The Order of Giants has always been a surprise hit for puzzle-loving action gamers. The franchise’s latest offering, A Collegial Mystery, leans hard into the classic Indiana Jones vibe. It’s not only swinging the whips and dodging traps; this one’s more about your mental strength with layered puzzles that make you feel like a scholar who’s also an adventurer.
The task is to locate a tricky safe inside the Casina Building, where the action takes place, which is deliberately positioned to trust players’ spatial intelligence over hand-holding UI elements.
Find The Safe But Slowly
In times of time sensitive tasks, normally the brain rushes and overlooks the most important past; utilizing the time adequately. Do not rush, take your time and follow the instructions. go upstairs in Casino, head to the right-hand door, and you’ll spot the safe waiting to be cracked. It’s a classic Indy moment, hidden in plain sight, daring you to think.
In this era of gaming where publishers are transitioning into an easier to engage philosophy, the franchise sticks to its basics. Finding this safe in this way becomes an act of digital archaeology that mirrors Indiana Jones’ own investigative methodology.
Letters As Lore
Blending the narrative with gameplay has always been Indiana Jones’ franchise speciality. Be it Emporror’s Tomb, Fate of Atlantic, or The Last Crusade the game always follows a passage of coherent narrative building.
So happens in this latest offering as well you stumble upon letters Federico and Alessandro, Instead of dumping exposition, the notes double as a hint delivery system, which is a clever touch that rewards the players who actually read.
This also feels like what game developers call negative space storytelling, which means to leave the most important unsaid. This is also an inverse to the ongoing spoon feeding style puzzles and games that impart instant gratification when we solve everything that was already on the table.
Through these letters, the game encourages the players to employ their cognitive skills, interpret beyond surface, and then earn their next hint.
The Sacred Maths
The Apostles-minus-Jesus calculation (13-1=12) brilliantly weaves Christin iconography as a gameplay mechanic. It’s like imparting the wisdom of philosophy while offering the dopamine of adrenalin rush.
In the similar fashion, The beasts and cherubs require pattern recognition skills that harken back to pre-digital puzzle-solving, when humans had to genuinely observe rather than Google solutions.
The loot winning combination, 1222, also demonstrates manifold meaning other than just winning the loot. It validates the player’s labour through competence satisfaction. This requires analogue thinking in this digital space.
A Collegial Mystery proves that the best puzzles aren’t obstacles, rather they’re mirrors of our cognitive habits. By encouraging or rather forcing players to slow down, observe carefully, think interpretively, the game deceptively creates a simple safe combination into a solid effort against our automated relationship with problem solving.
