The Shackleton Series: Episode 1 (Escape Mail) // Review

The Shackleton Series: Episode 1 is the first in a six-part escape game adventure from Escape Mail. After the success of the Family Secrets series and Shinobi: The Scroll, they are back with a completely new experience. This time, it’s based on the fascinating true story of an epic voyage to Antarctica in 1914!

Players: 1-4 // Age: 12+ // Playtime: 1-2 hours

What you need: A pencil and paper. An internet-connected device (minimal use).

Synopsis

“Embark on a remarkable journey into real history with our immersive puzzle game based on the true story of Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Delve into a trove of artifacts, maps, and documents, each holding clues to unravel the expedition’s mysteries.

Navigate icy perils, solve intricate puzzles, and uncover hidden connections as you progress through the 6 episodes, each with a satisfying conclusion. With every solved puzzle, you edge closer to the ultimate climax of Shackleton’s saga. Will you conquer the frozen depths of Antarctica and emerge victorious, or will its secrets remain forever entombed in ice? Prepare for an adventure where history comes alive, and the thrill of discovery awaits.”

First impressions

My partner and I first heard about the Shackleton expedition during a trip to Cornwall in the UK, where we happened across the Shipwreck Treasure Museum in Charlestown. At the time of our visit, they were running a special Shackleton exhibition featuring some incredible photography, written accounts and recovered items from the expedition. Sadly the museum has since permanently closed, however, the exhibition did leave a lasting impression.

When Escape Mail announced their next project was titled The Shackleton Series, my ears naturally pricked up. I purchased a copy of the game as part of their Kickstarter campaign last year, and the first episode arrived this month. There were two options during the campaign: to receive the game as a subscription or as a complete box set. As much as I wanted the set – the box looks great – it won’t ship until later this year, and I was eager to play some of the games as soon as possible. The game arrived in a beautiful bespoke envelope with “Episode One: The Journey Begins” printed on the back. Time to open it up…

Gameplay

Getting started

Whether you are an Escape Mail veteran or completely new to their games, the user experience is front-and-centre. The envelope includes a step-by-step ‘How to Play’ guide, with a wealth of information about gameplay that’s perfect for beginners. If you are eager to get started, you can opt for the ‘Quick Start’ card instead, which gives a slimmed-down version of what you need to know.

If you played any of the Family Secrets series (aka Escape Mail: Season One), you’ll be familiar with the flow cards they include with each game. If you haven’t, they are small cards that give visual hints as to which components must be used together to solve each puzzle. It is strongly recommended that you use the flow card for the first episode of The Shackleton Series, especially if you haven’t used one previously. For future episodes, you can ignore the flow card if you want to increase the challenge.

A short written introduction sets up the story before you are encouraged to go online and load up the companion web app. I do love, however, that the gameplay is predominantly offline with minimal internet use.

Companion app (online)

The companion app is a simple website-based interface that works on a phone, tablet, laptop or computer. We used a laptop to ensure that we could both see the screen easily, but a phone works well for solo play. Initially, you’ll be shown a checklist of components that should be in your envelope, then you are guided through a quick tutorial which explains some of the basics of gameplay (you can skip this if needed). Once that is out of the way, simply press ‘Start Game’ and there is a short video to set the scene.

A timer begins when you start the game, but you can choose how much attention you pay to this. You won’t fail the game by taking ‘too long’. As life can get in the way of gaming sessions, it was great to find that there is an option to pause the timer if a break is needed. We don’t tend to put too much stock in timings as we like to savour the gameplay, but for those who have a competitive nature, it does mean you have the option to break.

At any point, you can check an answer by filling it out in the ‘Check Puzzle Answers’ grid. If your answer is correct, that row will turn green, and you can move on to the next puzzle.

Presentation

It isn’t very often that I wax lyrical about the design of an envelope, but I feel that the Escape Mail team have excelled themselves this time. The Family Secrets series did use envelopes in creative ways, but with the Shackleton envelopes, every single part is fully utilised. The way the envelope unfurls into a playable component of the game is incredibly satisfying. It opens so smoothly and the adhesive that has been used makes it easy to reseal. For episode one, it folds out to reveal a full cork noticeboard with notes, photos and artwork pinned all over it.

The quality of the game materials is great, with a selection of different paper types and materials included. Among other things, you’ll find a map of the Antarctic, intriguing diary entries and a beautiful expedition patch, which makes a wonderful keepsake. It is clear that the team have worked hard to make components that feel as if they would exist within the time of the expedition, which helps with immersion.

Items that may be destroyed/manipulated during gameplay are highlighted on the contents list, although we managed not to destroy anything during our play-through. You’ll need to break some things up for the meta puzzle, but this doesn’t render them unusable. If you do happen to damage anything, a refill kit will be available for purchase once the complete series has been released.

Puzzles

The puzzles are well-thought-out and themed perfectly within the world of the game. You’ll be required to use many of the components, including the envelope itself, to solve them. I won’t talk specifics too much, as I don’t want to ruin gameplay. I will say that we enjoyed how layered some of the puzzles were, requiring you to complete multiple steps to solve them. The culmination in a super fun meta puzzle pulled the whole game together and left us eager to start on Episode 2.

It is often hard to ascertain which components contain puzzles and which are simply there to help enhance the story. To aid with this, Escape Mail have included a stamp in the corner that indicates if a component is part of a puzzle or not. This is helpful to keep gameplay focused.

Hints & Difficulty

Despite being tempted to ignore the advice to use the Flow Card, we did as we were told. We were pleased that this didn’t make the game ridiculously easy, but without the card, it certainly would have taken us quite a lot longer to piece everything together.

Overall, the difficulty level was pretty standard; we found the puzzles did require us to work a bit, but not so much that we were always reaching for hints. Tiered hints are accessible at all times through the companion app, so you can get as little or as big a nudge as you need.

Bonus content

Once you’ve completed the game you’ll be provided with a link to an historical accuracy guide. This breaks down some of the elements of the game and is a really interesting and informative addition. It’s reassuring to see just how much time and research has gone into making the components historically accurate.

Verdict

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