Our first at-home escape room experience has finally arrived! I’m a huge escape room lover, and it’s been a bummer that they’ve been inaccessible due to the recent pandemic. As such, I was so excited to have discovered Finders Seekers, a monthly subscription service for escape room-like puzzle missions. Today, I’ll be sharing my experience with the Finders Seekers subscription box. Continue reading for my November 2020 Finders Seekers review!
About this box: Finders Seekers is a monthly “escape room” style subscription box, ideal for anyone who loves puzzles, escape rooms, solving mysteries, or anything requiring a little brainpower. With Finders Seekers, you will experience a mystery puzzle box featuring a new destination theme each month. In addition to the puzzle/escape room experience, you’ll get a mini travel experience, too, learning about different regions of the world while you solve riddles and puzzles!
Frequency: Monthly
Cost: $33 per month, with additional savings when you prepay for 3, 6, or 12 months
Ships to: Free shipping, only ships within United States
Skip a month feature: Yes.
Pros and Cons of Finders Seekers
Pros
- Overall gameplay takes 1-3 hours, a great way to spend a few hours
- Destination theme will teach you about history, culture, and new places
- Good variety in puzzle types and difficulty levels
Cons
- No replay value if you write on the puzzles
- $30 cost for a one-time use puzzle can seem expensive for some people
Click here to subscribe for Finders Seekers.
Finders Seekers Review: An Immersive Escape Room Experience In A Box
How To Play Finders Seekers
Each box comes with a series of props and papers to get you started, but the experience takes place online as much as it does on your table. Once you open your package, you’ll read your Welcome Letter and take stock of the contents. As you work to solve the puzzles, you’ll be combining the items that come in the box with the prompts from the Finders Seekers website.
On the customized web pages, you’ll either get instructions on the puzzles or be asked to input your answer to the puzzle. When you submit your answer, it will let you know if you’re wrong (there are no limitations to how many attempts you make). If you’re stuck, the website will also give you a hint or two. If you’re really stuck, they will give you the answer so you can move on to the next puzzle. Complete all the puzzles in the box to complete your mission!
Things To Know
- Every month’s box will have a different difficulty rating
- Each box usually takes about 1.5-3 hours to complete
- Once you use an object, you won’t need to use it again for another puzzle
- There could be hints in your Welcome Letter, so don’t throw it away before you begin!
My Finders Seekers Subscription Box Review
I was so excited to join the “Society of Seekers” this month! This month’s destination theme was Toronto, Canada and the mission was centered around the stolen Stanley Cup trophy. Upon opening the box, I found a hockey puck as well as a mysterious looking string-tied envelope.
Included in this month’s box is a welcome letter and checklist of every item that should be inside the package, plus additional props that are required to solve the mystery. All in all, there were 10 postcards featuring various landmarks around Toronto, Canada. Each postcard had a corresponding website to visit to initiate the puzzle.
Upon landing on each of these sites, we were given some cool information about Toronto as well as fun facts about the landmarks and Canadian culture. After our mini travel lessons, we were given the puzzle instructions. It didn’t seem to matter what postcard order we went in, so we dove right in.
We had a group of 4 and amid a few distractions (watching clips of home videos from decades ago) it took us a little under two hours to complete. I don’t want to give too many spoilers (you should experience the fun for yourself), but I will say there were a few decoding puzzles, a few deductive reasoning puzzles, as well as a few play-on-word puzzles.
Most of the puzzles required one of us to figure out the approach, then it was all hands on deck executing to solve the puzzle. Only one puzzle was considered “too easy” and took less than 30 seconds to figure out–this one involved wrapping a sheet of paper around a pencil to get the secret message.
There was only one puzzle that we actually had to research online, where the objective was to identify the prefix that all the words had in common. The last puzzle took us all by surprise when we revealed a phone number that we actually had to call to retrieve our last and final clue. This was such a clever way to make the at-home experience more interactive!
Some of my favorites puzzles are pictured below:
Finders Seekers: The Verdict
The Puzzles
First, let’s touch on how fun and engaging the puzzles are. Given my love for escape rooms and how this was my first at-home escape room experience, I was very impressed! The variety of puzzle difficulty was certainly well-rounded. Finders Seekers did a good job mixing it up with harder and easier puzzles. Most of the puzzles were medium difficulty, with about two easy puzzles and two hard puzzles.
Though the Finders Seekers subscription box didn’t require as much out-of-the-box thinking as the traditional escape room, it was still a ton of fun. Especially then end, where we had to literally pick up the phone to solve our last puzzle.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the fact that that wasn’t a 100% online game. Being able to hold and objects in my hand and do puzzles on paper instead of simply staring at a computer screen made it more enjoyable and simulated the real escape room experience a lot better.
The Subscription Box Theme
Now, a few thoughts on the travel destination theme. At first, I was hoping for a more dark or mysterious theme than hockey, but then I quickly realized how much I was learning about Niagara Falls, Toronto, and hockey through the puzzles. Solving the clues actually helps introduce you to different cultures and history, which I think is a great added bonus to the escape room experience.
The Cost
In terms of cost, I’d say Finders Seekers was worth the money we paid. The $30 per month price point may seem like a lot, but considering how actual escape rooms charge up to $30 per person, this is a steal. If you had 5 people playing per box, the cost breaks down to just $6 per person. $6 for 1.5-3 hours of entertainment is totally worth it in my opinion.
