Photo above is property of 4Walls Escape Company: 4Walls Escape Game: The Heist Country: Germany 🇩🇪 Language: English, German Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻 Genre: Detective Date Played: June 12, 2022 Difficulty (based on 5 players): 6/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommended max. 5 ppl) Time: Unlimited Price: €14.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 The story takes place in Italy and is about the famous painting “Portrait of a Lady” by Gustav Klimt, which was stolen over 20 years ago and mysteriously reappeared not very far from the gallery it disappeared from. You and your friends were recruited to investigate who the thief is, how he managed to steal this painting from the gallery and much more! 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 "The Heist" is a point-n-click game where you and your friends enter a specific code for the whole group and when the correct answer is inputted, you get a notification and you can proceed so that everyone can continue on to the same page. You can chat with your teammates and exchange ideas, as well as share and split the work to cover different files/documents at the same time to go faster. If you are stuck, you can ask for up to 4 pre-programmed hints to help you, and also ask the solution if you need it (your mates will be aware of that too). The gameplay was pleasant and there is a nice background story with a professional narrative to get an immersive experience, which is very appreciated. The puzzles were well designed and integrated, you don’t need to have an extensive general knowledge of art culture to solve them and the use of Google isn't required. The pace of the game was smooth, the videos were of good quality and you can enjoy a bit of Italy while staying at home! Photo above is property of 4Walls Escape 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 There is a good diversity regarding puzzles. There was some deduction, logic-based, and some observational puzzles. There weren't too hard, but I recommend to have a pen and paper while playing this to be able to gather information and solve them in the best way possible. Also, you can try as many answers as you want without being penalized. Photo above is property of 4Walls Escape 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 For an online digital game, "The Heist" was a lot of fun and a pretty decent game! For €15/group, the price is not very high according to me and the content is pretty high quality. We finished a little over an hour while taking our time to enjoy the game. There is a good diversity of puzzles so everyone will get a chance to bring something to the table to find solutions. (If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from " ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure: We thank 4Walls Escapes for comping our tickets for this game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #AlexandreTang #AtHomeGames #DigitalEscapeGames #Detective #4WallsEscape #Germany

Photo above is property of Cold Case Inc. Company: Cold Case Inc. Game: The Stonewood Mystery Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻 Genre: Mystery, Detective Date Played: June 19, 2023 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6.5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Approximately 3-5 Hours Price: £11.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Who killed teenager Emily Williams? Cut down in her prime. She was a bright young thing... and a bit of a brat. You'd want to wring her neck but she didn't deserve this. Somebody - somebody she must have known - on that fateful Sunday night in question came to her house and strangled her to death, and that somebody is still out there. But why? The trail has gone cold, and the police - having exhausted their investigation without definitively pinning a suspect - now turn to you in the hopes of finally cracking this case. You are her last hope, her last chance at justice. But the fictional rural English town of Stonewood Meadows is a place where people go to escape the evils of the city, nothing bad could ever happen here in this idyllic little hamlet, surely? Unravel the tangled web of evidence to uncover the ugly truth underlying this simplistic facade. Was it her creepy neighbor, or her deadbeat brother, the rocky boyfriend, the manipulative best friend, or her overbearing school tutor? If you like dateline mysteries come to life then you will love "The Stonewood Mystery" . Video above is property of Cold Case Inc. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 " The Stonewood Mystery " is a digital mixed media game. To a certain extent most of the evidence can be downloaded as a pdf and viewed offline, but the audio and video components of it require that you access them online. The actual website which acts as a way to navigate the case file is easy to use, it's well organized, it has everything all laid out perfectly. It's very convenient. I actually kind of prefer this over a tabletop game because of how easy it is to use and how it lends itself to the process of organizing one's deductions and setting up a little detective battle stations, and also that it enables a greater variety of media formats other than your plain old fashion print on paper. And you will need a process because to begin with you will be sifting through a goodly amount of interesting case material, trying to separate what is essential from what is not, all the while slowly making connections between pieces and building your logical case. It's a true to life kind of detective case, filled with police reports, photos, txt logs, Facebook posts, newspaper articles, shopping receipts, interviews, and all other kinds of bits of information, each with their own unique information and significance. It's all quite realistic and natural seeming, an inspired simulation, and in many ways it's the closest thing you'll experience to playing a real detective. The story is plausible and not outlandish, it doesn't really have any crazy or fantastical disappointing leaps of logic, and by the end when it was all revealed, though I had solved the crime correctly, there were still several clever details which I had to admit they got me on, which didn't bore me in any way but tickled me to know that it had yet more clever layers. I went through several phases while playing this game: first being skeptical, feeling like I had seen this kind of thing before, then intrigued but slightly blanked as I tried to survey the mass of information, taking it all in and building my case, until at long last I was truly and completely obsessed, endlessly pacing and retreading the documents, putting in overtime as day turned to night turned to day, drinking my tenth coffee of the day and filling the ashtray, all while my wife left messages about how she was taking the kids. Which is to say that despite the fact that the format is not novel per se, nor that the mystery is more than what you might find on a Dateline Sunday night special, but despite these things this game is still worth your time because the evidence and the mystery and the puzzles at the heart of it are believable and extremely well designed. You will have fun playing it, it will wrack your brain, and by the end you will be quite satisfied with how it all finally ties together, I promise you. Photos above are property of Cold Case Inc. