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Base price: $29.
1+ players.
Play time: 2 – 3 hours.
BGG Link
Buy directly!
Logged plays: 1
Full disclosure: A review copy of Ministry of Lost Things: Lint Condition was provided by PostCurious.
INTRO
Overall: 8.5 / 10
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Overall, Lint Condition is a great first case in the Ministry of Lost Things. I’m excited to see PostCurious attempt an ongoing series, frankly. They can be kind of dicey, but honestly, it condenses a bunch of things I already like about PostCurious escape room games. It’s already got a bit of that PostCurious schtick that I like. The narrative elements are cute and cozy, to the point that it’s got a bit of an Unpacking feeling to it, for instance. The puzzles are also a lot of fun. Lots of ciphers and things to decode this time around, which is definitely up my puzzle team’s alley. We really had a blast with those. It was also generally pretty witty. Lots of puns and lots of heart, which is always nice to see.
I think that PostCurious has, by now, long established itself as a major player in the puzzle game space. They’re just good, from the games they design in-house to the games from other designers that they publish. If they’re not making, they’ve got the sense and the chops to recognize strong brand fit, and that’s great for deep fans of the genre like me. I think that the Ministry of Lost Things series is their opening volley to try and expand their audience in the same way that The Light in the Mist likely did. It’s more compact for sure, it’s a little bit lighter in theme, and I found the puzzles to be a bit less complicated than some of the more intense games of theirs I’ve played (The Emerald Flame, in particular, which I’m still impressed by after all these years). I do appreciate that the hint system remains extremely robust, though I would have preferred a “Hint” button over a “Help” button on the website; I thought that was more for structural issues with the game itself. I do appreciate that the Transmissions are built-in stopping points, though we kind of flew through the game ourselves. The one thing I’d caution about this game is that since the puzzles are a bit more pun-based and real-world kind of things, they tend to be more brute-force guessable than other games I’ve played. Not a huge problem, but if you’re a purist, try not to do that.
This is all to say I’m intrigued by this multi-part game series. Is it going to be something they kind of go through all at once? Is it going to be a constant hum while they work on larger and more complex puzzle games? I’m really fine either way. There’s always so much to do. But PostCurious is consistently excellent, and Lint Condition was no exception to that. If you’re a fan of the puzzle game / escape room game genre and you haven’t given PostCurious’s games a try, this is a solid entry point (if you’re okay getting hooked on a series). If you’re a long-time fan, well, this is just more game from one of the greats, and I’m fine with that too. Either way, I’d recommend The Ministry of Lost Things: Lint Condition! It’s a cute puzzle to solve.
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