Chaos & Confetti

Return of Esker is the third game in the Doctor Esker series.  Like the previous entries in the series, players will be given a deck of cards which represent puzzles found in a notebook. The game includes ten puzzles which must be solved in a specific order.  The solution to each puzzle will guide players to the next step in the chain. If players can complete all ten puzzles they may just earn the title of puzzle master.

An internet enabled device is required to access the game’s hint system, but otherwise, Return of Esker can be played using only what is in the box.

The game is suggested for ages 13+, with a player count of 1-6 players. We, however, would suggest enjoying the game as a smaller group.  It took us between 60-90 minutes to complete all ten puzzles.

OUR THOUGHTS:

Puzzles: A series of challenging puzzles that are hard but sensible

The Esker series is great for those who simply want to dive right into puzzles. Within a minute of opening the box, players will already be hard at work on their first puzzle.  

The puzzles all rely on images and words across several cards, but they still vary greatly from one another. From logic puzzles to math puzzles to riddles to noticing small details to spatial problems and more, each new puzzle brings something new to the table, and never feels repetitive.  

Thankfully, each puzzle is well designed, hitting that sweet spot between being challenging but also making sense.  Most of these puzzles are going to take some thought, but once things click, solving them will move very quickly. Overall, the puzzles mostly sit in the intermediate to hard range. However, since the puzzles target different mental skills, which ones any player finds the most challenging will probably depend on their way of thinking. 

The answer submission system is based in its own deck of cards, made up of cards numbered 0-9.  Each puzzle will yield a 2-5 digit number.  If players flip those numbers over in the proper order, they will be pointed in the direction of their next puzzle.  This system works pretty smoothly, though it would allow for some brute forcing and backward solving, if someone wanted to cheat that way.

There really is no need to cheat though, since the progressive hint system works very nicely.  Each puzzle receives three sets of hints (3 small hints, 3 medium hints, and 3 large hints).  This should allow anyone to get as much help as they need without getting too much.

The well designed and puzzles in a small box is a big positive for the Return of Esker experience.

Narrative: A mostly non-existent narrative

While there may be slight hints at a narrative amongst each of the Esker games, they never really go beyond: here are some puzzles that were in a notebook. This may be disappointing to those who love plot, twists, and surprises, but the Esker series is definitely more about presenting puzzles in a compact format.  

The game does a decent job of tying some of the puzzles to the images found on the fronts of the cards.

Overall Fun: Challenging puzzles that satisfy despite lacking any real showiness or wow-moments  

We enjoyed the Return of Esker experience.  Not only is the game easy to dive right into, but since the puzzles are small and stand alone, the game can be approached however a player chooses.  We completed it all in one sitting, but it would be easy to complete one puzzle at a time, creating a series of mini-puzzle sessions.  If someone was trying to share this game with a larger group, it would even be possible to ignore the intended chain of puzzles and instead have different groups working on different puzzles at the same time and then rotating them. The game’s compact presentation mixed with the puzzles’ stand alone nature allows for a lot of flexibility.

Since the experience mostly consisted of ten puzzles, our enjoyment really came down to whether or not the puzzles delivered. Thankfully, we left feeling good about our puzzling adventure.  As we said before, the game is challenging without ever feeling impossible. Each puzzle made sense even if we had to ponder on it a while, and no solution ever felt too obscure or reliant on an odd or stretched way of viewing things.    

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Return to Esker lacks any wow-moments. Though we were okay with that, we know that others may find that disappointing.  Again, Esker is really about putting the actual puzzles first.

WRAP UP:

Puzzles: A series of challenging puzzles that are hard but sensible

Narrative:  A mostly non-existent narrative

Overall Fun: Challenging puzzles that satisfy despite lacking any real showiness or wow-moments  

Recommended for: 

We recommend Return of Esker for those whose main focus is taking on challenging and well put together puzzles. The game may not have a deep narrative or much of a wow factor (though a well designed, compact experience is impressive in its own right), but the puzzles should leave players satisfied with their quality. This is a solid small box puzzle adventure.

Disclaimer: we purchased the game with our own money, this review is not sponsored. All thoughts are our own.