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 It's the little things, the subtle details, the making connecting out of all these disparate little pieces of information, the implied context, the building of a narrative, the sudden identification of a significance, the building of a great logical edifice, until the circuit invariably and undeniably leads you to one final suspect. As I mentioned, both the evidence and the puzzles are quite realistic. There are no puzzles per se, only the challenge of building a picture of what really happened through a realization of what is implicit in the evidence presented before you. You need to think like a detective, which means you need to think through the natural connection of things, place, time, image, narrative consistencies, fact from fiction. At times it will feel like you don't know, can't know, because there is no external confirmation, and that's frustrating, but it's also exciting. In the end you are still left to make a leap of faith because what really happened is never and will never be explicitly stated, but only deduced and concocted by your own head, until the end of course when you do get everything laid out for you, but not before you take your one and only shot to correctly identify the killer. Photos above are property of Cold Case Inc. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 A game that offers realistic evidence, with a plausible narrative, and which simulates actual detective work, is the hardest to create but also therefore the highest form of puzzling art. And in this case I thought overall I was seeing something of a masterpiece being painted. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, in reality it's better described as a very clever and well done mystery. But truth be told it sucked me in, and had me straining my detective powers to such a degree that art became life. A well crafted mystery challenges a player to think about the nature of their reality, to see just how every piece is interconnected, so as to make those essential connections which transform the cold dead fact of evidence to logical life. It is still simply a detective kind of reality, but a good story which forces you to play at being a kind of inductive and deductive genius like Sherlock Holmes will push you to puzzling limits of such dazzling heights that the immersion will feel like a drug. If you live for those eureka moments then I highly suggest you put your own creative powers to the test and play " The Stonewood Mystery " today! (If you do decide to try this experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from " ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure : We thank Cold Case Inc. for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #AndrewWoods #AtHomeGames #DigitalGames #ColdCaseInc #Detective #Mystery #UK

Photo above is property of Cold Case Inc. Company: Cold Case Inc. Game: A Summer To Die For Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻 Genre: Mystery, Detective Date Played: June 29, 2023 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Approximately 3-5 Hours Price: $14.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 A Summer to Die For? She was one of the last people to see Neil in the area before he was found dead. But they had been broken up since forever, and it was actually his current girlfriend Kelsey whom he was seen arguing with in the park on the day of. Her son Cody never liked Neil much, but he was at the soccer game just down the road. And what about Max, Neil's jilted former business partner, nearby taking in a day of fishing, wasn't it about time he settled scores once and for all. And then there was the ever shady Perry, probably out selling drugs again, I hear he and Neil had a history. You could always pin it on the drifter though, Evans is known to roam these parks, and what's one more act in his long history of violence? Seems like Neil had a lot of enemies about on that fateful day. Is your head spinning yet? Everyone's a suspect in this next installment of the UK detective game series Cold Case Inc.. You have one shot to get it right, make it count. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Is the blush still on the rose, can they deliver a second time? It hasn't been that long since I played and reviewed their first case, so with that still fresh in my mind, and a little wiser and possibly more jaded, but I have to say that they got me this time, and what a pleasure it is to be got. I guessed wrong, in fact I now realize after having brute forced the right answer and gotten the full run down that I had fallen into their little trap. And for the most part, maybe minus the motive and one other detail, I must admit it was legitimate. Even before I gave my answer I was still going over my copious notes and theories, still feeling uncertain and unsatisfied about my final answer. I implore anyone doing it to really take stock, look at the details - it's always in the details, the details will set you free - and by details I mean the real minutiae of the case, and then work through the logic of the facts, do not force any conclusions, which is maybe the hardest thing not to do, and I guarantee you the truth will emerge. Although I thought I had it, they nailed me. And I went through all the layers, well at least I thought I did, and yet there was still more. Did I leave completely satisfied with the answer, maybe not, but I would still shake hands with the one who has bested me. I should also mention that they have updated the case file website, which was already very well organized and laid out, and it's really really good and makes the game and your detective work easier to organize. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 It's still a good old fashioned detective game. Classic. Nothing out of this world, but at the same time. There I was figuring it out piece by piece, trying to hold all these disparate facts together. I have already reminded you, but I will remember myself for next time to really pay attention, that they are actively trying to camouflage the most obscure and consequential details in the most mundane. And there is an immense beauty to it, that is at the essence of what real detective work is about. Sometimes it falls under its own weight, and there is a bit of jankiness to this mystery, a bit that you might roll your eyes and throw your hands up at while saying "really?" to yourself. That's always the risk, the further you push the twists the harder it is to keep the mystery together as a realistic narrative. But without the twist there is no thrill, and these games hinge on their ability to deliver ever greater intellectual challenges and with them intellectual payoffs, while sustaining the illusion of a realistic scenario that the player accepts he could have reasonably solved. To be fair, though the motive here was a bit suspect, and though one particular detail which appeared explicitly consequential turned out to be a coincidence - which is ironic because there were greater coincidences that ended up having logical resolutions, meaning their twist threw me completely off the cliff - but at the end of the day I will still admit that if we stuck purely to the facts the case does add up as they eventually lay it out. So thats on me, and now them; but ya it was a bit of a stretch. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Another solid entry. Maybe they are starting to play fast and loose in their attempt to create ever more elaborate and outlandishly layered scenarios to outfox us with. You can almost feel this sense of dueling detectives, one creating and one solving, as we try and outwit each other. Sherlock vs Moriarty type stuff. It's a fun mystery that could possibly leave you scratching your head by the end, but it will legitimately challenge you to immerse yourself in the material and work the logic of the case. By this point I've developed my own case solving procedures and methodology, which means I'm seriously hooked. Next time I will be ready! And I can see they've got a new case under development, which could be the final act in my redemption arc. Tides of Deception, mystery at sea, all aboard! (If you do decide to try this experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from " ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure : We thank Cold Case Inc. for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #AndrewWoods #AtHomeGames #DigitalGames #ColdCaseInc #Detective #Mystery #UK

