We are on a side quest!

I was quite surprised when Board&Dice announced a new line of escape games, as they are normally known for their mid to heavy-weight euro games. But as we are avid escape room fans (be it real-life for tabletop format) I couldn't help but be excited for them, especially as they have board game themes. 🙂 Namely 👽Nemesis and 🏴‍☠️7th Sea!

Getting a sunburn and being stranded in the cool shadows of our hotel room during holiday seemed like the perfect opportunity to break open our copy of SideQuest: 7th Sea! 😄

Before you begin you slide 2 cardboard sheets into the game box - in the case of 7th Sea this depicts an old mossy chapel building that is sealed shut. Your job is to get inside and find the valuable Dragonsteel 💰 before the inquisition arrives.

There is no app needed, the game is fully physical, and you also don't destroy any components. I think this is great! 👍 Whenever you think you've solved a riddle, you place cardboard chits on a matrix to check if your solution is correct, and draw the shown card to progress. The cards themselves describe the story and also add additional information for the puzzles. The outside (and later inside) of the chapel also holds important information.

As you solve puzzles you might get numbers, symbols or colors in your 4-digit solutions, all of which are depicted on the aforementioned cardboard chits.

The story is funny, as you play as an egotistical fortune hunter who doesn't just want to get things done, you want them done cool. 😎

💬 We enjoyed most of the puzzles. I'd say this is a beginner friendly game - puzzles come linearly and you never have to juggle extra information or deal with red herrings. It is enjoyable nonetheless, however if you've played many similar games, you won't be surprised. The artwork and story are great, although the ending was a bit abrupt for me. The scenery built from the box and sheets definitely adds to the immersion.