Enter the world of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein
Mother of Frankenstein is a groundbreaking new puzzle game that combines the best of escape rooms, board games, immersive theater, and novels. Designed for 1-6 players, ages 13 and up, MoF offers 10-15 hours of puzzles to solve, 2D and 3D jigsaws to construct, gorgeous documents to parse, and mysterious artifacts to examine, all wrapped up in a shocking reconception of the true story behind Mary Shelley's famous monster.
Our breakout Kickstarter campaign raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars and was lauded by such luminaries as Neil Gaiman and Margaret Atwood, and now our game is available for presale.
Expected Delivery: Early 2023
How deep is your game?
Mother of Frankenstein exists at three levels of engagement and immersion.
(Design mockups only. Final products may differ.)
Standard
12-15 hours of glorious gameplay divided into three delicious volumes. A 2D puzzle, a 3D puzzle, linking rings that spin, and dozens upon dozens of exquisitely crafted documents and artifacts for your puzzling pleasure.
Standard + Novel
Want more? This upgrade includes the base game plus our faux-leather bound custom printing of the 1818 edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, featuring original puzzles by Rita Orlov (The Emerald Flame, The Light in the Mist).
Ultimate
Upgraded components, our custom printing of Frankenstein with original puzzles from Rita Orlov (The Emerald Flame), a custom vinyl record featuring readings of the game's documents and original music, a blank notebook for puzzling, and physical hint cards. CURRENTLY SOLD OUT. CHECK BACK SOON.
The Story
You have just received “The Shelley Volumes,” a collection of hollowed-out books left by Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) to her son, Florence. In the first volume, you find a message from Mary:
"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..."
Beneath Mary’s letter you’ll discover a treasure trove of gorgeous hand-written documents, 2D and 3D jigsaw puzzles, mysterious objects and artifacts, and devious challenges. Prove your worth by studying the documents, constructing the jigsaws, and solving the puzzles... and you’ll be treated to a heartbreaking story that culminates in a shocking reimagining of the truth behind Mary Shelley’s famous novel.
What makes Mother of Frankenstein so special?
Unlike most puzzle games and escape rooms, Mother of Frankenstein was designed to be as welcoming and fun for newbies as it is rewarding for experts. Recommended for groups of 1-6, ages 13 and up, MoF combines the dense narrative complexity of a good novel with the physicality and interactivity of immersive theater, the brain-bending challenge of a puzzle-filled escape room with the accessibility and broad appeal of the best board games. Throw in a couple of clue-strewn jigsaw puzzles, and our game truly has something for everyone!
Each volume should take 3-5 hours to complete. Volume 1 concerns Mary's teenage years. We learn about her education by her iconoclastic father and complete three assignments on the subjects she most loved as a student—poetry, music, and astronomy—each of which is presented in the form of a puzzle. Simultaneously, Mary embarks on a love affair with the dashing (but married) poet Percy Shelley. The course of their courtship is laid out over 15 love letters—complete with original poetry, gorgeous drawings, and some heavy flirting—but be warned, in Mother of Frankenstein, there are always secrets hidden in the spaces between the words, for those who know how to look...
In Volume 2, the venue changes to a certain famous castle in Germany. You’ll begin by constructing a 300-piece jigsaw puzzle that will serve as a sort of key to the mysteries that follow. One puzzle involves a ball thrown on a balmy summer night in 1814, for which you’ll have to chart the events of the evening by way of gossip rags, billiard hall schedules, and original drawings by comic book artist Liana Kangas. Afterwards you’ll descend into the bowels of the castle with alchemist Conrad Dippel, and discover what Mary learned under his tutelage.
Finally, in Volume 3, you’ll construct an epic 3D puzzle of the same castle and use it to...well, we aren’t ready to give away all of our plans just yet!
Mother of Frankenstein was offered on Kickstarter during the fall of 2020. We hope to begin delivering the product as soon as possible. Subscribe to our email list below to receive updates.
Unboxing Video
Reduce. Reuse. Replay!
Mother of Frankenstein Refill Pack
Everything you need to repackage the game so that your friends can play it anew. Or you can replay it yourself, once enough time has passed that you've forgotten how to solve the puzzles (or if you have some kind of amnesiac condition, like Guy Pierce in Memento or Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates or Dory in Finding Nemo).