Photo above is property of Cold Case Inc. Company: Cold Case Inc. Game: The Elite Grand Enigma Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻 Genre: Mystery, Detective Date Played: December 13, 2023 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Approximately 4-6 Hours Price: $149.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 The Elite Grand Hotel, a place where the rich and famous, the movers and the shakers of society, and the politicians and prostitutes alike, all come together to rub shoulders, and live in a beautiful world beyond the likes of me and you. It is a place of secrets, social privilege, and hedonistic desires; and when Isabella Novakova is found dead in her room, the scene becomes a forensic enigma, stratifying the many motives, methods, and opportunities of its elite inhabitants. Solve the Elite Grand Enigma, survey its shadowy figures, and figure out who killed Isabella Novakova and why. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 We are back, baby, bigger, better and more mysterious than ever. Round 3. Here we go. I really like doing these, if you can't already tell. Detective Tiger Bunny is on the case again… " The Elite Grand Enigma ". What a combination of words, it invokes an aura of inscrutable mystery, all hiding within a daunting web of conspiracy. Prepare to have your mind blown, or atleast to have it bend, as it tries to fathom what it must reckon with, behind the closed doors of aristocratic society. This time I feel the narrative has taken on new bolder dimensions, incorporating both the personal and the political, upping the narrative stakes, and approaching a plot that is ever more plausible and real, and therefore more engrossing. As with the previous games in the Cold Case Inc series, at its core it is a plot about murder, and the deduction of motive, method, and opportunity. You get a mass of multimedia evidence, which you then must sift through, making the proper connections, and drawing the proper conclusions, until your correct reasoning has reconstructed the murder and eliminated all suspects but one. You will need to take notes, it can get that involved. The setting is actually quite simple, a hotel, but the motives swirling about the suspects is quite complex, and the means and opportunity even more so. I was engrossed until the last moment, still uncertain, still reflecting, still following leeds, and still trying to justify my reasoning beyond a shadow of a doubt. This game is a masterwork of mimetic design, creating a scenario that convincingly simulates a real life murder mystery, simulating and challenging our powers of forensic deduction. Do you know how involved it is, and what ingenuity is required to create a complex yet accessible layers of evidence, replete with little logical puzzles solvable through a combination of an induction of the simple fact, in conjunction with our very own common sense reasoning and ingenuity, without giving into temptation to abstract puzzling, all within a narrative that maintains its logical consistency despite the expanding web of truths and corollaries…Its the height of the art itself. I take my hat off to the man. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 It makes you feel like a genuine, bona fide, real life detective, working the case, following the leads, making connections, and finally putting the pieces together. It is all there, everything you need to solve the case, and yet it is hidden beneath what appears to be at first a opaque surface of information, that on reflection is formed of layers that ever approach the truth, a mystery unfolding by the very power of your forensic ingenuity. Because the case is built mimetically - true to life - and rendered in a logically consistent way, it allows the player to step into the game as if it were the real world, engrossing their imagination into the real forensic mechanisms of our own social world; and that is one of its greatest virtues, and a standard upon which all works of the same genre should be measured. You will be impressed when you see it from the other side, how well the narrative holds up. The key puzzles are quite clever, and their solutions are quite the eureka moments. I should also add this: it is an almost impossible challenge for the creator to account for the diversity of ways in which players might interpret the game, and by the end I found myself with some questions, and maybe a few minor, minor, inconsistencies, unresolved points, and corollaries which i didn't think were quite answered. That's one of the great things with these creations, they have a life of their own. The formula has been perfected here, it's just a matter of pushing it to the ideal. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 The man has outdone himself again. I can confidently say that this is the best case yet. It has all the charms and mystery of the other ones, while enlarging the scope and ambition of the production. This is a thick mystery, and a many layered cake, for you to savor and enjoy working through. If you're a fan of the genre then you should definitely check this one out. (If you do decide to try this experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from " ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure : We thank Cold Case Inc. for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #AndrewWoods #AtHomeGames #DigitalGames #ColdCaseInc #Detective #Mystery #UK

Photo above is property of Cold Case Inc. Company: Cold Case Inc. Game: Benefits and Burdens Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻 Genre: Mystery, Detective Date Played: May 15, 2024 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Approximately 4-6 Hours Price: $14.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 What happened to Liam Davis? When his long time partner and caregiver, Zoe, arrives on the morning of disappearance, the door is wide open, and there is no sign of the longtime MS sufferer. Which makes it all the more strange - Did he take his own life, amongst a worsening illness, or was it the benefits fraud hysteria bearing down on him, or the turbulence of his renewed relationship with his formerly estranged daughter? Not to mention Zoes own disappointment of being cut out of his will. Or was it foul play? Find the current of truth under the turbulent surface, and follow the stream of clues as they lead you to discover what happened to Liam Davis. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 " Benefits and Burdens " is another stellar entry in what is becoming quite the mystery game oeuvre. It is once again a masterclass of that classic, realistic, dig through the evidence and do the hard mental plugging, genre of mystery games. This cake has layers. If you're unfamiliar with the series, and you like narrative mysteries, and love sifting through a very well crafted tangle of evidence, ala a bonified detective, then i suggest you get familiar with the Cold Case Inc. cases. I have to admit to once again finding myself completely stumped, in the middle of a dark woods at the mid point in life, wide eyed and wondering, surveying the case and my copious notes, with more questions than answers, wiser for it, but still not wise enough yet - which is all part of the experience - until you find that thread, the one you wrote on the crumpled note you through in the wastebasket, digging it out and spreading it upon the table, as the wheels start turning, and the case opens up to you again, and you are filled with the excitement and wonder of making a new beginning. It's daunting, it will put you to the test, but without this risk of information overload, and the infinite sky of possibilities, you would not be able to feel yourself fly, feel the raw power of your deductive prowess. Which is the sign of a good mystery, and a well crafted one, as this case is. Photos above are property of Cold Case Inc. