The Pirate Code is a puzzle card from the creative minds at Perth-based Mystery Unfolds. They produce beautiful hand-drawn greeting cards with a delightful puzzly twist for all occasions.
Kieran Flaherty founded the company to inject new energy into the tired greeting card space:
“Our mission is to share our joy of puzzles and to push our understanding of what puzzles can be.”
They currently offer a selection of six cards, including a Christmas-themed one. Every card features hand-drawn images in their distinctive style and takes up to a hundred hours to craft. Meticulous testing is conducted to ensure the highest quality and playability, with refinements being made along the way. This means you can trust that you are gifting a quality experience that won’t disappoint!
Mystery Unfolds kindly sent me a selection of cards to experience for myself. The set included various difficulties ranging from very easy to very hard. The Pirate Code is the focus of this review; I will share my thoughts on the others at a later date.
Unfolding the Mystery
Age: 8+ // Playtime: 10-40mins // Difficulty: Medium
Overview
“The captain has retired for his nap, and the pirate crew who have enslaved you these past few months have left on shore leave. As you start to drift off, a small projectile hits your leg – a key with a note attached.
Grasping the key, you free your shackles. A small vessel runs alongside the starboard window, and at its helm – dressed in modern diving gear – a solitary figure. Your rescuer?..”
It won’t surprise you that The Pirate Code is a pirate-themed card; the clue is literally on the front cover. At first glance, it looks deceptively minimalist, with a striking black-and-white image of a sextant and a skull and crossbones adorned compass. Open up the card, however, and you’ll find it is crammed full of piratey goodness!
I’ll cut to the chase: I love this card. The artwork is glorious and so much has been packed inside with such attention to detail. The double-page spread features a pirate ship interior with cannons, grog and an impressive map with a cryptic message to decipher. You can tell that so much love has been poured into it. You’ll need to employ lateral thinking and identify patterns to solve this card, which some children may find a little more challenging (the age recommendation is 8+).
Inside the wrapper, you will also find a handy introduction card and guidance on accessing hints if required. The back of the card has space to write the puzzle solution before you venture online to check if it is correct, unlocking the secret ending if it is. The game is classified as a medium on the difficulty scale, but may skew closer to easy for those adept at cryptology; I found it to be very enjoyable nonetheless. Mystery Unfolds also offer cards with higher difficulty levels.
The perfect gift
Aside from the puzzles, one of the other key selling points of this card is that it can be used in conjunction with a delayed gift. Make your friend or family member work for their present by only giving it to them once they correctly solve the card! That being said, they can also be gifted as a full experience in their own right.
Extra time
The beauty of these black and white cards is that once you’ve solved the puzzles, you can open your pencil case and colour in to your heart’s content. This expands the playtime of the card and leaves you with a colourful masterpiece that you can frame and hang on your wall should you choose. Colouring isn’t required though as the card looks great as it is!
Verdict
The Pirate Code
Summary
The Pirate Code is an innovative reimagining of the traditional greeting card, elevating it to a full puzzle experience for children and adults alike. It is refreshingly unique and full to the brim with wonderful artwork, cryptic codes and pirate puns. The level of challenge is perfectly pitched for a satisfying solve that is more ‘Ah-ha‘ than ‘Arrrrgh!‘.
If you are hunting for an extra-special card for a friend or family member who enjoys puzzles you absolutely cannot go wrong with a Mystery Unfolds creation!
About Mystery Unfolds
The team at Mystery Unfolds works hard to ensure as much as possible is sourced from recyclable materials and that they offset their carbon omissions.
In addition to creating puzzle cards, they also offer bespoke services for individuals, charities or businesses. Need a custom greeting card or wedding invitation? Drop them a line! You can find out more about those on their website.
Disclaimer: Mystery Unfolds kindly provided me with review copies of these cards in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences the content of my review.
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