Starting December the Right Way with Solo Advent Calendars
Enjoy a fun December tradition with daily puzzles and reveals in the Exit: Advent Calendar and Advent-ure Dice Calendar.
Long ago, during the early days of childhood, the only thing I wanted at the end of the year was an Advent calendar. As I just recently discovered, my parents never heard of it! At long last, I found myself in possession of a pair of excellent options. I eagerly started the month with the Exit: Advent Calendar – The Golden Book and Advent-ure Dice Calendar!
Spoiler Alert
Although none of the solutions are featured, I share some details about the first 4 days in both Advent calendars. This includes the general components and types of puzzles in the Exit: Advent Calendar. Additionally, I showcase the dice from the first 4 days of the Advent-ure Dice Calendar. Be sure to stop reading if you like finding the surprises!
Game Overview
Game Name: Exit: Advent Calendar – The Golden Book
Publication Year: 2021
Designers: Inka Brand and Markus Brand
Artist: Uncredited
Publisher: KOSMOS
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Although I’m playing with both Advent calendars, only one offers an ongoing game. Each day features a new chapter, unique room, intriguing puzzle, and connected storyline. Over the course of 24 days, the mystery comes together to save Christmas before it’s too late!
First Play
December 6, 2022
Complexity
2
Latest Play
December 24, 2022
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
24
Play Time
15 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
24" x 24"
Low Score
N/A
Into the Witch’s Hut
These Advent-ure Dice Calendars feature several different themes and numbers of components. Naturally, I wanted the one that boasted 31 dice… And more! All mine!
Although I wasn’t sure if the theme was up my alley, I was amazed when I opened it up. All sorts of shelves were filled to the brim with ingredients and strange items.
Time to whip up a little brew of my own! I was so excited to find out what was behind each of these little doors.
It didn’t bother me that there wasn’t a puzzle here, either. These dice would be just so much fun to reveal all month!
A Village of Puzzles
The main event, of course, was the Exit: Advent Calendar. Santa’s Golden Book was missing, and a series of puzzles provided clues as to its whereabouts in this village.
No numbered doors? Correct! Each day provides a new puzzle. The solution is a 3-digit number. Where does that go? Into the decoder table! I felt like a detective. Ha!
The end of each day provides the directions and matching code to the next door for a fun journey through the village.
Just reading the introduction got me into the holiday spirit and ready to roll right into all of these puzzles. So neat!
Tools of the Trade
Aside from the large Advent calendar itself, I had a decoder table to slide the colored bars through.
There was a story book to provide the narrative opening to each day. In some cases, this also proved useful to solving the daily puzzle in some way… But not always!
Best of all was the help book. It set up the main rules, but provided clues and full solutions to each day. No getting stuck here! For solo, this was even more crucial.
Clever, clever! I expected not to love every puzzle, yet the daily reveals were going to be fun no matter what.
Peering Inside
Surprise! Although I expected daily puzzles, I didn’t realize how nicely the space was utilized. There were actual rooms behind these locked doors. So neat!
The first day proved to be a very interactive puzzle that required a lot. In other words… The perfect introduction.
I was immersed in the story. That Golden Book was around here somewhere, and I was going to save Christmas!
Many people will enjoy playing these puzzles in a group, yet I was already thrilled about the solo experience. My first Advent calendar was going to be a memorable one!
Puzzle Games: Best Solo or in a Group?
I’ve seen lots of people play through the Exit: Advent Calendars with friends and family, which is awesome! My husband enjoys puzzles, but isn’t as into these sorts of games as I am. Plus, seeing as I’ve been waiting for my first Advent calendar to show up for over 35 years… He was happy to give me the chance to play through it solo. Ha ha!
Comments still abound about how playing something like this solo misses out on the fun social interactions and collaborative puzzle solutions. Sure, but what else would I do? Carry this around and possibly get my parents to play for a couple of days? Solving daily puzzles is a lot of fun for me to do on my own, and I don’t feel like I’m missing out.
The help book is also there to be… Helpful! Whenever I get stuck or want to make sure I’m on the right track, there are a couple of clues to get me started. The final solution is also listed, offering me a final check of my work for the day. Definitely a fun experience to try out solo! If I could get my family together, that might also be a great time, too!