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 What makes a good mystery game? It has an interesting and tangled, but plausible, narrative. Like a story it shows without over telling. What are these games primarily about - induction and deduction, identifying the meaning of what is before you, and constructing through your powers of reason what they actually mean. This game does a really good job of forcing you to think through the evidence and make those necessary interconnections which will eventually build into a picture that will allow you to finger the right suspect. There is no smoking gun, just like in real life, in fact it wouldn't make sense if the evidence was this simple. It requires more of a kind of negative capacity, working in the absence of absolute proof. A lot of the time you are identifying what evidence may appear substantial but is in fact not, and this is the other half of what following a lead is, and there are many many leads to follow, think through, and connect within this game. And although a game lives or dies by those eureka moments, those deep proofs - and it has more than a handful of ingenious evidence puzzles to blow your mind - what working the bits of information does is that it points you in the right direction, and you will need a direction, for appearances can be deceiving. What ultimately points you to the suspect is more a mountain of lies than it is of truths. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 I love these case files, and I know how hard they are to create. It is extremely challenging to put together something that doesn't just give it away, and that remains logically consistent throughout, especially when you have nerds like me trying to think through every angle of the evidence, it's hard to anticipate all the possible interpretations, and the game does a marvelous job at countenancing all these possibilities, which is impressive. I think some people might think it's too much, but I tell you, the fun is in the chase, it's in the leg work. Tough yes, realistic yes, but it is all the more an immersive experience for it. That would be my only thought for why people might be hesitant to play this style of game. Do it with another person simultaneously so you can bounce ideas off each other, for maximal fun. I highly recommend you try the Cold Case Inc. games, and I can't wait for the next installment! (If you do decide to try this experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from " ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure : We thank Cold Case Inc. for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #AndrewWoods #AtHomeGames #DigitalGames #ColdCaseInc #Detective #Mystery #UK

Photo above is property of Cold Case Inc. Company: Cold Case Inc. Game: Murder in the Pines Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻 Genre: Mystery, Detective Date Played: August 15, 2024 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6.5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Approximately 4-6 Hours Price: $29.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Back again with another excellent Cold Case Inc. game. This time it's “ Murder in the Pines ”. “The tranquility of a camping trip in Pinewood Woods is shattered when Chloe Bennett, an investigative journalist, is found dead.” Important to note this game sees the usual case file format evolving to suit a team of players as an exercise in their successful collaboration - an experiment in transporting mystery games into the world of corporate team building . So it's a little more on the straightforward side, although I wouldn't characterize any of these cases as being easy, this one included. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 I'm biased. I've played all of these and I've universally relished and like them all, they are quality mystery games that are as close as you can get to what you might think a real police detective case file would look like. It's on the more hardcore side, with a sea of evidence, twisted and challenging deductive scenarios, that you slowly piece together, following and tying up leads, until you unravel the big picture, honing down the information to the essential elements and facts, until you identify that one absolute piece of evidence that is the smoking gun. You will definitely be taking notes, and also definitely be driven almost to the point of ecstatic madness as you play detective and try and work it all out. What this particular case does really well is that it segments the pieces of the evidence so that they can be delegated within a team, and also supports an internal note taking mechanism between players, while also being in itself a solid mystery, with a very clever smoking gun. My only minor gripe - and I say this because I know the cases all so well - is that the defining piece of evidence might possibly be too front and center, potentially robbing the player of having to work through the rest of the cases' clever layers. That being said, this scenario unfolded brilliantly, taking me to that point of feeling of being at a complete loss before challenging me to build a coherent picture of what actually happened from out of the mass of information that lay before me. Photos above are property of Cold Case Inc. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 It's a deductive feast, full of twisted syllogisms and puzzles. Four people go on a camping trip to celebrate the anniversary of their dead friend, one storms off and is later found dead, and you are basically tasked with tracking the movements and motives of the three suspects throughout the night to figure out which one could have possibly killed her. The scenario is perfectly suited for a deductive mystery, as it involves a lot of interesting elements from which to deduce the facts of the case: the movements of the specific characters as they searched for the victim that night, the web of motives surrounding their feelings towards the victim, recent developments, fragments of witness statements and their own testimonies, the hard forensic evidence, along with a whole bunch of other circumstantial pieces. The final solution itself is quite clever and coherent, and satisfying. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 This is another successful entry into what is becoming a dynasty of solid Cold Case Inc. cases. I think these types of well done mysteries are perfect for corporate team building. They are engaging, they stimulate people to think and dialogue with each other, much in the same way you might work over any other project. These games are honestly best played with someone else for starters, it's just fun bouncing ideas off each other and it makes the sifting that much more manageable. It's also fun sharing those Aha moments, of which there are a good few. Rumor has it that the next case might be a collaborative creation. I look forward to how the two or more heads might take the legacy of Cold Case Inc. to the next level. (If you do decide to try this experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from " ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure : We thank Cold Case Inc. for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #AndrewWoods #AtHomeGames #DigitalGames #ColdCaseInc #Detective #Mystery #UK

