Review: Episode Three: Humanity 2.0 | clueQuest (Print + Cut + Escape)

OFFICIAL INFO FROM COMPANY...

🕹️ Episode Three: Humanity 2.0

🌐 clueQuest ▪ clueQuest "Print + Cut + Escape"

🗺️ Based In United Kingdom

⏲️ 90 Minutes ▪ 💪 3/5 ▪ 🔢 N/A

THE PREMISE

📚 In Humanity 2.0, your mission is to help Mr Q and his team escape an army of mind-controlled sheep and locate Professor Blacksheep’s secret base. Intel suggests he has been working on a mysterious device, but his plans are as yet unknown. You must uncover the device’s secrets and put an end to the Professor’s dastardly scheme!

THE GUIDE

THIS IS CLASSIFIED AS...

▪ Play At Home » Print & Play Puzzle Game

YOU'LL ENJOY THIS, IF YOU...

▪ ...Have already invested resources and feelings (aw!!) for Agent Crimson and the gang in Episode One & Two.

▪ ...Enjoy a similar approach of storytelling as Episode One (mostly text based). Video usage is reduced in Humanity 2.0.

▪ ...Are looking for more varied and challenging puzzles that now also require spatial reasoning and critical thinking.

▪ ...Fancy these (similar) titles: Stolen IQ (most similar), and other general print & play titles, like ones from Escape Hunt.

GREAT! ANY ADVICE OR TIPS?

💪 On company's site, difficulty is officially listed as a 3/5.

🧐 However, based on my team of 1, it felt subjectively like almost a 7 to 8/10. I sure used my share of hints!

🔢 With the reasoning above, I would recommend a team of 1 to 3. Use collective brain power for the tough puzzles.

🗨️ The first prologue puzzle features drop down menus; be sure to scroll down to see all available choices.

MY BODY IS READY! NOW WHAT?

🛒 TO BUY, CLICK HERE!

▪ For this: Print & play media requires PDF Reader to load the file, printer and paper to print, and scissors to cut.

▪ Alternatively, the company can have everything printed and mailed to you for an optional premium surcharge.

THE REVIEW

Episode Three: Humanity 2.0 | clueQuest

INTRODUCTION

▪ "Humanity 2.0" is the final episode to the Professor BlackSheep saga trilogy. The story so far depicts Agent Crimson and her team's successful destruction of the Alpha Brain System, but the fate of humanity is not yet in the clear. The evil villain is now on the run with his secret weapon, capable of brainwashing every creature on Earth... starting with sheeps!

▪ Gaming format stays mostly the same, you "Print + Cut + Escape" as previous episodes. But there are notable changes:

MARKED DIFFERENCES

▪ While I really complimented the excellent use of video clips to show the story to the audience, rather than just tell by text on paper, in Episode 2, I am most definitely disappointed to see this trend does not continue into the final installment. Instead, each subchapter will have begin with a paragraph of reading included in the PDF file, and after some light reading, you'll jump right into the puzzles. This does not not work, but it's just noticeably less engaging.

▪ Though the appearance of these video clips are limited, they still act as opener and closer for the episode, so I am content they are not completely gone--and their quality is just as good as the ones from the previous game. The first video in the beginning showcases smooth animations of Mrs Q doing some emergency hacking, and the ending live action clips include clueQuest's now signature eccentric but totally awesome costume pieces (some paper sketch-inspired) worn by Professor BlackSheep and Lord Hammerschmidt. The charm is definitely still there--I just wish there's more of it.

▪ There are some standout elements shown in the narrative videos that spark both contemplation and laughter. For example, was Professor BlackSheep really the bad guy for wanting to cleanse the world of human's faulty nature--we are the leading cause of global warming after all. BlackSheep's Thanos ideology may just mean he could become a good guy in future development! Meanwhile, Crimson's awkward "little girl" foot twist during the corny, saccharine father-daughter reconciliation scene is a daring cringe comedy move, and it's admittedly weird, but also admittedly funny.

▪ Overall, Humanity is a chapter with less focus on theater and more emphasis on puzzles. Back to the basics, if you will.

For once more, you come face to face with Professor BlackSheep | clueQuest

CHALLENGING PUZZLES-DRIVEN

▪ The innovative 3-dimensional puzzles from Alpha have, sadly, not returned, but in their place, we still get a roster of much more varied, very challenging puzzles that will surely perplex the most veteran of puzzle lovers. One positive attribute about not having to build 3D props is that you do spend considerably less time cutting, folding, and interlocking pieces together, so the prep time is minimal and this play session can be fit into your busy schedule rather easily.

▪ One vast improvement especially worth mentioning: while the first half of the game still follows the familiar puzzle format of looking for a phrased-based password to advance, the latter half completely ditches this idea, and the challenges are much more hands-on and spatially involved. There is some origami interweaving to do (I had zero chance of solving that one--it was tough!) and some position and turn-based puzzles that remind me of strategy video games. In my previous review, I've asked for more variations in puzzle designs, and the makers have really delivered the goods!

▪ The puzzles, however, lack obvious or clean-cut instructions on how to start, though it's unclear whether this is intentional or not. In either case, the self-paced hints system is really useful in nudging you on where to start tackling. Comprehensively, for players with less experience, it would most likely feel like "Here's a lot of materials thrown at you, now figure it out." For the more experienced, however, this could be seen as yet another layer of challenge to overcome.

▪ Humanity 2.0 is a true print-and-play, with minimum interaction with the web interface except for answer verifications. In case of internet down time, the printed packet provides sufficient materials to move through bulk of the game. (In fact, there are some puzzle pages that you don't even really have to print; a few can be solved just by reading the PDF.)

Satisfying puzzle variety in Episode Three: Humanity 2.0 | clueQuest

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

▪ I was expecting a conclusive end to the BlackSheep story arc, though it surely seems there is more story to explore after yet another cliffhanger. This cliffhanger, however, is scored with a very chillingly ominous score, coupled with a semi-frightening reveal... Very unsettling--I got goosebumps! This is probably one of my favorites moments from Humanity 2.0.

▪ If for any reason, you're reading this review for the third game, but have not yet played any from the trilogy, there is a value bundle option at the price of £39 for all 3 games. This averages out to £13 per game and saves you money.

OVERALL: 🙂

▪ Having finally completed the entire trilogy series, I would rate Episode 2: Alpha Brain System as my favorite, Episode 3: Humanity 2.0 as the most difficult, and the entire narrative arc as a whole an outstanding print-and-play option currently available for at-home gaming. I, like many other customers who've completed the entire adventure, am left genuinely impressed. Dedication of many hours of hard work is obvious; the quality is undeniable. And again, such amazing artwork--I wouldn't be surprised if the same team were to develop an interactive puzzle comic book one day...

▪ Hey, clueQuest team, if you're reading this, how about it, huh?

Signing off,

ESCAPE MATTSTER

Instagram @EscapeMattster ▪ Facebook.com/EscapeMattster

Full disclosure: complimentary game access was generously provided for review or testing purposes. All media are sourced from and credited to rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended. In certain cases, media materials are made available under fair use doctrine of copyright law. CQHumanity.