Unfortunately, since the instructions required us to write on our postcards, we couldn’t pass this box off to another family or group of friends to enjoy. (Tip: If it requires you to write on the puzzle sheets, use a blank sheet of paper or post-its instead. That way, you’ll be able to replay it or pass it on.)
One additional note to make on price–Cratejoy often has coupons and promo codes, so be sure to check out their coupons here before pulling the trigger (promo codes are usually listed on the product pages themselves so they’re easy to locate).
Overall Thoughts
Overall, we were very happy with our experience and are definitely looking forward to our next box! In fact, my cousins and I had so much fun that I was actually kind of bummed that I didn’t subscribe for 3+ months to tap into the additional savings by pre-paying for a few more boxes.
Should You Try Finders Seekers?
If you enjoy solving puzzles (both with your hands and with your brain), learning about new cities and their landmarks, and being totally immersed in the escape room experience, then I would definitely recommend Finders Seekers!
Doing the puzzles actually helps introduce you to different cultures and history, so you can “explore” a new city from the comfort of your own home. While the biggest drawback to Finders Seekers is the lack of replay value (you can get around this by not writing on the puzzles), the immersiveness and fun contained within each box is well worth your time and money!
Click here to subscribe to the Finders Seekers subscription box!
Alternatives to Finders Seekers
The Conundrum Box – Escape Room Game in a Box
About The Box: The Conundrum Box is an amazing escape room game in a box that brings the excitement of a real escape room into your own living room. With monthly, you can enjoy a new themed adventure and solve puzzles with your friends. The box contains a 1.5 – 3 hours of unique gameplay and includes various items like ciphers, letters, sleuthing tools, puzzles, and more. The puzzles are challenging, but not impossible to solve, and the clues are well thought out and creatively designed.
The Conundrum Box has been producing these games for several years and has released many different themes. Some of the previous box themes include:
- Maui’s Curse
- The Secret Society of the Black Sun
- The Alchemist’s Chamber
- Journey To Atlantis
All super fun themes if you ask us! The cost of $29.99 per box is reasonable, and you can save even more if you prepay for a longer membership. The box ships free to the US, but there are additional costs for shipping to other countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and others.
All in all, this is a great alternative to Finders Seekers if you’re looking for one.
Frequency: Every month
Cost: $29.99 per box, additional savings if you prepay for a longer membership.
Ships to: Ships free to US, additional costs for Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries.
Click here to subscribe.
Escape The Crate
About This Box: Find the clues, crack the codes, unravel the riddles, solve the mysteries, Escape the Crate! Escape The Crate brings the escape room experience into your own living room. Every other month, you’ll get a different time-traveling adventure delivered right to your doorstep. Each box contains a 1-hour long game and includes items like ciphers, letters, sleuthing tools, puzzles, and more. You’ll have so much fun working with your friends to solve riddles and conquer puzzles.
Frequency: Every other month
Cost: $29.99 per box, additional savings if you prepay for a longer membership.
Ships to: Ships free to US, additional costs for Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries.
Click here to subscribe.
Finders Seekers: Frequently Asked Questions
How many players can play Finders Seekers?
The game is designed for 1-4 players.
Is Finders Seekers suitable for all ages?
The game is designed for adults, but it can be played by children with adult supervision. The game involves solving puzzles and riddles, which can be challenging for children, but with the guidance of an adult, they can still participate and enjoy the game.
The game is recommended for children aged 10 and up, as younger children may find the puzzles too difficult. However, older children and teenagers who enjoy puzzles and problem-solving will likely enjoy the game.
How long does a Finders Seekers game typically take to complete?
The game is designed to take approximately 2-3 hours to complete.
What kind of puzzles and challenges are included in the Finders Seekers game?
The game includes a variety of puzzles and challenges such as ciphers, codes, riddles, and logic puzzles. It’s very interactive!
Can Finders Seekers be played solo or does it require a group?
The game can be played solo or with a group of up to 4 people.
Is Finders Seekers replayable or is it a one-time experience?
The game is designed to be a one-time experience, but players can purchase additional game kits for new adventures. After you’re done playing your monthly game, pass it on to another family member or friend so they can enjoy the escape game magic too!
How are the clues and puzzles of Finders Seekers delivered to the players?
The clues and puzzles are delivered through a combination of physical items and online resources. Internet connection and access to a computer are required to play!
Is Finders Seekers suitable for people who are new to escape room-style games?
Yes, the game is definitely suitable for people who are new to escape room-style games. The game is designed to be challenging but not frustrating for beginners. If you’re stuck, the website will also give you a hint or two. If you’re really stuck, they will give you the answer so you can move on to the next puzzle.
We hope you enjoyed this Finders Seekers review. Wishing you luck on your search for the perfect escape room subscription box!
Obviously, we love buying escape rooms and puzzle boxes for ourselves. But we also love gifting puzzle activity boxes! It’s basically gifting a few hours of unforgettable entertainment and memories. If you know someone who loves puzzles, escape rooms, or mystery missions, a monthly escape room subscription box will be the perfect gift for them!
If you’re looking for more activity boxes (great ways to spend a few hours), check out our favorite arts and craft subscription boxes here.
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