Photo above is property of Cold Case Inc. Company: Cold Case Inc. Game: The Silence of Dawn Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻 Genre: Mystery, Detective Date Played: November 25, 2024 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Approximately 3-5 Hours Price: $29.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 In this scenario, players assume the role of detectives investigating the murder of Dawn Elizabeth Harper, the Creative Director at Innov8 Brand Architects in Bexford. What was meant to be a celebratory office party turns tragic with her untimely death. Colleagues, each harboring their own secrets and potential motives, become prime suspects. On top of this there is the crucial task of revealing who the mysterious “L” is behind the series of cryptic notes that are believed to be connected to the case. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Back again with another great case, and just in time for Christmas. For those of you that are not familiar with the Cold Case inc cases these are very much realistic style case files type mystery games. These cases are kind of hardcore but highly rewarding. I always suggest you do these with other people as it makes for great fun bouncing ideas off each other, as well as cutting down the hard mental plugging of working through the case file. To jump right into this one in particular, it starts with a great plot device revolving around deciphering and identifying the mysterious “L” figure, who seems to have some kind of special involvement with the victim. This device is used to great effect as a kind of mystery within the mystery, directing the player to stay alert to any evidence that might be useful in identifying the mystery person. The core of the mystery itself is built around what I think is a great premise for a scenario: an office christmas party. Motives and means abound, and this case does a really good job of stacking up the evidence against everybody, while also presenting the player with a perplexing murder scene around an intriguing collection of evidence. Photos above are property of Cold Case Inc. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 I think one of the more unique things that Cold Case does with their games is in its use of red herrings and ambiguous evidence, which I actually think is integral to creating a certain complexity in the surface of these cases, forcing the individual not just to linearly work through the consequential but to also sift it from the non-consequential or inconclusive. Most games are too linear in the sense that if they give you a certain evidence you know it has to have some significance - and so this giving acts as a clue itself, which is unrealistic and untrue to real life where things don't always add up. Just to go back to the original enigmatic figure plot device, I think it worked really well to keep the player attentively scanning and identifying little clues as to who this could be, and there are many. It also factors into the motive, giving it life, and acting as a kind of narrative reveal, which is great because oftentimes the motive is simply an afterthought and does not properly evolve with the game to really persuade the player of its dramatic reality. In this ColdCase game in particular I really thought the final solve and the development of the motive were beautifully intertwined. The final solution itself was quite clever and took a bit of circling as well as deduction from competing motives, as It had a certain knottiness about it because of certain conflicting evidence and working through just exactly what it communicated.. Sometimes things are less twistier than they appear - but that deciphering from out of certain hypothetical ambiguity of interpretation is part of the game, and makes it all the more realistic. Simplicity often lies in seeing through the deceptive appearance of complexity, I think is what I am trying to say. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 I am a fanatical advocate for this series of games, and they only keep getting better and more well crafted, and this case was no exception. They are in a league with the best of these hardcore realistic case file style games. You have to love the process, the exploration, the mental construction, and the hard mental plugging of the logicking, all of which is very rewarding in the end. Do not be daunted by the depth of these case files, it's worth the dive. I can only reiterate here that I believe the series will continue to grow and become more innovative in its use of puzzle elements and more layered in the depth of its mysteries. I think it's once again time to bring all the elements which have made the cases so good back home again and create a truly novel scenario for the next case. (If you do decide to try this experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from " ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure : We thank Cold Case Inc. for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #AndrewWoods #AtHomeGames #DigitalGames #ColdCaseInc #Detective #Mystery #UK

Photos above are property of The Mysterious Package Company Company: The Mysterious Package Company Game: HASTUR Country: Canada 🇨🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Horror, Mystery, Occult, Lovecraftian Date Played: April 2, 2021 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 8/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Unlimited (Suggested 6 Hrs) Price: $299.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 A strange letter arrives at your door with a ticket for a performance that you have only missed by a few days. As you begin looking into the strange happenstances surrounding you acquiring of this ticket you learn all is not as it seems with “The King in Yellow” performance by Phantom of Truth Productions. An ongoing investigation, a curious wooded crate packed with relics, and a temptation to learn about the King in Yellow offers you a chance to explore the chaos and calamity that is HASTUR. Video above is property of The Mysterious Package Company 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Hastur is an at home experience that comes in two separate mailings. The first mailing includes an invitation to the performance of “The King in Yellow” and a letter from the ticket agency. The second mailing arrives in a wooden crate nailed shut that contains a statue of a primordial being, aged rune scrolls, star charts, a wax tablet, a curious stone bowl, and a dossier of papers streaked with blood that will help you piece together the mystery of what happened at this performance and what roll you now must play. This game requires no outside research but there is some online content you must access related to mailing one and the conclusion of mailing two. One thing MPC has excelled at countless times is creating true art pieces with their games. Pages are aged, bloodied, wrinkled, coffee stained, and smeared with dirt while the box smells old as if the contents have not been seen in decades. All your senses are engaged as you literally pry open the box and dig into the contents. You feel truly involved, as if you are really unwrapping an ancient antiquity with a mysterious past. This game is definitely display-worthy… if you don’t mind a statue of HASTUR in your curio cabinet. Photo above are property of The Mysterious Package Company 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 The opening mailing of HASTUR seeks to tempt you. You will explore what looks to be a regular website and the ultimately you end knowing why and how you will be receiving a second mailing. There is a slight delay in one element as you must wait on an email at a certain point but the eeriness of this first mailing helps lay the platform for the second mailing. This mailing is all about exploring rather than puzzles so don’t be afraid to click all the links. The second mailing brings you into the calamity. There are two avenues of exploration. On one hand there is a large aged scroll that contains a ritual that is begging your attention but on the other hand is a curious stack of newspapers, pamphlets, and various other ephemera that reveals a strange series of events. The scroll (and accompanying ritualistic items) contain the puzzles while the stack of papers builds the narrative. This experience is based off of Lovecraftian lore and while you do not need to know anything to play the game, this stack helps piece the story together for you so I recommend unpacking that before beginning the ritual. