The Case of the Curiously Correct Blueprints

• Designer: Ace Ellett, Anna Ellett
• Publisher: Bluefish Games
• Players: 1+ (we played with 4)
• Age: 14+
• Time: 2-3 hours
• Weblink: https://www.teambluefish.com/product-page/curiously-correct-blueprints 
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

As a member of the SHhhh, We’re Reading Book Club in Hincksville, you’ve been patiently awaiting your turn to read the advance copy of the highly anticipated new Ells and Ernie mystery, when Mr. Hincks gives you some shocking news: your copy of the book is at the bottom of a vat of candy! Never fear, Mr. Hincks will save the day! (Which is only fair, seeing as he was the one that ruined the day.)

Mr. Hincks has recorded an abridged audio version of the book and put together a box of peculiar reference materials in order to recreate the story for you before the book club meeting. But there’s one problem: the first rule of book club is, NO SPOILERS! How can Mr. Hincks recap this mystery book for you without spoiling any of the twists? You’re not quite sure, but he seems to have a few puzzling tricks up his sleeves.

Can you unlock all the audio clips before the SHhhh, We’re Reading Book Club meeting? What are these mysterious markups on the reference pages?? How can a set a blueprints that are correct be curious???

Answer all of these questions and more in… The Case of The Curiously Correct Blueprints!

In this puzzle game, you will be tasked to discover the mystery behind these blueprints.  The people behind the projects are seasoned puzzle makers, and I have previously worked through some of their Hincks Gazette – a monthly set of puzzles that you can subscribe to. Here, you get a fully self contained box of goodies – with things sealed off into envelopes that you only open when instructed to do so. 

If you want, there is also an audio narration of the story that you can play on your phone.  They do warn you from the start that this is completely optional – and there are no clues to the puzzles hidden within the audio.  If you want more theme, and an entertaining listen – then by all means include this in your experience.  However, if you just want to puzzle, you’ll save yourself 30 minutes or so by simply skipping the flavor-audio.

The puzzles are medium in difficulty, and we managed to get through them all without any hints.  Each of the envelopes has a set of puzzles to work thru, each leading to a meta-puzzle of sorts.  Of course, there is no guidance to which puzzle might be a meta-puzzle, so that’s one of the first orders of business each time you open an envelope.  The puzzles in this game are of many varying types, though most of them will feel familiar if you’re an avid puzzle solver.  

You will need a phone or laptop to play through this – all of the solutions (and hints) are found on a well designed webpage. Once you input the right answer into the box, you’ll move onto the next chapter…. Again, you can either sit back and relax and listen to the next part of the story or simply push through and get cracking on more puzzles.

Our group had a good time with this, and with the audio interludes, this took us just over two hours to solve.  We did not need any clues, though there were two puzzles which did take us a bit of thinking to work through.  Overall, a very enjoyable experience, and one that I would recommend for people who like puzzles.  The story was cute, and if you’re a fan of cozy mysteries, this could itch that scratch as well.

FWIW, we did not irrevocably destroy anything in the box, so another group could maybe give it a go – though…. The stuff in the box might not be in “pristine” condition any more either.

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

• I love it!
• I like it.  Dale Y
• Neutral.
• Not for me…