Unlock! Kids: Legendary Stories
Unlock! Kids: Legendary Stories Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal of the Game
Unlock! Kids is a cooperative game.
Together, you will explore one of the game's three tales. Each tale allows you to choose from two adventures. Then work together to overcome the trials of your chosen adventure.
There is no time limit. Take a close look at ALL of the components available to you! Some may hold hidden surprises...
Reader Needed?
To discover the Unlock! Kids rules, children will need to complete the Tutorial with someone who knows how to read. Afterward, they will need assistance only with the texts on the adventures' Starting Items, final cards, and the Hints/Step-by-Step Solutions booklet. In other words, kids can play without reading as long as someone who can read is nearby for the beginning and end of the adventure.
Contents and Setup
IMPORTANT: Before playing, make sure you have all the components. To do so, check the numbers on the lower right side of each component's back.
First, choose an adventure, then take one of its Starting Items (A, B, C, D, E, or F) and the deck of cards. Also, take the corresponding Item tokens and place them facedown on the table.
Difficulty level:
In the Heartland of Africa — 2 keys (out of 4)
- A — The Sacred Baobab (68 components)
- B — Let's Dance in the Rain! (24 components)
The Mysteries of Chichén Itzá — 2 keys (out of 4)
- C — One Flew over the Quetzel's Nest (38 components)
- D — Quite a Ball! (27 components)
Voyage to Olympus — 4 keys (out of 4)
- E — On the Trail of the Gods (56 components)
- F — The Odyssey of Telemachus (31 components)
Cocow's Note: These stories draw their inspiration from actual myths and legends. You can learn about their origins in the Solutions section of the Hints/Step-by-Step Solutions booklet.
You can now place the cards and Items facedown on the table, and look at your Starting Item.
To see a setup example, please refer to the last page of this booklet.
!! IMPORTANT !! Do not look at ANY of the components (cards or Item tokens) until prompted.
Golden Rule
As soon as you see a number on a card, you can look at the matching component.
First and foremost, Unlock! Kids is an observation game. Always start by looking at the components you reveal. As soon as you see a number, you can take and look at the matching card or Item. Sometimes, there are also hidden numbers on the cards.
Example: In this cabin, looking closely at the backpack, you can see the hidden number 7. So, immediately take card 7. Hidden numbers are bonuses that will boost your score at the end of the adventure.
But don't worry! You don't need the bonuses to finish the adventure.
Types of Components
The shape around the number tells you what type of component it is:
- cards are shown by a rectangle (e.g. 11),
- cardboard items and special items by a diamond (e.g. 8),
- while 2-number squares indicate 2 cards to be assembled: 2 + 3 = 2|3.
If the number is not shown inside a shape, it means the component can be either a card OR an item. Look for it!
Example: At the start of the Tutorial, you must immediately take Item 8 and cards 11, 2, and 3, then look at them. Cards 2 and 3, once assembled, form a scene that you will need to look at closely to advance in the adventure!
Discarding Components
On some cards, you will find one or more components crossed out with a black cross. This X symbol tells you that you must immediately get rid of these components by putting them back in the box. This is a good sign! It means you are moving forward in the adventure.
Combining Symbols
If you no longer see any new components to reveal, you probably need to solve a puzzle to move forward!
To do this, combine two half-symbols to form a whole symbol. These two half-symbols can appear on identical or different components — for example, on cards and/or Items.
But watch out! Combining symbols always has an effect on the game, which can be a step forward... or a trap!
Example: It's up to you to choose whether to combine the key with the closet's padlock or with the window handle! The effect will likely be different...
Once you have formed a symbol, check the Symbol Table. It appears on every Starting Item. On this table, a completed symbol lets you look at the component bearing the matching number.
Example: In the Tutorial, you have a choice between numbers 5 and 9, depending on where you use the key! It can be combined with two different half-symbols, giving you two distinct symbols.
Errors
Some choices can lead to Error cards.
In the Tutorial, using the key on the window is worthless...
Most errors won't have unfortunate consequences.
But watch out! Some Error cards can cause you to lose stars at the end of the adventure!
Choices
The hand-with-question-mark symbol indicates that you have a choice to make using the matching Item. Think it through: if there's a right answer, there can also be traps! By looking closely at all the components available to you, you will always find the clues you need to make the right choice.
Are You Stuck?
You think you've looked everywhere, and you don't know where to go next? If you're stuck, you can check the Hints booklet! Cocow will be happy to give you a hand. Just look up the paragraph whose number matches the card you want a hint for. And if that hint isn't enough, flip the Hints booklet over, and Cocow will give you the solution to that puzzle!
End of the Game
The trophy symbol tells you that you have reached the end of the adventure! Congratulations! You can now calculate your score by counting all the stars you have collected, including the one on the Final card! And don't forget to subtract the stars lost to Error cards.
The Final card tells you the highest score you could have achieved on this adventure. Watch out! Even once the adventure is over, do not look at the unrevealed cards. They might hide new surprises!
What Now?
When you have finished an adventure, you can switch stories by taking a new Starting Item, its deck of cards, and the corresponding Items. But you can also revisit places you've already been, in a whole new light! To do this, choose the second Starting Item! Flip all the components you had discovered facedown, and you're off on a brand-new adventure that will challenge everything you thought you knew.
Also From Unlock!
TWO BOXES ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE! Detective Stories & Stories and Histories
Follow Cocow's adventures! www.spacecow.fr
UNLOCK! Ingenious puzzles, diabolical traps, and multiple adventures with an interactive app! Unlock! is also available for grown-ups!
3-adventure boxes (60 mn each). 1-adventure packs (30 to 45 min).
Play the available free demos on our website: https://www.spacecowboys.fr/unlock
Setup Example
Here is how your table will look once you've set up the Tutorial.
Item Supply: the Item tokens not yet revealed (e.g. 8, 6), kept in a small pile.
Draw Piles: the numbered card decks, stacked in groups of ten (e.g. one pile topped by card 4, the next by card 10).
Discard: revealed cards and Items that are no longer needed are set aside here.
Revealed Cards Play Area: the cards you have revealed and combined so far, laid out face up.
Card 1: After a nice, long stroll through Cocow's island, you reach a cabin that looks abandoned... Each time you see a number, you can flip the matching component over. So, you can flip over Item 8 as well as cards 11, 2, and 3. The square symbol indicates that cards 2 and 3 must be placed side by side to form a scene.
Card 2: On the cabin's table, you find a key. Flip over the matching Item 6.
Card 3: Take a closer look at the backpack... If you find its hidden number, flip the matching component over.
Card 11: This is the Symbol Table. Important: Do not flip over the components matching these numbers right away. Two half-symbols can form a whole symbol, whether on cards, Items, or both. Once you have combined one of these symbols, reveal the component corresponding to the indicated number. You have found 2 half-symbols. You can perform an action at these very spots by combining either of them with another half-symbol. Choose where you want to use the key and read the Symbol Table carefully.
Cocow's Recommendation: If you stack the cards in groups of 10, you will be able to find cards more quickly!
Cocow thanks you moo-moo! Cocow wants to thank all the young Earthlings who tested the game!