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 As mentioned above, the initial mailing doesn’t necessarily have a puzzle aspect. It is more exploration to find hidden information that will lead you to a clear ending of mailing one. Mailing two has a linear puzzle system as you move through a series of steps in the ritual. As you complete each step the puzzles become increasingly difficult as you translate runic symbols, match strange scrolls with mythological events, orient star charts to learn constellations, and more. Each puzzle is layered to build off another which means you need to be careful as mistake can throw the final step off. Take careful notes as you move forward as you may need to backtrack to make slight corrections. There is no hint system for any Mysterious Package Company games so I encourage you to join Puzzle People Facebook Group to ask for help or contact MPC at concierge@mysteriouspackage.com for assistance (there will likely be a delay in assistance). What I loved most about these puzzles was that they involve a lot of physical interaction with the game components as you turn, flip, roll, and rotate. This helps players really connect and feel immersed. You become an active participant in bringing this ritual to life. Each ritual step encourages you to look at the board in a different light and there is an ambiance of mystery and intrigue as you continued on your journey with each solution. These puzzles work to aid the narrative rather than hinder it because they are thematic and woven carefully into the components. As such, they provide a balance of challenge and complexity that provides the best “aha” moments. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 HASTUR is, to me, the best puzzle immersive experience that MPC has to offer. The narrative is rich with lore and works seamlessly to share a fascinating story alongside challenging yet rewarding puzzles. Over the course of your journey you become privy to secrets that have been hidden for centuries and each puzzles brings you closer to the truth. At the end, though, you must make a choice based on all you learned. Will you help HASTUR or will you save us from his madness? (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from" ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) #JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #PuzzlesByMail #OneOffs #Horror #TheMysteriousPackageCompany #Canada

Photo above is property of The Mysterious Package Company Company: The Mysterious Package Company Game: The Buried Puppet Country: Canada 🇨🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬 Genre: Supernatural, Horror Date Played: January 25, 2022 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 4/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommend 1-3 ppl) Time: Unlimited (Suggested 1-2 Hrs) Price: $99.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Finding a crate on your doorstep, inside you find the confessions of a young teenage boy named Jacob who after moving to a new city, is bullied and discovers ghosts coming from the bedroom walls of his new house. His only solace is a puppet he finds in the house named Mr. Bellylaugh. Mr Bellylaugh gives Jacob the courage he needs to face the bullies and ghosts but what are Mr. Bellylaugh’s true intentions? Video above is property of The Mysterious Package Company 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Opening up the wooden crate, inside you will find 2 ripped pages from a magazine, a prisoner release order, a broken inhaler, a library card, a journal from a correctional institute, and a disheveled puppet with the name Mr. Bellylaugh on it. All of these will factor into the story. If you are familiar with Mysterious Package Company, then you are aware that they do not joke around with their items. Everything you get will be top notch, first rate and are very real for the experience. Photo above are property of The Mysterious Package Company 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Sifting through the documents, you will find some tidbits here and there about Jacob and Mr. Bellylaugh’s backstory but you will get to Jacob’s journal which will be the key element for the experience. Reading through it, every other item will either add to the experience or you will learn how to use it as you progress. There is one online component that is done very well and has a full ARG style that I did start clicking around to see how far I could go into that world. While there is no hint system, you can google some forums that can give you a nudge in the right direction. Other options are contacting MPC at concierge@mysteriouspackage.com (though you may not get an answer right away) or joining the Puzzle People Facebook group. There is also no solid ending to the game and you can be left wondering if the experience is over or not. After scouring the internet, I found one good hint that some people have posted is when you finish reading the green text, then the experience is over (and you can do what you will with the contents). Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 This was a pretty low puzzle content game with more of a focus on deduction and how to use certain elements. There is one puzzle that is hidden but with a keen eye or if you are familiar with puzzle games already, you will probably spot right away. If not, I found MPC did a good job of pointing you in the right direction and giving you the relevant information to solve it. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 The Mysterious Package Company creates some amazing, immersive experiences. This one was not very puzzle heavy but shines in engulfing you in the story. This one played out like a horror movie except this time, you are the protagonist. If you are unsure about the scare level in this game, this was more of a light psychological scare than a game with jump scares. I did play this game in the middle of day but if you are brave enough, a nighttime setting would be optimal. Mysterious Package Company puts a lot of effort into making all the items feel real as you play which will immerse you and make you question how real this story truly is. (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from" ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) #MatthewLui #AtHomeGames #TablettopGames #PuzzlesByMail #OneOffs #Horror #Supernatural #TheMysteriousPackageCompany #Canada

Photo above is property of The Mysterious Package Company Company: The Mysterious Package Company Game: NYARLATHOTEP Country: Canada 🇨🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Supernatural, Horror, Occult, HP Lovecraft Date Played: October 21, 2021 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 8/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommend 1-4 ppl) (Ages 16+) Time: Unlimited (Approximately 8 Hrs) Price: $329.