Deckscape – The Curse of The Sphinx

A seemingly innocent trip to visit an Egyptian monument turns into something far more serious. You find yourself locked inside a pyramid struggling to find the exit. Full of enigmatic hieroglyphs and puzzles you must solve the clues and figure out a way to escape before the mummy catches you… Curse of the Sphinx.

Deckscape is a series of cooperative escape room style games made up, for the most part, of a deck of cards. The game features a selection of puzzles and items that need to be solved and collected to work your way through the deck and complete the game. Observation, logic and deduction will be needed as you work your way through the puzzles and unravel the mystery of the plot. Oh, did I mention you have 60 minutes to do this in.

Final Thoughts

Escape room games in a box have become a massive hit of late. Ranging from one shot games where you chop, cut and ultimately destroy components to games like Deckscape which are mainly a deck of cards. So, without giving away spoilers, what did I think of Curse of the Sphinx and how did I do? Read on to find out more.

Upon opening the box you are directed with clear instructions on how to proceed and how to “operate” the game. Each card is in sequential number and must be read and played in this order. There are very little rules needed as everything is included on the cards. It makes the game very accessible and you can simply pick it up and play it straight out of the box.

I have enjoyed most of the Deckscape games. I enjoy how the cards are used and integrated to find clues, solve puzzles and ultimately make your way through the game. The game is designed in such a way that there are minimal rules to learn as the card teaches you as you go along. You simply draw the first card and follow the instructions. I really enjoy the moments when the decks are split into three different piles and you get to choose which cards to investigate.

On the whole the puzzles themselves I found to be a mix of logical to confusing. There were one or two that I just didn’t understand even with the solution. Now, this may well just be me and it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the game, it is just something that I wanted to highlight. Compared to other Deckscape games this one felt that it had a few more more rough edges.

However, for the price and the enjoyment of the game I would say it is still worth the time and money. The puzzles that we did solve without the aid of the hint system we did with relative ease, so it is not a hard game to crack (putting a few of the odd puzzles aside). As with most of these style of games I would say they work best at the lower player count. Two people would be my ideal.

Overall, I still enjoyed Curse of the Sphinx despite a few niggles I had with it and if you like these style of games it is still worth checking out.