Enigmida
By Matthew Stein
I'm an Oakland, CA-based puzzle and alternate reality game designer. I create experiences that guide participants to connect through play and to find wonder in the mundane. In this newsletter, I share behind-the-scenes content, puzzle design thoughts, project updates, and other miscellaneous... Read more
I'm an Oakland, CA-based puzzle and alternate reality game designer. I create experiences that guide participants to connect through play and to find wonder in the mundane.
In this newsletter, I share behind-the-scenes content, puzzle design thoughts, project updates, and other miscellaneous whimsy I think puzzle lovers will enjoy.
subscribers
issues
Enigmida: A Most Puzzling 2021
I designed tons of puzzles for Art of Play's beautiful art journal Tangram. Volume 1 contained a standalone puzzle hunt. Volume 2 featured even trickier puzzles and led to hidden treasure (which you can still go find!) And I'm putting the finishing touches on…
Enigmida / The new top escape room?!
This puzzle is similar in format to the last issue's puzzle.I'm thinking of a name. If I remove two letters from the beginning, I get another name. If I remove two more letters from the beginning, I get a word in a comparison... that would be a fictional name…
Enigmida: A tarot puzzletale & other wondrous recs
I'm thinking of something in my house. If I remove two letters from the beginning, I get a verb. If I remove two more letters from the beginning, I get somewhere. If I remove two more letters from the beginning, I get a card. What am I thinking of?Submit your…
Enigmida / TANGRAM vol. 2 🔺
You might remember TANGRAM Volume 1, which launched back in January of this year. I designed a multilayered puzzle hunt interwoven throughout feature articles on some uber-talented artists. It's not too late to snag a copy of this wonder-filled work.I'm excit…
Enigmida: A special RECON-undrum
A couple of months ago, I wrote about the 100+ virtual escape rooms I've reviewed for Room Escape Artist over the past year.Since then, I've started visiting in-person escape rooms again, and it's been a delight getting to play IRL with vaccinated friends. Wh…
Enigmida: 2 weeks to the Reality Escape Convention!
The USPS recently released a new Mystery Message postage stamp... but it was a bit lacking in mysteries, so I made some upgrades! In addition to the stamp's original mystery message, there are now 5 additional words or phrases encoded throughout the stamp's d…
Enigmida - 100 Escape Room Reviews
Throughout 20,000+ words and countless hours not just playing games but also obsessing over how to present constructive, meaningful, nonredundant critique of each, my work as a reviewer has consumed a sizeable chunk of this past year. You can read everything …
Enigmida / A Few of My Favorite Games... (Part 2)
How does it work?You're mailed some mysterious, puzzle-filled objects. This category includes a wide range of formats and mediums, and the best part often is exactly that: you don't know quite what to expect until a mysterious package arrives on your doorstep…