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 A large package arrives on your doorstep. Inside is a wooden crate nailed shut, a coffee mug, a work badge, and a welcome letter after you supposedly accepted a new job at Kauket Analytics and Operating System. Your predecessor left the position quite suddenly and the company needs you to continue his research quickly. They are sending you everything that was on his desk pertaining to his research, but it’ll need to be sent over two mailings. As you begin to examine the artifacts, antique documents, and online articles available you to you start to piece together the story of two men, an ancient Egyptian archeological site, and a group of modern researched dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of what these men uncovered. You get the sense that some things are best left alone…but curiosity is a fickle beast and you dive right in. Video above is property of The Mysterious Package Company 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ " Nyarlothotep " is a massive puzzling package consisting of two hefty wooden crates being mailed to you over the course of four weeks. In the first crate you receive a welcome letter, Kauket coffee mug (fill it with hot water!), your ID badge with QR code, your predecessors ID badge, a broken carving, a curious obelisk, a cigar box filled with letters, an old pocket watch, and more. In the second crate you receive a large statue with faces on it, two daggers, a journal log, a large map, photos of your predecessor’s parents, his journal notes, a large pen, and more. This game is incredible looking down to the aged look of the daggers, the worn pages of your predecessor’s diary, and the innocuous photos of his parents. I felt like a kid in a candy story pulling all these items out of the box and eagerly looking them over. Of note, there is an online app (mihOS) required for this game that requires iOS and android 11 or higher. There is no hint system for this game, but you can reach out to the company for help or ask on a puzzle forum like Puzzle People on Facebook. Photo above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 This game is intended for more open exploration but in Crate One the main goal is to investigate the mysteries behind the app, mihOS. Your predecessor did not leave a lot of information on the app but you have a sense there is something hidden with and there must be something in the crate that will crack it open. In Crate Two, you learn more about the research team behind the app and their journey to build it. They’ve left something unfinished, and you must figure out what they discovered in order to finish their work. That said, there are quite a few mini experiences to unravel from strange messages you find, locked files, and conversations that you are encouraged to read. These bits and bite help build a better image of what has taken place…and what is currently happening. Think of this in terms of side quests and main quests. The more you do the better you will feel about the experience. There is quite a bit of reading that takes place in this experience as you have letters, logs, journals, emails, texts, messages, etc to unpack. There is also a USB in this game. If you are uncomfortable inserting those into your computer, you can email the concierge of MPC to ask for the file to be sent over. Noting again that the app used in this experience requires a lot of power. My phone did heat up quite a bit so I recommend having your phone near a fan or something cool if you worry about overheating. Photo above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 For Crate One , there is one prominent puzzle that takes the stage with a few smaller ones that I would better describe as more fun nods to the theme and story than actually contributing to the overarching narrative. The fun side puzzles are mainly cipher based while the prominent one is a multistep puzzle. It relies on observation and pattern recognition and it an extensive puzzle that took me about around three hours to complete. It isn’t a hard puzzle, but I highly recommend having a pen and paper available to track your steps as you navigate this puzzle because you can easily become lost. In Crate Two, there are quite a few puzzles. Much like Crate One , there are some smaller puzzles that are more atmospheric than integral to the story. This crate was a great deal more cipher heavy of a game, but it is broken up into chunks to help with pacing. I enjoyed how easily I was able to divide up the puzzles so my partner and I could be working on something separately. We would then come back together and discuss what we learned. The main puzzles provided great “aha” moments when you figured out their connection and I also appreciated that you were able to figure out how the characters also solved various parts during their journey. It made sense they provided some key information but having the ability to back solve so you could appreciate their journey was a great addition. It is not necessary I would say but if you want the full experience, I recommend taking the time to figure out how the researchers (like your predecessor) made it as far as they did. At the end, you use the tools the characters left behind to solve the final part and it was really satisfying when it clicks together in your head. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Overall, " Nyarlathotep " is an amazing Lovecraftian themed experience packed with story, mystery, horror, and intrigue while also giving players everything they need uncover the truth and decide for themselves what they will do. The digital elements enhanced the experience to add a lot more engagement but the traditional elements to MPC were still there and I will definitely enjoy displaying them. This experience took about 10 hours (both crates) and while it is expensive, I think the value is there if you appreciate this level of tangibility. If you enjoy collectable components, cool tech, and full immersion with a strong narrative, then this is a great option for people with bigger budgets. I recommend playing with another person to get the true joy as you band together to learn the truth. If you want something a little cheaper with a similar feel, check out our review of HASTUR. As always, I cannot wait to see what MPC releases next! (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from" ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) #JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #PuzzlesByMail #OneOffs #Supernatural #TheMysteriousPackageCompany #Canada

Photo above is property of The Mysterious Package Company Company: The Mysterious Package Company Game: Post Mortem London Gothic: The Ghost in the Machine Country: Canada 🇨🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬 Genre: Mystery, Gothic Date Played: July 1-2, 2023 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 6/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Ages 15+) Time: Unlimited (Suggested 4+ Hrs) Price: $68.00 CAD 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Arriving home to London 1896 after a long absence you are tired from your long journey but excited to be back in the heart of London proper. Yet immediately upon reaching your desk and ready to take a nap you are prompted with a case that involves a haunted mill where children and adults work under the power of a giant mechanical beast, The Red Lord. Is it the supernatural? Is it a corrupt system in hiding? All you know is that with three deaths already lying in wake, something must be done…Or you can take a nap and deal with it in the morning. You choose. Video above is property of The Mysterious Package Company 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ From the moment this package arrived on my doorstep, we already started to feel immersed in the story with a cardboard box stamped with “confidential” and a Post Mortem label. Inside the box was a beautiful faux leather file folder that contains two Penny Novels, a London Directory Notebook, The London Standard News Clipping, six evidence bags labelled A--F, a rules pamphlet, a box checklist, and a Ready-to-Solve Pamphlet. I have always admired the level of detail in MPC’s games and this game still accomplished that with the graphics, specialty printing, and very intriguing items hidden in the evidence envelopes. In addition, the narrative journey of the booklets is something a reader and mystery lover will absolutely adore with all the details and clues. Photo above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Post Mortem is a murder mystery, choose your own adventure style experience. Unlike the initial Post Mortem games, The Ghost in the Machine does contain two books for the adventure so you will likely need to complete it in two sittings. Using the first Penny Novel (Book 1: Daylight) you start the experience by reading the introduction of the adventure. Using the Directory (which contains a list of contacts you can connect with by locating their lead