The insights:

💡 The initial puzzle(s) are key. They should be fun and on the lighter side to create a quick win but also to help the players understand the game’s logic and mechanics.

💡 Collaboration is important. If a game is meant for multiple players, there should be an opportunity for players to collaborate or for different styles of puzzles to be included. This means that more players are more likely to have the ‘aha!’ solving moment. Puzzles with limited information, contained to one page or card that can only really be practically solved by one person, often lead to one player taking charge and others just waiting.

💡 When puzzles are bad, they can be BAD. They can be frustrating, and it is a fine line between a ‘puzzle’ and ‘bad instructions’.

💡 Coming across puzzles that can be skipped or solved in multiple ways. You can see how the designer wanted them to be played, but it can feel irritating and confusing to the player/s and leave them feeling like they played the game ‘wrong’.

💡 Typo’s MATTER. Typos or formatting issues can be annoying red herrings for players looking for clues.

💡 A good hint system is SO IMPORTANT. Nothing is more frustrating than feeling stuck on a puzzle, giving up, reading the hints to get all the information you already have and then reading the solution and still not getting it. Also, having the hints too close to the puzzles or game materials can lead to unintentional spoilers (even if the hints are written upside down.)

💡 Long-winded story sections can be off-putting. They can either be boring for other players listening to one player read it out or end up being cut out by the players. Some of the storylines played were also very questionable. It’s better to have a light story than a long-winded story that makes little to no sense or, worse, has misogynistic undertones.

💡 Interesting form factors seem to be an emerging trend. Escape rooms in miniature models or on cereal boxes or t-shirts.