# The Academy: The First Riddle

> Adventure puzzle game with riddles, exploration, and a compelling mystery. (iPhone/iPad app by Snapbreak Games.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-academy-the-first-riddle/id1470125745 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Snapbreak Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1150830796)
- Category: Games, Entertainment, Adventure, Puzzle
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 1,258 App Store ratings · 232 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 774 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish, Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)
- Released: 2020-06-19
- Data updated: 2026-08-20
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-academy-the-first-riddle/id1470125745/reviews.md

## What is The Academy?

Arbor’s famed Academy has always been a place where brilliance and mystery go hand in hand. Step into the shoes of Sam, a freshman who will soon discover that both greatness and dread are to be found in the ancient halls of the school. With a little help from your friends, tackle all of the challenges the Academy has to offer and become a part of the story unlike any you’ve played.

- Think outside the box with over 200 unique puzzles and riddles that will challenge even the most seasoned players

- Explore the visually gorgeous Academy with all of the secrets it holds

- Unravel a centuries-old mystery looming over the school and the town of Arbor

They say that behind every corner of the Academy lies a riddle waiting to be solved.
Are you ready to take on the challenge?

## Key features

- Over 200 unique puzzles and riddles
- Explore a visually gorgeous academy
- Unravel a centuries-old mystery
- Become part of an interactive story
- Challenging gameplay for seasoned players

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chapter 2: Shards of the Past | $4.99 | one-time |
| Chapter 3: The Final Piece | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Complete Story | $6.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited hint pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| No ads VIP | $4.99 | one-time |
| Small hint pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Largest Hint Pack | $2.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of The Academy?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 🎮 Fun gameplay and puzzles
- 🌟 Engaging storyline and world-building
- 🧠 Challenging and unique puzzles
- 💰 Completely free with optional in-app purchases

**Cons**

- 🐛 Glitches and bugs, especially at the end of the game
- 📺 Frequent and intrusive ads, even after paying to remove them
- 🕹️ Clunky and unresponsive controls
- 🔍 Typos and mistakes in dialogue and puzzles

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Players getting stuck in the basement with no way to progress
- Inability to complete certain puzzles or collect items
- Glitches causing the game to crash or freeze
- Paid features not working as intended

**Most requested features**

- Allow players to choose their character's gender
- Improve accessibility and controls, especially for larger screens
- Fix existing bugs and glitches to allow players to complete the game
- Provide more free content or a less expensive way to access all chapters

## Recent user reviews (10 of 232)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-academy-the-first-riddle/id1470125745/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Females to

*2026-02-09, version 1.06*

I don’t like this game because you can’t pick your gender and it won’t let me delete it

### 3/5 — Purchases not working

*2026-01-07, version 1.06*

Wanted to support the Devs purchased the VIP pack for no Ads. Unfortunately it doesn’t register, been charged and I still get Ads. Game is fun, some questionable puzzle decisions but monetary things not working properly is a big detractor.

### 1/5 — J’ai un sérieux problème avec la fin

*2026-01-05*

Le pire c’est que le jeu n’est même encore terminé il y a plein d’autres mystères svp mettez un chapitre 4 sinon sa n’a pas de sens

### 3/5 — ads

*2025-12-15, version 1.06*

hi, i’ve been having the same issue that i’ve seen on a couple reviews where i paid for no ads and im still seeing them, they aren’t as often as they were but they’re still obnoxiously there, i like the game but if it keeps bombarding me with ads i don’t want to keep playing  :/

### 4/5 — ГДЕ ОБНОВЛЕНИЯ??

*2025-10-26*

Я девочка, и хочу играть за женских персонажей, исправьте пожалуйста 
И сколько лет, а ничего не меняется. Можно было бы сделать отдельно свободный режим, где можно делать всё



А так идеально! Сделайте игру про Гарри Поттера пожалуйста, у вас бы получилось!🙏🙏🙏

### 2/5 — Bought VIP pack and still had ads

*2025-10-04, version 1.06*

Purchased the add-on and still had constant ads. Wouldn’t allow me to use hints and now says I have a negative balance of chocolate so even if I found some chocolate, it couldn’t fill the negative amount back up. 
I loved the game when the pack was working but 5 minutes in, ads started back up.

### 4/5 — Super fun, completely free with ads, some glitches and mistakes

*2025-08-02, version 1.06*

I loved this game. I also loved that it was completely free with ads and some options for in-app purchases (which I never bought). It was a fun storyline, unique world building (which I have come to expect from SnapBreak games), and a good mystery. 

