The Missing Hollywood Star is the fourth Exit the Game advent calendar. In The Missing Hollywood Star, you are a budding actor, delivering pizzas while you work towards your big break. During one of your deliveries, you are tasked with finding the lead of a new Christmas blockbuster, who has gone missing from the set.
Before we get to The Missing Hollywood Star Advent Calendar review, here’s some background on Exit the Game. Exit the Game puzzles are escape room puzzles that come in a box. You have to work your way through the puzzles to complete the overall puzzle and Exit the Game. They’re about the size of a paperback book. My family think they’re best solved together, because we have not yet solved one where every single person didn’t make a significant contribution to discovering the solution to a puzzle. You can probably do it on your own, but it would take a lot longer and it really is gratifying to see the light bulb go off when someone realizes the way to solve the puzzle, especially when the solver is a child.
What’s in the box?
This is a very big box, much bigger than the average advent calendar. There is a small compartment for each day, each of which contains one or more puzzle cards and, in some cases, props. There is a decoder board, which you need to translate the solution into usable information, and two booklets: one is the Story Book, which guides you through the puzzles; and the other is the Help Book and Game Instructions booklet, which is where you begin. If you read when you’re supposed to and follow the instructions, you will make it through the story and claim your prize.
How to solve an Exit the Game Advent Calendar:
First, read the marked section in the Help Book and Game Instructions booklet. Not only does it provide you with the instructions for successfully getting through the story, it also gives tips, so read everything you can. It is important to follow the instructions so you can correctly get from day to day, making it possible to correctly solve the overall puzzle and win your prize.
Only the door for the first day of the advent calendar is numbered. You have to solve each day’s puzzle to learn the location of the next day’s door. Solving the puzzles only takes 10 or 15 minutes, so it’s a perfect little break in the day, at whatever time you open the doors. The Help Book and Game Instructions booklet includes hints and solutions to each puzzle, too, so don’t worry if you don’t understand one. The hints are really well done, too. They’re in three stages: two hints, then the solution. Each hints page has dotted lines to show you where to fold the paper up to you can see each hint without accidentally seeing the other hint or solution. The only improvement I’d make to the hints page is to have the day marked at the bottom of the front of the page and the top of the actual hint page, so you can easily see it without having to open the book fully to make sure you’re on the right hint page.
There are two ways to determine whether or not you have solved the puzzle correctly. After you put your solution in the decoder, you flip it over and the translation of the solution will show three squares, each of which has an arrow and a symbol. If you have solved the puzzle correctly, when you follow the arrows, the symbols will appear on the door you end up at. You can tell you have the decoder correctly oriented after the flip by checking that the film camera on the solution side is standing on its legs.
TOP TIP: I always double-check the solutions part of the hint page to make sure I’ve got the right solution.
When you’re sure you have the right window for the next day, you note the date in the blank space and then, if you’re patient, you wait until the next day. If you’re impatient, you solve as many puzzles as you want. In fact, I have completed the entire calendar in just one day and it only took 2-3 hours. You only have to wait if you want to.
The story takes you from room to room in the movie studio, from sets to tech rooms. The sets are from major motion pictures that you will definitely recognize, so take a moment to appreciate the work that went into the box, too. Each of the day compartment’s is individually-themed for that day’s puzzle and, sometimes, contains information you need to solve the puzzle. Every bit of this advent calendar is important and beautifully designed.
TOP TIP: There are two slots on either side of the top row of windows that are perfectly-positioned to hold the lid of the box up while you’re solving.
You get 24 days of fun, challenging puzzles that lead you through time and space to the ultimate prize. No spoilers so I won’t tell you what it is, but, as I always say, the journey IS the destination with Exit the Game Advent Calendars!
The Missing Hollywood Star Advent Calendar is a beginner level Exit the Game puzzle for ages 10 and up. The whole family can join in, but there are small pieces and scissors are required, so if the littles want to be involved, make sure there is plenty of adult supervision. This is a once-and-done puzzle, so you can recycle all of the paper and cardboard pieces when you’ve completed the calendar.
TOP TIP: I keep everything in a Ziploc bag, including the writing utensils, game booklets, and the pieces that have already been used. You never know when/what you will need to solve the puzzles, so keep everything handy.
https://www.amazon.com/EXIT-Calendar-Hollywood-Christmas-Activity/dp/B0CRHWGGQ9/
٭٭٭٭٭Highly recommended
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