A Few Little Folds
Not to give too much away about the second day, but I immediately knew there was going to be some folding involved. Spoiler alert: I dislike folding puzzles a lot.
And yet, somehow, this one was done in a way that I actually enjoyed the folding elements… Along with the hunt for the code I needed to progress.
It was still way too early to gauge the overall experience, yet I had no complaints and actually felt reasonably smart!
The solution guide helped me make sure I was on the right track, too. A simple triple-check was all I needed.
Following the Story
As with most of my time solving mysteries, I filed away some very random clues in the hopes I might stumble across the right answer eventually. Amateur… Ha ha!
The daily chapter was a lot of fun, too, since I read it before opening up the door. I had a little idea of what I might see, but the reveal was still quite surprising.
Things seemed to be quite unusual in this village, and I wasn’t entirely sure if it was real, magic, or a dream.
All I knew was that I had an Advent calendar, I was solving puzzles, and I was having the time of my life. Perfect!
Getting Tricky
This was a pretty involved puzzle, although I still managed to solve each day in around 10-20 minutes. Not bad at all, and to get it right was a simple joy each day.
See, I’ll just out on a limb and say that heart-shaped box of chocolates means everything! There was once a game where I thought candy bar wrappers were a clue.
Those turned out to be miscellaneous garbage spread all over the city, but I’m telling you, they were important!
This was more than I expected to get out of an Advent calendar, and December still has many more days ahead!
Bubbling to the Top
My fancy new dice from the witch’s brew were all so lovely! In the end, I expected a few new dice sets… So I had a good idea of what other dice would be revealed.
Yet I want to stress how I didn’t need another puzzle to love this Advent calendar. Each new door held a surprise!
These dice are also much larger than the standard versions out there, too. And definitely better in-person! All sparkly and easy to see the faces from far away.
Spiders, cats, and a witch’s hat… I expected at least 1 more set that I would find over the course of the month. Lovely!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1-4
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 4 Wins
Oh, the puzzles! Since I missed a few days at the start of December while I was at PAX Unplugged, I nearly caught up with a string of continuous puzzles. This last one with a rotary telephone threw me for a few loops, literally and figuratively, yet I figured it out with a little help from the clues. There were references to other holiday movies or songs along the way, and each solved puzzle made me even more excited to keep on playing. Onward, Advent!
%
20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
8
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- Each day features a new surprise in terms of the story, room, and puzzle with a very enjoyable progression.
- Just going by the first few days, there is a lot of variety in the types of puzzles and clues to work on.
- The help book ensures that there are no dead ends, and tiered clues can be used before checking each solution.
- From the introductory storyline, the narrative captures a lot of the joy and magic surrounding the holidays.
- A bit of humor and pop culture references are spread throughout some puzzles, which add some laughs and fun.
- Every daily puzzle typically takes around 15 minutes or less to complete, and it never overstays its welcome.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Although many elements can be preserved, this is mainly a single-use set of puzzles with no future variability.
- Some days feature more elaborate puzzles than others, which may or may not be as appealng as the others.
- Unlike other Advent calendars, the daily reveals are for puzzles that do not necessarily include collectible items.
- The rooms can be a little hard to see into depending on the angle, and the size of the box can be hard to handle.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Puzzle
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete all 24 puzzles.
Continue the Conversation
Have you tried out the Exit: Advent Calendar – The Golden Book or an Advent-ure Dice Calendar? I’m having the time of my life not only with solving puzzles, but having something new to look forward to each day. Do you have any other board game traditions around the holidays? Can’t wait to keep solving these puzzles and finding all of the new dice!
I’ve been doing the EXIT calendar as well. It’s my first time and I’m really enjoying it! At first I found the puzzles too short but once I realised they were only supposed to be bite sized,I adjusted my expectations I’ve been having a much better time.
Really look forward to opening it each day and trying to solve it.
Best of luck to you! I thought they might feel a little too short, too, but it’s nice to know I have a fun little puzzle to do every day for the next couple of weeks. I’m just enjoying the atmosphere and the little bits of humor. Can’t wait to see what happens and find out what happened to the Golden Book!