Falderon Forest
Every 100 full moons it is necessary to perform a specific ritual to protect the magical well in the middle of Falderon Forest, which is the source of the forest and all its creatures. However, there is a small problem! The gnome who knows the exact location of the well and was supposed to perform the ritual has disappeared.
The Queen had to act immediately and summoned a team of heroes (unfortunately we were the only ones available) to find the well and complete the ritual before the full moon sets in an hour and the magic of the well is extinguished forever.
Falderon Forest was my 1900’s escape game and had some interesting aspects in terms of game design.
The environment is interactive!
There are numerous possible actions to which the environment reacts in a certain, often humorous, way.
Each of the four companions has individual abilities!
Each protagonist receives a specific item that only they can use to complete certain tasks on the journey. Jackie, the apothecary, had a grimoire (a book with instructions for making mixtures), Mark, the magician, of course his magic wand, Wojtek, the fortune teller, a crystal ball, and I was a knight with my sword for security the companions responsible. After all, someone has to do the dirty work.
An adaptive difficulty level!
Falderon has an adaptive difficulty level that, controlled by AI, adapts to the group’s playing speed. Apparently that worked well for us, as we were only able to save the kingdom in the final minutes.
A fairytale-like story with a very appealing setting (the initial forest, as well as the later locations, are well done and allow us to quickly immerse ourselves in this fantasy world), the right mix of individual and cooperative puzzles, and a good pinch of humor make Falderon Forest one All-round successful and entertaining gaming experience for exactly four adventurers.
