Santorini: Riddle of the Sphinx - Deluxe Edition

Santorini: Riddle of the Sphinx Deluxe Edition—The Abstract Game Becomes a Cooperative Puzzle

Santorini: Riddle of the Sphinx Deluxe Edition is a cooperative expansion for the abstract game Santorini. Whereas the core game pits players against each other in a race to build and reach the third level first, this expansion transforms Santorini into a fully cooperative—or even solo—adventure through a Book of Riddles featuring more than twenty scenarios of increasing difficulty.

The goal of each riddle is to accomplish a specific tactical objective—such as building a given pattern or moving workers to specific locations—while managing a limited supply of blocks and domes. The Deluxe Edition stands out for its premium components: durable plastic God cards, acrylic tokens, and exclusive miniatures of the Sphinx, the Red Wanderer, the King, and the bridges.

A sphinx, a limited supply, and increasingly devious puzzles

To solve a riddle, players move and build with their workers exactly as in the core game, but must communicate and coordinate their actions to avoid wasting the precious tower pieces available. If the shared supply of blocks or domes runs out before the objective is met, the group fails and must restart the scenario from the beginning.

Each successfully solved riddle allows the group to advance on the adventure map and unlock new powers from “friendly” gods within a progression tree, thereby strengthening the team to face increasingly complex challenges, culminating in boss battles against the Sphinx itself.

Solving one riddle leads to another on the adventure map

Solving a riddle sometimes grants a “Blessing” reward—a particularly powerful one-time effect that can help overcome a difficult scenario later on. The campaign thus continues riddle after riddle on the adventure map, with each success unlocking the next challenge until the final confrontation with the Sphinx.