Thinking_Off-Grid // EXIT_Game_Challenge
Why the EXIT series is the ultimate analog brain workout and why you should wait before playing the best one.
Most board games are about strategy, resource management, or luck. But then there is the EXIT: The Game series—a series of one-time-use escape rooms in a small box that challenge your brain in ways most digital puzzles can’t.
The logic of destruction
What makes EXIT unique is that you have to fold, cut, and write on the game components. It feels “wrong” at first to destroy a game, but it’s the only way to solve the puzzles. It forces you to look at physical objects differently, making it a tactile experience that engages your lateral thinking.
The illusion of difficulty
I’ve played almost every EXIT game released so far, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t trust the difficulty rating on the box. We’ve had “Beginner” levels that felt impossibly cryptic and “Expert” boxes that we breezed through in record time. It all depends on how your brain is wired for that specific set of puzzles—the stars on the cover are just a suggestion, not a rule.
! The Orient Express rule
If I had to recommend just one, it would be Dead Man on the Orient Express. It’s fantastic, but do not play it as your first game. If you do, you’ll ruin the experience. You won’t know the “language” of EXIT yet, and you’ll waste the best box in the series. Keep the Orient Express as your reward—play it as your 10th game.
Final verdict
For the price of a movie ticket, you get 2 hours of intense brain-teasing. Start with any “Level 2” box to learn the mechanics, and work your way up to the masterpieces. Highly recommended.