We are incredibly excited to share the story behind the testing and development of our brand new game: Puzmat Casefiles.

It is a thrilling murder mystery-themed Puzmat packed with all sorts of wacky and quirky puzzles and brain teasers. The aim of the game is to work out who committed the murder, how, who witnessed it and where, think of it as an escape room on a mat meets Cluedo!

But before a game lands on your table, it has to go through the wringer. Here is a look behind the scenes at how we made it happen.

Phase 1: The "Alpha" Test (and the Babies)

For the initial testing, my wife and I worked closely with Nick Cakebread, the creative mind who made the game. We went around to his house to trial the Alpha version.

We had some "help" from our young babies, who were noisy and demanding throughout the session! While they weren't much help with the logic puzzles, they certainly enjoyed the bright colours on the mat. Despite the chaos, we managed to give our 2ps worth, and we used that session to make some crucial early improvements.

Who is it for?

While the babies loved the look of it, the game isn’t really for young kids. It is designed as a family game for ages 8+. However, don't let the age rating fool you, some of the puzzles are tricky enough to stump adults and challenge families of all ages!

Phase 2: The "Beta" Test

After we polished up the Alpha feedback, it was time for the next round. Nick’s parents stepped up to have a go at the Beta version. This was incredibly helpful, providing us with a different perspective and lots of amazing feedback to include to make the gameplay even smoother.

Phase 3: The Final Polish

When we finally thought the game was ready, we took it for one last spin. We went around to our friend Zac’s house and played it with a full crew: his partner, his brother, and his grandad.

Seeing the game played by such a mix of generations was fantastic. We put the final touches on the design, and finally, the game was ready to go to print!

The Production Line

We get our games printed with Solopress, a brilliant and speedy UK printing company that we always use—so a massive shout out to them for their quality work.

Once printed, the mats need to be folded. For this, we use a Nottingham-based company called NBC Print Finishing. They use massive cartography machines (usually used for folding maps) to fold the large Puzmat down into a neat A4 size.

Ready for You

Finally, the finished Puzmats are shipped to our storage garage in Pembroke Dock, where they are packed up and posted out to you!

We are so proud of this one. It’s been a labour of love (and noisy babies), and it is officially ready for Christmas.