FAQs
What is Unknown Files?
Unknown Files is an alternate reality game, or ARG. Within our games you or your chosen recipient will receive a series of mysteriously unusual looking letters in the post. We tailor our games to incorporate narrative and clues to provide an interactive and enigmatic experience. The story will unravel through your ability to decipher codes, answer riddles, complete physical puzzles, solve number and word conundrums and employ your own online investigative skills. Players may have to interact through a range of mediums - this includes post, email, text messages and websites.
As we are an independent startup company our games are made to order and we take pride in handcrafting items to bring a mixture of old and new - this means you won't just receive all printed letters and items like you might do with bigger companies. What one player receives in one experience may differ slightly from that of another, however the central tenets of mystery, puzzle solving and sleuthing will remain as the core themes throughout.
And remember, patience is key.
How do I play?
You can find our current games available to buy in our Online Shop.
Other Questions
Can I write a review or upload an unboxing of your games?
We whole-heartedly encourage you to review our games! We just politely request you ensure you clearly warn viewers and readers that your feedback contains spoilers for those who may not want too much information.
Also, if you are not happy with the product we would ask that you please contact us directly in order for us to address and attempt to resolve any issues or concerns.
Will I have to go to any locations?
Although the games are not solely post-based and the player will have clues which can lead to all types of mediums including texts, websites and emails there are no locations that you will have to go to. This means you can play our games from the comfort of your own home.
What if my friend throws away the letter as spam?
Our letters are designed to entice the recipient with visually unusual letters and involve them into a story in order to avoid them being overlooked.
What if my friend is on holiday?
You will have to check this before ordering one of our games. The timeframe for each experience is noted in the product information and we give the option to pre-order/choose a specific date on checkout.
Want to know in detail what you'll get in our games? Cautionary Note: We only recommend looking here if you are purchasing our experiences for someone as a gift as we wouldn't want you tarnishing the mystique if buying for yourself.
Who can play?
You can buy any experience for yourself. If you like the idea of an interactive puzzle based story in which you crack codes, are sent clues, solve mysteries and may have the chance to determine the outcome all from the comfort of your own home, then this is for you.
Alternatively, each experience can be purchased as a gift for someone you know. Having needed human guinea pigs to test the experiences on during our initial start up stage, we turned to some of our nearest and dearest. Seeing firsthand the wonderment and intrigue people display when telling you they received a wax sealed hand written letter from a stranger addressed to them complete with a code and puzzle, we can testify to the difficulty in keeping a straight face whilst feigning surprise!
Experiences are family friendly but younger players may find some of the puzzles and clues challenging so we would recommend for those over the age of 13.
Please be aware that currently we can only deliver in the UK.
What if I can't solve one of the puzzles?
The games are not solely reliant on the puzzles being solved, this only enhances the story by revealing additional information that builds upon the main narrative.
When will it be available outside of the UK?
We recommend signing up to our newsletter for any further updates. However, Unknown Files is currently going through initial release in the UK so this will not be in the near future.
Have a question you'd like to ask us? You can contact us here