STEM
HuntForge
Puzzle-hunt BUILDER for ages 9–14: a child chains cipher clues (Caesar, Atbash, A1Z26) and riddles, every clue engine-verified solvable-by-construction — a builder can never emit an unsolvable hunt. Build / Solve / printable clue cards.
▶ Play it nowScreen-light: about 5 minutes on the screen. Most of the play happens off it, with real things and real people.
Meet your mentor
Every Spark & Anvil app has a friendly mentor character that demonstrates, asks, and patiently scaffolds learning.
Mentored by Verity
#7E57C2 HuntForge flips the usual escape-room app: the child BUILDS the hunt for others. Chain Caesar, Atbash, and A1Z26 cipher clues and riddles into a trail — and because every clue is engine-verified solvable-by-construction, a builder can never ship an unsolvable hunt. Each cast member is one clue craft. Build, Solve, and print the clue cards. Ages 9–14.
Characters who teach
Meet the cast
HuntForge's cast each embody ONE cipher or clue craft the builder uses; mentor Verity is the huntmaster who checks every clue is solvable before the hunt begins.
Kaesa
Caesar shift — slide every letter the same number of steps
Read chapter →
Mira
Atbash mirror — flip the alphabet so A trades places with Z
Read chapter →
Numa
A1Z26 code — swap each letter for its number in the alphabet
Read chapter →
Enigmo
Riddle-weaver — hide the answer inside a playful description
Read chapter →
Chaine
Checkpoint chain — each solved clue points to where the next hides
Read chapter →
Substa
Substitution key — swap letters by a secret key you share
Read chapter →
Leapa
Skip-reading — read every Nth letter to reveal the message
Read chapter →
Acro
Acrostic — the first letter of each line spells the clue
Read chapter →
Keyna
Keyword cipher — one code word sets the whole secret alphabet
Read chapter →
Verity
the huntmaster who verifies every clue is solvable
Read chapter →
Browse all chapters → · What's distributed-narrative methodology? →
What's inside
Learning goal
Puzzle-hunt BUILDER for ages 9–14: a child chains cipher clues (Caesar, Atbash, A1Z26) and riddles, every clue engine-verified solvable-by-construction — a builder can never emit an unsolvable hunt. Build / Solve / printable clue cards.
Mentored by Verity — no data leaves the device.
How HuntForge handles your kid's data
- ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ Free — no ads, no in-app purchases
- ✅ No personal information collected from children — in line with COPPA (updated by the 2026 FTC amendments)
- ✅ No chat with strangers — play-together rooms use a short code and preset emotes, never typed messages
For you, the grown-up
The grown-up side of HuntForge on Spark & Whetstone, our free site for grown-ups: Puzzle Post. A puzzle by post: the paper half of a hunt.
HuntForge runs on ForgeKit — the open-source Swift Package Manager framework that powers every Spark & Anvil app. ForgeKit ensures consistent accessibility, COPPA compliance, and design language across the portfolio, so your kid's progress and preferences feel coherent across every app they touch.
Coming to the App Store
HuntForge is in active development. Email us to hear when it ships — no marketing, no spam, just a one-shot launch announcement.
Email me at launch
