Image taken from https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8980197/winnie-the-pooh-serious-detective

Designers: Aleksei Kuznetsov, Oleg Meleshin, Yury Yamshchikov
Publisher: CrowD Games
Artists: Julia Chegodaeva, Ekaterina Mamontova, Maya Kurkhuli

Let me start by saying that I have very minimal experience with escape room style games, so this one was rather new for me. Truthfully, though, this game is definitely more of a narrative journey than a game focused on puzzles and the need for clever thinking and strong observational skills. That said, because I was unfamiliar with this type of game, I initially struggled a bit during the first case because I didn’t totally understand when I was supposed to be solving puzzles and when I was supposed to be visiting locations and advancing the narrative. After that first game, though, the rest got more intuitive since I had a general idea of what to expect.

That sounds like a complaint but it’s really not, it’s just a part of the learning curve with these style games! I actually really enjoyed my time being a detective as a character from The Hundred Acre Wood. The narrative aspect was really well done, and I didn’t mind that it was more of an exploration of the story with puzzle and riddles added in – I enjoyed that. The puzzles themselves were actually pretty fun, and each was rather different and unique and unpredictable. I also appreciated that most of the puzzles don’t have a set time limit in the game, so you have time to think and explore more of the story.

The three cases are similar in mechanics but each still feels unique, and they did a really good job of building each story and creating each setting, so you feel engulfed in the world. I also like that certain things can carry from early chapters into later chapters. It’s a nice way to make each case feel a little more impactful and interesting. Each character you can play is also well designed and has a unique ability of some sort that relates to their personality or character traits.

Unfortunately, I do think the replayability value is lower than I was expecting. You definitely don’t see all the cards each game, and there are plenty of little side quests you can choose to finish or not, along with some branching paths in the story, but the main puzzles will always be the same, and after that first play, that aspect won’t be as fun, especially since there are so few actual puzzles. However, if you’re like me and enjoy the exploratory nature of the narrative, then remembering the puzzle isn’t as important since you can still enjoy the adventure itself.

I know many people have strong opinions on the artwork. While I admit it is different, I like it. I appreciate that they made the characters feel a little more realistic, grown-up, and capable of such detective adventures, while still maintaining some cartoony cuteness and charm. Piglet is the cutest in my opinion.

As a Winnie the Pooh lover, the moment I saw this game, I knew I wanted to try it, and I’m glad I did. It’s not perfect, and it’s not something I can play all the time, but I had a really positive experience with the first play, and I look forward to exploring each story and world a little more in the future.