Sofia, Apr 2024
Back in Sofia for the first time in six years, we played The First Hunt as the first room on a mini-binge. For now it’s the only game available at the venue, and has a fantasy historical theme involving a witch and a curse.
Our host explained the usual game rules within the logic of that setting, which got things off to an entertaining start. He also emphasised that there was no clock and this wasn’t a game to hurry through, but rather a story-led adventure. That matched the atmosphere inside, which is of flickering candlelight – not brightly lit, though not as dim as that might sound.
It was a good thing we weren’t trying to hurry, because our progress was on the slow side. The style here, for the early game at least, is of a fairly open non-linear structure with fewer, trickier puzzles. That meant more time spent casting around for how to proceed, but also greater satisfaction when we did crack something.
While you could certainly play this room while ignoring the plot entirely, there is a narrative that progresses as you do, and the ending will make more sense if you pay attention to it. But stronger than the story is the theming and atmosphere, with an enjoyably moody sort of olde worlde decor and some lovely props. (The lighting might get in the way of solving, but they provide something to help with that.)
The toughest and most interesting of the puzzles required an intuitive leap to solve, which might be frustrating but seemed fair to me – including the one I needed a hint on. So although it wasn’t rapid adrenaline-fuelled progress, it felt satisfyingly crunchy with the puzzles. Add in the atmospheric setting and story, and this is a fantasy adventure well worth taking. 
