Review: Post Curious - The Morrison Game Factory

RATING: 5 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: Not Timed

A puzzle board game about a board game factory. Meeples, dice, cards and all, what fun!

Story

When an urban explorer sends you a package recovered from an abandoned board game factory, you instantly know that there is more to these materials than meets the eye. The box in your hands doesn’t just contain a board game—it contains an untold story.

Teams are given a box from a deserted board game factory. Inside, seemingly random and disjointed board game components can be found. A delightful tale about this factory will unfold with many twists and turns along the way. There are multiple characters to get to know and connect with. It is an emotional journey that can be difficult to capture, especially in an at-home game. Post Curious does an excellent job here.

The story is lengthy and there is a significant amount of reading involved. It is compelling and a joy to experience, but it does drag on at times. When the story progresses, it tends to happen in major blocks only a handful of times. It gives a break from the puzzling, which can be nice to sit back and get immersed. Also, to give Post Curious credit, they do note that there is a high level of narrative present.

Scenic

As we’ve touched on previously, being a home game, we define “Scenic,” from a graphic design perspective, as well as the quality, weight, and feel of print materials inside the box.

The components of The Morrison Game Factory are durable and contain a mix of vibrant board game-related props, including rocket and player meeples, dice, cards, a strange game board, as well as some marketing materials (related to the game, not an ad for Post Curious) and manuals. There is also a locked pouch containing more surprises. Players find an introduction letter with black writing and it bleeds through the page, so real that we could believe that it was handwritten! The components are thematic and fun to play with.

As long as players take care of the paper elements, this game will last and can be passed on to others. There is one piece that players may write on to solve the puzzle, but it can be printed out again or solved without marking it. In addition, one puzzle will need something extra that can be easily obtained.

To play this game, at least one player will need a device, but it would play best if everyone had their own. It is primarily used for the delivery of the lengthy story, so it may be helpful to allow everyone to read at their own pace.

Puzzles

Upon opening the box, it may appear that there are no puzzles. Teams will need to explore everything carefully to get off of the ground, but once this hurdle is overcome, they flow naturally. This exploration phase is a smart design choice as finding the information and pieces needed later on is much easier than it otherwise would have been.

The riddles are excellent throughout and vary with tactile, logic, and visual components. It has a little bit of everything, which allows all puzzle solving styles to thrive. In general, they are on the easier side, but plenty of ‘Eureka!’ moments to be had and none of them overstay their welcome. The materials hide more than they seem upon a first glance. There is enough content to allow multiple people to be involved at once, and can comfortably handle small groups in one play.

The hint mechanism is delivered through your device and is done so on-theme within the storyworld. It works well and is not too quick to give a solution.

Overall

The Morrison Game Factory built up a lot of hype through an exciting Kickstarter project by Post Curious, raising nearly $100,000 from 2,513 backers.

The game is a vibrant experience with a dramatic story. They call it a ‘puzzle tale’, which seems like the best way to describe it. After a challenging exploration phase to overcome the first riddle, it flows nicely with varied solves for all puzzlers. The story is lengthy at times, but fortunately, it is well-written and compelling. The Morrison Game Factory is a premium experience that we did not want to put down until we uncovered all of the secrets within!