On to the glitches and mistakes: I almost got stuck after chapter 1 because it simply would not move on from the cut scene. I left it alone over night and it finally went through to the next chapter. 
For the mistakes: There are several moments when the riddles don’t quite match the materials you are supposed to be solving. Different names used in the riddle and on a map, the riddle is called one thing but says it is something different (not that big a deal, just surprising when it’s different). The biggest one was when it clearly meant you to solve it one way but it said the negative instead of the positive and I had to decide it was another mistake and solve it the way I was sure they meant (I was right). And sometimes the answers didn’t seem to match the question, those were very frustrating. All it needs is some simple proofreading from someone who didn’t write it. 
There were also times when it would have been really fun to actually solve the problem by moving pieces around rather than just answering the question but that would probably make the game cost money to play the whole thing.
Overall a good experience and a really fun story.

### 4/5 — Why, just why?

*2025-07-31, version 1.06*

Update: I eventually got through to the devs by posting a review on the duck detective game but not really sure if they doing things behind the scenes. Sorry everyone 😭

The most confounding puzzle of this game is why the devs aren't fixing it, but yet they have time to create more games. Trust me, I've tried to contact the devs, but no response. Nope, nada, nothin'.😑

This game has so many downsides that I’m deleting it. There are glitches, constant ads, typos in the dialogue, and I can’t even finish it! Sometimes the background disappears when I’m talking to someone and a few of the daily books are absolutely impossible to collect. Ads inevitably hit you every thirty seconds, and other players have paid for no ads and then still had ads. The dialogue needs to be checked out. I can’t even finish the game! I just run around with Ed and my clone in the dark tunnel! I am really disappointed. If the devs fix these issues, I’ll consider reinstalling, but they don't even seem to read these reviews anymore. But they're still making games!! Why won’t they fix this???😢  

I love the gameplay and puzzles because The Academy is partly based on Professor Layton, the main reason why I got it. The next PL game isn’t coming out til 2025, so I’m just waiting here for yet another year in utter boredom… 

 To whoever reads this, I hope this helps you make your decision!

### 3/5 — Glitch

*2025-07-01, version 1.06*

I was really enjoying the riddles and the mystery behind this game. I am on the last chapter and after the big reveal with the students and the professor, the game glitched and now I am stuck in the basement… I am not sure how to proceed from here.

### 1/5 — Please help😡

*2025-05-06, version 1.06*

At the last battle the game glitched and I can’t do anything please help

## Frequently asked questions about The Academy

### What is The Academy: The First Riddle about?

This is an adventure puzzle game where you play as Sam, a freshman at Arbor's famed Academy. You will tackle challenges, solve over 200 unique puzzles and riddles, explore the academy, and uncover a centuries-old mystery.

### What kind of puzzles can I expect?

The game features over 200 unique puzzles and riddles designed to challenge players. These puzzles are integrated into the exploration and narrative of the game, requiring players to think outside the box.

### Is this game free to play?

The game is free to download and play. However, it does include in-app purchases, which may offer additional content or benefits to players.

### What platforms is this game available on?

Based on the provided information, this is a mobile application. Specific compatibility details for iOS and Android devices would typically be found on the app store listing.

### What makes this game different from other puzzle games?

This game combines challenging puzzles and riddles with a strong narrative and exploration elements. Players can immerse themselves in a visually gorgeous academy and become part of a unique story, rather than just solving isolated puzzles.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.06 — 2021-07-31

THE ACADEMY IS NOW OPEN FOR ALL!! Play all 3 chapters entirely for FREE and discover all the secrets this puzzling school holds.

### 1.05 — 2020-11-25

Hi Students! We've upgraded The Academy and fixed so many bugs, achievements, iPad version problems, and glitches. We've made many optimizations so you can enjoy the game properly. Also, we are working on the new content update, so stay tuned!

### 1.04 — 2020-06-25

Bug fixes.

### 1.03 — 2020-06-25

Fixed "broken pencil" bug, "black screen" bug, iPad crashing, and many more. More polish on puzzles and texts.

### 1.02 — 2020-06-21

Fixed missing continue button, save bug, crashing, and more polishing!

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## More apps by Snapbreak Games

- [Faraway: Puzzle Escape](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/faraway-puzzle-escape/id1202839666)
- [Dreamcage Escape: Two Towers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dreamcage-escape-two-towers/id1228603182)
- [Escape Machine City](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/escape-machine-city/id1251928916)
- [Faraway 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/faraway-2/id1270205479)
- [Escape Logan Estate](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/escape-logan-estate/id1316716699)
- [Faraway 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/faraway-3/id1336928392)

All apps by Snapbreak Games: https://appshunter.io/developer/1150830796

## Related topics

[adventure academy](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/adventure-academy) · [hogwarts mystery](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hogwarts-mystery) · [past games](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/past-games) · [the profesor](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/the-profesor) · [riddle school](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/riddle-school) · [dark riddle 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/dark-riddle-3)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-20.*