, and to dive head-first into 90 minutes of suspense and thrill was pure cinema!

What I liked about the game

Challenging Challenges!
You may breeze past a few puzzles, but the majority of the challenges will make you think. You will be stuck in a few for sure. But that’s what made the experience more rewarding to me. The App is there to help you out in case you are absolutely clueless about a puzzle, but where’s the fun in that? The satisfaction of solving a complex puzzle is highly rewarding.

V for Victory, V for Variety
You are up for a wide range of challenges- be it word puzzles, cryptic codes, a made-up language, connecting elements, using Roman numbering systems or just using common sense at times! The variety of obstacles that you face in the game keeps it fresh.

The Depth!
The game has a fine balance of solving mysteries and a captivating narrative. As I dove deeper into the game, it made me all the more curious about the whereabouts of the Manor, and the direction in which the game is going. I’d love to talk about the elements of the game that enticed me towards its narrative, but that would only spoil your experience! The game certainly paints a picture in your mind- a vivid one.



The Integration
The usage of App with the game has certainly made the experience very immersive, at least for me. Alongside verifying my deductions, the App also kept track of the game duration and had an algorithm in place which measured my points. In short, take less time to solve the case, and take the least number of hints to score maximum points! I was less focused on the points and more focused on the mystery for the first chapter, but that may change for the other 2 chapters.

Fun to play in a group!
After playing the game in solo mode, I invited 3 of my friends to play this game while I played the role of a spectator. It was fun to witness the way they discovered clues, at a pace that surprised me. 3 brains are certainly quicker at solving clues than 1; and also quite chaotic! The hour-long game session was full of gasps, dramatic narrations, and high-fives.

Chapter 2 and 3
The mystery continues to the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the game, and frankly I’m looking forward to it. The first chapter is free on Itch, while the remaining 2 chapters are available for purchase. Given the experience that the first chapter has delivered, I am feeling confident about the rest. Why? Because I feel the game is scalable!

You can play the game on your own, host friends over like I did, or go all in- transform your house into the Langton Manor! Use each room to hold clues like the game does, set a timer to make the game more intense, and have a blast.

Closing remarks
Are you a fan of detective movies? Then it’s time to dive into one through this game!

It’s been close to 4 years since I’ve been developing an interactive crime-deductive board game, and The Secret of Langton Manor certainly has inspired me to quicken up my pace! A big shout out to Bromelain Games for creating such an amazing experience.

This review was originally published at PnP Time, so if you like what you see, please head over there for more: https://pnptime.com/the-secret-of-langton-manor-episode-1-ga...

And here's my Geeklist of reviews: https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/341380/print-and-play-gam...

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