The Mother of Frankenstein is a unique game that seamlessly merges narrative and board gaming elements. It offers a 15-hour immersive retelling of Mary Shelley’s life, allowing players to piece together different evidence through astronomy charts, poems, and even a 3D puzzle while exploring the intricacies of her story. This escape room-in-a-box game consists of three volumes and was created by the co-founders of Hatch Escapes, Tommy Wallach and Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp, in collaboration with Arcane Wonders. This game is great for fans of puzzles, historical fiction, and immersive storytelling.
Each piece serves as a hint toward the larger mystery. This game is best enjoyed in order and can be played solo or with others (1-6 players). The game features a variety of components, including reading letters, examining documents, and using your intuition to draw meaningful conclusions. The creators invite you to immerse yourself in the world of Mary Shelley with this game, which features gameplay lasting over 4 hours, allowing for leisurely exploration.
“Contained within these volumes is a secret many great men have devoted their entire lives to unearthing, and always in vain. It is a secret I would have taken with me to the grave, except that it is, in more ways than one, our family’s legacy, and thus rightfully belongs with you…”
Mother of Frankenstein is similar to other games with an escape room style, such as EXIT: The Game. However, this game is enhanced with a deeper story, focusing on historical clues rather than being a quick escape game. Through the lens of Mary Shelley’s son, Florence, players will uncover a meaningful story. Here is our breakdown on all three volumes!
Pieces of the Puzzle
In Volume One, players use a map to chart planets, piece together interconnected puzzle pieces, and tackle riddles written across letters. This Volume serves as a stepping stone into the early life of Mary Shelley and her new, blossoming love with Percy. Players have praised this volume for being wonderfully immersive, strategically engaging, and a great way to lose track of time.
What’s Inside:
- “Start Here,” a rundown flyer on what to expect within this experience. One of the best tips in this section is, “whether you read the documents quietly to yourself, or else let someone in your group read them aloud … just make sure you read.” As to be expected with a narrative experience, right? This page contains the first instruction on where to start. This page also includes Tips to help you navigate Volume One, QR codes for Online Hints, and a Refill Pack, which is useful for resetting the game when players want a fresh, new experience.
- “The Shelley Volumes” is a historical piece that provides background on the life of Mary Shelley. This features antique portraits of the Shelley and Godwin family, a brief explanation of the Shelley Volumes, and Shelley’s background.
- “The Letter,” written beautifully in cursive from ‘your loving mother,’ Mary Shelley. This piece includes Riddle #1 and comes with the advice to arrange the letters in chronological order.
- x6 foam boards of the primary colors (blue, green, and red) that make up a puzzle.
- x3 sealed envelopes with different titles and contents. “Astronomy” contains content on the celestial bodies for Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Constellations include Virgo, Pisces, and Sagittarius. “Poetry” contains the Merchant’s Tale and the ‘Aeneid’ poems. “Music” contains the song ‘Honeysuckle Love.’
- A helpful pack of “Hints” cards.
- The “Solution” sealed envelope.
Volume Two
The mystery gains momentum within Volume Two as Mary Shelley continues to connect with her son through a series of puzzles and riddles. Leaving the romance with Volume One, players step into what truly sparked Mary’s famous story. The difficulty for this volume is top-notch, featuring a 300-piece jigsaw puzzle, an appearance from Johan Konrad Dippel, and delving into a castle. Players, keep your wits about you!
What’s Inside:
- Similar to Volume One, there is a “Start Here” page with similar instructions, QR codes, and hints.
- Another introductory letter from Mary Shelley. This time, there is an illustration on the back.
- A letter to Mary from Percy.
- A bag holding the contents of one of the puzzles.
- A ‘ Research Journal’
- A packet of documents and illustrations.
- The “Solution” sealed envelope.
Volume Three
The final volume of Mother of Frankenstein takes players deep into the mystery’s core. Here, they’ll explore the family’s heritage and reveal the secrets Mary Shelley left to her son. In this volume, players will be thrilled to construct an impressive 3D castle puzzle that helps them reach the ultimate goal of the mystery. With the difficulty at its highest, be sure to work through it carefully and proceed through the parts in order.
What’s Inside:
- Similar to previous Volumes, there is a “Start Here” page with similar instructions, QR codes, and hints.
- A final letter to Florence from Mary, with instructions on how to construct the roof of the castle.
- A folded map of Castle Estate
- A big bag of the foam 3D pieces for the castle
- x8 Story pages
- Pages to assemble the roof
- “The Ramparts” foam page
- The “Valediction” sealed envelope
All Three Volumes of Mother of Frankenstein are available now at Arcane Wonders! Buy them as a bundle or individually.
