Mystery of a Sacred Oak
Book-based game?
So here’s a fun twist: my book, Midsummer Night's Scream (Midsummer Night's Scream), has just been published on Amazon worldwide. One of my ideas to promote it in a more original way was to create a unique book-related game—something more interactive than just a banner ad or another social post.
As some of you may already know (and if not, now you do), I grew up dreaming of making a living by creating computer games. Back in the '80s, that’s what we called them—and, to be honest, I’m still that same kid at heart. Sure, I’ve shelved some of those “unrealistic” dreams over the years, but my love for puzzles, especially the kind you find in Escape Rooms, never really went away.
And here’s a fun fact you might not know: the original Escape Room concept started as tiny PC games. Players had to find a way out of a locked room by solving puzzles. Those digital adventures eventually became real-life experiences—and then circled right back into online games inspired by real-world rooms. Love that kind of full circle.
So when I started brainstorming how to promote Midsummer Night’s Scream in a truly original way, my first thought was:
"Let’s build an online escape-room-style game inspired by the book."
The challenge
Coming up with the puzzle list and core game logic didn’t take long—I’ve had ideas floating around in my head for years. But using elements from Midsummer Night’s Scream without spoiling the story? Now that was the real challenge.
After what felt like a gazillion edits and revisions, I’m finally happy with the result. I think I managed to keep the game connected to the book’s core themes without giving away any major plot points. So you can play The Mystery of the Sacred Oak spoiler-free and still enjoy the full reading experience later.
Code, Polish, and Publish
The coding and polishing phase took just over two weeks—and now the game is live and ready for you to explore!
Wait... Why in English?
Good question.
You might be wondering why I published a Polish book in English in the first place.
Well, the reason is simple (and kind of annoying): To be listed on Amazon, eBooks must be in one of their supported languages—and Polish isn't one of them.
Weird, right? They support a bunch of other languages, so why not Polish? I honestly have no idea. Maybe it's a resource issue, maybe policy, maybe just bureaucracy. Beats me.
So to get Midsummer Night's Scream onto Amazon, it had to be translated. And once that was done, it made sense to create and promote the Escape Room Game in English too.
And there you have it—the behind-the-scenes scoop!
So... What's the Catch?
Honestly? There isn’t one.
Here’s why you might want to check out the game:
It’s free - no registration, no payment or email address is required
It’s browser-based – no downloads, no installations
It works great on PC, tablets, and phones
It’s spoiler-free – haven’t read Midsummer Night’s Scream yet? No worries.
No pressure – if you just want to enjoy an Escape Room-style Game without reading the book, you’re absolutely welcome to do that too
So go ahead, give it a try. Whether you're here for the story, the game, or just the puzzles—have fun. That’s what it’s really all about, right?
PS. Serdeczne podziękowania dla niesamowitych ludzi z Escape Team, bez pomocy których gra nie ujrzałaby światła dziennego (ani nocnego). Good work guys!
Mystery of a Sacred Oak
Free Escape Room Game