Tokyo Metro Underground Mysteries puzzle game is back!

09:10 cherishe 0 Comments

Think you’ve got what it takes to solve this sprawling puzzle?

Real escape game pioneers SCRAP and Tokyo Metro have teamed up again this year to offer their popular puzzle game The Underground Mysteries, which combines elements of scavenger hunts and lateral thinking challenges and sends you across the city in search of clues.

The game kits officially went on sale on October 1 and will be available until January 31, 2017. Each kit includes a 24-hour Tokyo Metro train pass in addition to the puzzle materials, and the handy carrying kit can be turned into a clear file to keep as a souvenir. The kits cost 2,160 yen (about US$21.16) and can be purchased in Japanese or English at the commuter pass office at Ueno Station from 7:40 to 20:00 every day.

Last year, the solution to one puzzle would give you the name of the next station you needed to go to. This year, SCRAP has upped the challenge by making the solution to some puzzles coded directions instead, so even while moving from one puzzle to the next, you have to stay on your toes!

If you get stuck along the way, SCRAP has a dedicated website that will give you hints. It’s also where you upload the solution to the final puzzle to see if you’ve gotten it right.

The game takes 4-6 hours to complete, but the materials also recommend places to take a break or do some sightseeing if you want to go at a more leisurely pace. Or if you are the competitive type, you can race another group to the solution for bragging rights or the night’s bar tab.

The RocketNews24 team finished in almost exactly 5 hours. Let us know in the comments if you beat that time!

And if you just can’t get enough of this kind of thing, head to Akasaka to check out SCRAP’s head-scratchingly difficult escape rooms, also available in English.

Good luck, Rocketeers!

▼Your first challenge will be actually locating the ticket office in sprawling Ueno station, but here’s a clue for you.

map-metro