Frequently asked questions

A short, hand-crafted sequence of puzzles — ciphers, riddles, logic problems, multiple choice — with a video cutscene between each one that carries the story forward. Think of an escape room that happens to be teaching you chemistry.

Most take between fifteen and forty minutes. Your progress saves after each puzzle, so a game can comfortably be spread across several lessons or several evenings.

Nothing. There is no score, no penalty, and no record of how many attempts you took. A lock either opens or it does not, and you try again — that is the entire point.

You need an account for your progress to be saved between sessions. Creating one takes an email address and a password, and it is free — see the sign-up page.

No, and if you ever feel that you do, we have failed. The creator tools ask for questions, answers, and media by dragging files onto the page. There are no identifiers to invent and no syntax to memorise.

You do. You keep every right you already had in your puzzles, text, and media. You grant us only the licence we need to host and display them, and it ends when you delete them — the detail is in section 5 of our Terms of Service.

We aim at the subjects students bounce off first — the ones that seem dry until someone shows you what they unlock. Ciphers carry mathematics and language beautifully; deduction puzzles carry history and science. If a topic has a right answer, it can be a lock.

Nothing today. Cryptic Learning is free while we build it out. If we introduce paid plans we will publish the prices first, and no existing free account will ever be charged without agreeing to pay.

Sam Thompson, a doctor raised by two teachers, and Mitch Follett, a software engineer who tutored through university and taught English in Taiwan. The whole story is on our About page.

Email us. Every message is read by a founder, and we aim to reply within 2 working days — the contact page lists the right address for each kind of enquiry.

We store your email address, a one-way hash of your password, and how far you have got in each game. We run no analytics, no advertising, and no tracking, and we never sell personal information. The Privacy Policy spells it out.

Because we only set the three cookies that keep you signed in, and strictly necessary cookies do not require consent. They are listed individually in our Cookie Policy.

You must be 13 or older to hold your own account. Younger students should use Cryptic Learning through a school, or through an adult who holds the account and supervises it.

Yes, at any time, and we delete your account and gameplay records with it. You can also ask us for a copy of everything we hold about you. Both requests go to the privacy address on the contact page.