CONCEPT

I wanted this calendar to both serve a family audience and be clearly differentiated from competitor items on the market. When reviewing EXIT and other similar advent calendars, I found that not only were the puzzles too hard for children and families, but there was very little variety in the puzzles. Every day, the "solve" was a series of 3 numbers, which became boring halfway through the month. In addition, the story-telling was very limited, and the last day felt anticlimactic as there was no reward for completing all 24 days of puzzles.

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To remedy these problems, I made several design decisions to enhance the experience for families and better integrate storytelling through gameplay. First, I worked with inventors to develop three different types of puzzles that would appear in the game: number solves, color solves, and symbol solves. This made gameplay more variable throughout the month while also giving people different times to shine with puzzles that were well-suited to their skillset. Second, I created an overarching "solve" that would be completed on the last day of the experience using clues gathered throughout the 24 days. This final solve was a WHO, WHAT, and WHERE, making it feel very thematic for Clue and a satisfying ending to the month-long puzzle experience. Finally, I added keepsake items throughout the game in the form of new Clue character pawns and an ornament that could be found only after finishing the overarching solve. This made the final day of the experience much more climactic while also delivering more consumer value with pieces that could be used in other Clue games.

TESTING

This concept went through four rounds of Funlab testing to refine the puzzles, instructions, and overall gameplay experience. Extensive testing was necessary due to amount of content in the game: 24 unique puzzles with one overarching puzzle solve. Through testing, I was able to refine puzzles, define the age grade, and simplify different story elements to make the overarching solve easier to figure out. It also helped validate the value proposition, as players were very excited about the new character pawns and ornament they collected throughout the 24 days.