Note: This will be a spoiler-free review of Exit: The Stormy Flight
You’re part of the flight crew on an uneventful flight to Barbados. Suddenly, a freak storm causes havoc—electricity crackling across the plan and water damaging some of the machinery. Can your team repair the aircraft and make a safe landing?
Exit: The Stormy Flight is a puzzle adventure game from Kosmos for 1-4 players. It plays best at 3-4 players.
Gameplay Overview:
Exit is a long-running series of Escape Room in a box games, with The Stormy Flight recommending 1-4 players and takes 1-2 hours to complete. In the game you are tasked with solving a variety of puzzles before time runs out. Fortunately, you never require outside knowledge to complete the game. Anything you need to know will be presented somewhere in the box. That said, you will also need pens, pencils, and paper, a stopwatch (or the Kosmos timer app on your phone), and at least one pair of scissors. As with other Exit games, you will be writing on and cutting various materials to be able to solve puzzles, so be aware that this game is a one-time experience.
The primary components of the game are the book which contains the story and starts you off with your first puzzle, as well as three decks of cards and the decoder wheel. The first deck is the Riddle Deck which is the primary source of the information and puzzles you need to progress through the game. The second deck is Hint Cards and Solution cards for when you get stuck, though there is a slight score penalty for looking at Hints solutions so use them sparingly! The third deck, the Answer deck, works in conjunction with the decoder wheel.
When you have solved the puzzle by obtaining a three-digit code, you will spin the wheel to enter your code which will guide you through the Answer deck. If you have made a mistake, it will lead to a red X card which penalizes your final time, but if you are correct, the cards will tell you of the progress you have made on the adventure and give instructions on how to proceed to the next puzzle. The other materials can all be set to the side – you’ll know when to grab them because the game will prompt you to do so. Solve all the riddles to race against time and save the day.
Game Experience:
The first thing I found on opening the game box was a separate game card. Apparently, there was a printing mistake, and one card needed to be sorted back into the deck. I mention it because it came with a note remarking on the mistake and had notes on what to do with it, a somewhat thoughtful addition that made me feel like The EXIT team genuinely cared about my experience.
The Stormy Flight plays like many of the others in this series, though I found the theme somewhat more interesting. Many of the ‘escape the haunted house’ entries to the genre don’t evoke a sense of urgency, but from the moment the plane starts to experience trouble you’ll feel your heart beat a little faster as you race to repair it. Additionally, this was the first time we’d tried the soundtrack app and it enhanced the experience.
The components are pretty typical for this series, though I did find the decoder ring somewhat easier to handle than in previous boxes. I don’t know if the materials have changed or the printing company is getting better, but the rings turned smoothly and individually and lined up well. Those who have played other puzzle games with this sort of device know how frustrating it can be when this is wonky or misprinted. The reflective cardboard is actually better than many pieces of its type. The only drawback was the teeny tiny print on the “clipboard”, I had to pass this to a friend to read—somewhat frustrating when every one of the players wants to look at the clues.
I’ve mentioned this before in puzzle game reviews, but I genuinely wish there was a way to maintain the integrity of the bits and pass it along. Even if Kosmos just created a ‘refill’ card set I’d feel far better about EXIT in general. Tossing an entire box, cards, and bits into the recycling box after a play doesn’t feel responsible.
Final Thoughts:
Similar to other games in the series, Exit: The Stormy Flight doesn’t boast a ton of new twists and turns but the theme helps create a somewhat more timed escape room type feel. Components are generally well done. Definitely play with the KOSMOS soundtrack via the app to add a little more ‘atmosphere’.
Final Score: 3.5 Stars – One of the more solid and interesting entries to the EXIT series
Hits:
• Thematic twists and turns create a more immersive experience
• Companion App is a nice touch
• Components seem better made
Misses:
• Several puzzles seem like other entries in this series
• Lack of replayability/destruction of bits
