Review – Kalinasu by Key Enigma
Website Link – https://keyenigma.com
Price – $49.00 (currently on sale, normal price $59.00)
Disclaimer: we purchased the game with our own money, this review is not sponsored. All thoughts are our own.
Product:
Key Enigma’s Kalinasu is an immersive puzzle game which mixes both physical and digital components in order to take players on a world wide adventure. Players will work with their components and in-game characters to hunt down treasure and find answers about an ancient myth.
Kalinasu is broken down into four chapters which act as their own mini-adventures while tie into one larger story. Each chapter will introduce new physical components as well as new virtual elements and websites. A lot of the story will be guided through an online chat which will also be where many final answers are submitted. Players will need an internet enabled device to play.
Each chapter should take 1-2 hours to complete, for a total of 4+ hours of gameplay. Kalinasu is marketed for 1-6 players and for ages 14+.
As a duo, we took about an hour to an hour and a half for each chapter.
Our Thoughts:
Kalinasu markets itself as being such an immersive, narrative-driven experience that “it will be impossible to distinguish reality from fiction.” While it might not quite achieve that claim, there is clearly a lot of thought and care that has gone into the storytelling of this game.
The story unfolds further with every puzzle solved and the constant contact between players and the in-game characters means that there will be plenty of narrative and immersion to appreciate. The story will help justify the existence of every puzzle, while also providing a few intriguing twists and turns as well.
Thankfully, the puzzles uphold their end as well and should provide players with plenty of challenge and fun. The puzzles are both thematic and varied, keeping players excited for what comes next. Overall, we found the difficulty to be medium to medium-high, only ever needing hints once (and that was more because of a misunderstanding on wording). For those who might need to take a hint at any point, it’s as simple as asking for one in the in-game chat.
We found the puzzles fun, well-designed, and worth checking out. Cluing was also strong in this game. Kalinasu does a good job of directing players towards their objective. So, even when there is plenty of online space to explore, players should never feel directionless.
It should be noted that most of the puzzles really mix and rely on both the physical and digital aspects of the game. Kalinasu does a good job of maximizing its use of all that it offers.
We found our gaming experience a lot of fun and it was hard not to want to complete each chapter back to back (we finished over three sessions). We also like that the game offers a ranking system to allow players to compare their success to previous adventures.
*We were pretty happy with our standings throughout the game, but one of our times definitely lasted longer than it needed to because we accidentally followed a side-thread we found which led us to completing the demo of a completely different Key Enigma game. That was a funny twist on its own.
Players should find a lot to love with Kalinasu. Whether their personal preferences tend towards narrative or puzzles, players are bound to find what they’re looking for here. We offer a strong recommendation for Key Enigma’s Kalinasu.
Official C&C Rating:
Narrative: 5/5
Puzzles: 4.5/5
Overall Fun: 4.5/5
Final Averaged Rating: 4.7/5
Chaos & Confetti 