November 16, 2020

Game Review: Escape the Room The Cursed Dollhouse


Since I wrote a haunted house themed Puzzling Escapes book, I absolutely needed to try The Cursed Dollhouse escape room board game. I’ve already played the previous two Escape the Room board games. Mystery at Stargazer’s Manor was a good start, although the puzzles were too familiar and easy. Secret of Dr. Gravely’s Retreat was much, much harder—mostly because it contained tons of rope puzzles, which I’m terrible at. Even though neither was my favorite escape game, I was willing to give the newest one a fair shot.

The Cursed Dollhouse is a game that has to be played after the younger kids are in bed and curious pets have wandered off to another room because the game has so many fun pieces. In fact, the entire box transforms into a dollhouse. The assembly is quick and straightforward. After just five minutes, we were able to begin playing. The house contains five rooms full of puzzles that players work through, one at a time. The entire game takes at least two hours to finish, but the disjoint rooms provide plenty of stopping points. I appreciate all the cool details in each area and enjoyed solving the varied and challenging puzzles. Some of the puzzles quite subtle—a detail I love in any style of escape room.

A number of people have complained about the price of The Cursed Dollhouse. At $43, it is a little high compared to other at-home escape room experiences. However, I believe the quality components, complex puzzles, and entended gameplay absolutely justify the higher cost. In a lot of escape room board games, several pieces get destroyed as part of the gameplay. However, Escape the Room provides printable replacement components on their website, making the dollhouse replayable. After resetting your dollhouse, you can pass the whole game to another escape room enthusiast!

Or display it on a bookshelf like I have, cause it’s just that cool.

I recommend The Cursed Dollhouse to board game fans and every person who’s ever enjoyed a logic puzzle.

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