Offline game
The plot of the story, described on the first pages of the notebook, effectively encourages you to solve puzzles and make progress in the game. The tasks appearing on the following cards are thematically related to the content, which allows you to experience the adventure more fully. Innovative mechanics that force the player to use special tabs, twist and bend pages, as well as search for hidden clues, allow you to locate the appropriate page number – puzzles can be complicated and not always immediately understandable, but it’s worth trying. Repeatedly.
When playing book games, we will certainly appreciate the fact that we do not need the Internet or an application to play. Everything we need is in the notebook. Both Superheroes and Alcatraz: The Infiltration can be easily taken with you on a trip or on vacation; you will definitely not regret it!
Content – unfathomable
In the first discussed issue of Superheroes , prepared on the basis of a script by Florian Sirieix and Frédéric Vuagnat and enriched with illustrations by Jean-Jacques Dzialowski, we meet students of the Academy who work hand in hand with the emergency services and the police. One day, the headmistress of the mentioned school invites you (the player) to a meeting, which arouses your interest and anxiety. Does that mean you also have powers that you have not yet captured? To find out, you must accept an invitation to the Academy. But do you have the courage?
In the second issue of Alcatraz: Infiltration , by Fabrice Glikman (screenplay) and Maxime Teppe (illustrations), we move to 1963, to San Francisco Bay. As a player, you play the role of an investigative journalist who conducts an investigation in America’s most famous prison, Alcatraz. By solving puzzles, you discover gloomy and most closely guarded secrets. Nevertheless, you are operating undercover, so you cannot count on less favorable treatment. Can you collect enough interesting material to please your editor-in-chief? More importantly, will you be able to leave Alcatraz, the world’s most secure prison?
Both notebooks deserve attention and I am sure that they will keep you entertained for a couple of long evenings. Despite the many positives, however, they have one disadvantage – there are errors in the translation. Linguistic surprises will probably not turn entertainment into a nightmare, but they may discourage purists from having fun.
A few advice from the creators of the bookstory
Although Superheroes and Alcatraz: The Infiltration are colorful notebooks with eye-catching illustrations, try not to browse through the pages while solving puzzles. You can easily spoil your pleasure by discovering the surprises waiting for you too soon. Interestingly, book games fall under the “escape” type, but they don’t have a time limit – so you can spend as much time as you like on solving quests. When solving puzzles, all you need is willingness, maybe a piece of paper and a pen; the rules of the authors do not prohibit the use of electronic devices or other available tools. Playing alone is definitely a challenge, but remember – two heads are better than one!