numbers in the Penny novel), newspaper, and the story you are meant to unravel clues, verify suspects, and create a timeline to solve the crime. Along with the booklets are a series of evidence bags that will be opened only when you are directed to in the Penny Novel. As you read the story and follow leads you will be faced with choices to make. When in doubt, your personal contacts in the Notepad can be used for hints and guidance. On the back of the “Ready to Solve?” pamphlet has 6 questions. Once you feel you have the answers to those questions you can crack open the seal and read the epilogue to get your conclusion. My biggest piece of advice is to take notes. There is a lot of information that you will be piecing through and after the initial introduction this becomes an extremely open adventure. Don’t be afraid to back track and try new things with hopes of new outcomes. Sometimes you’ll come across pages that remark about something you need to have done before arriving to get another page so note it down for matter to come back to. This game is very heavy on logic and deduction but boy the story is JUICY! Note : This game does not have a hint system but there is a facebook group for players to join to discuss the case. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 Post Mortem is not so much a puzzle style game but, rather, a deduction game. You are given a series of six questions focusing on the motive and circumstances around these deaths. You are unravelling the story as you follow clues, look into suspects, and explore the surroundings. This game will ask you to take leads you find and adjust the numbers (add, subtract, reverse, etc) to find new locations and information or to unlock locations and safes. Things like pattern recognition, logic, observation are essential and you should be prepared to read a lot. This is a story first and foremost that you must arrange by following the clues. The key thing is to take notes and keep track of where you gathered information. You will likely have to backtrack to locations and pages, even across the two books. I found where I became stuck was when I forgot to note down a location and ended up having to backtrack the chronology of the story to find the source again. This slowed down my progress significantly. Note : make sure you are picking pages with intention as you can easily spoil things for yourself if you start reading from random pages. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Set in a mechanised and grungy world of London 1894, " Post Mortem London Gothic" provides players with a large and complex murder mystery that truly lets you be a private investigator with the excitement of following the case, making choices on where to go, and unveiling evidence that helps guide you along. The story showed itself to be fascinating and rich which is what I have always loved in Mysterious Package Company. If you love mystery narratives this is an amazing blend of a tactile or reading experience that will leave you wanting more…and thankfully there are THREE other Post Mortem experiences out now to check out! (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from" ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) #JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #TablettopGames #PuzzlesByMail #OneOffs #Mystery #Gothic #TheMysteriousPackageCompany #Canada

Photo above is property of The Mysterious Package Company Company: The Mysterious Package Company Game: Body of Evidence - Best Served Cold Country: Canada 🇨🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬 Genre: Murder Mystery Date Played: January 2, 2024 Difficulty (based on 3 players): 5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Ages 15+) Time: Unlimited (Suggested 2+ Hrs) Price: $55,00 CAD 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 When a famous chef is found dead on the night of his restaurant’s reopening in the storage freezer, the Thornhill PD are desperately in need of some answers. As a well known coroner you are being asked to review Christian LeClair’s body and case to provide a second opinion by the head commissioner. The answer lies within what truly happened that day leading up to his body’s discovery in La Promesse and you know people are hiding secrets…time to dig deep and find out why! 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ When the game arrives you will be created with a clean, matte cardboard box with the title emblazoned across it. Inside, there is an official internal memo to get you started, a police badge to remind you you are on the job, and a notepad and pen to help keep track. There is an instructions pamphlet that was an absolute joy to open up thanks to the detailed paper crafting of this company. Once you feel ready to begin the game you will have three case files to explore in order that contain witness statements, police reports, news clippings, evidence bags to assist you in understanding and uncover what happened on this day. A coroner’s handbook and evidence cards are the last thing to set aside as you unveil, peeking out from the body bag, is the paper corpse of our victim. It is at that moment you realise this game means business. I continue to find the level of detail in MPC’s games to be quite high and the amount of work that is obvious in the mix of paper styles, the design of the corpse, and even the instruction manual really draws in the player. It compliments the immersion that comes with uncovering the story so well. Photo above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 “Body of Evidence” is a murder mystery style game that mixes deduction alongside tactile body examination to help narrow down the suspect pool. Following a more linear structure, you are tasked with completing the game file by file. After you open your file you can begin examining the clues, reading the case notes, and when you feel ready you can open up the Coroner's Report which will prompt you to answer two questions after you complete different stages of the autopsy (ie. cutting open the body). The answers will direct you to one of the evidence cards and if the answer is correct it will match the pinboard lines across the card. It is important to note your task isn’t just to answer these questions as they will help you solve the murder but they will not provide the answer directly. There is an official timeline sheet for you to fill out that tracks the movements of the different suspects leading up to the murder. Filling this out will help the most. After you have completed all three case logs, the coroner’s reports, and can answer the final questions you can open the “Case Closed” red envelope which has an epilogue to finish up the story and provide a filled out copy of the timeline for you to check out. My advice while playing is to focus on the suspects and the timeline earlier on so you don’t need to spend too much backtracking. The evidence cards slightly mislead if you aren’t following the narrative closely (there are many reasons a body could have a bruise). Once you have the time line going you will feel more confident exploring and don’t be afraid to go back and review information! Note : This game does not have a hint system but the evidence cards provide an answer checking system. Essentially if your chosen answer doesn't match you know you are wrong. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 “Body of Evidence” is a murder mystery style game with no puzzles per se but a series of deductions and problem solving activities. I found the deduction element of the game to be fun as you’re cross checking testimonies of characters and their whereabouts. In this regard I recommend this game to groups as it gives you a chance to break up the suspects and debrief what you learn. I felt the cluing was well done here. One thing I will note is cutting open the paper cadaver is TRICKY. I recommend either being willing to just tear it open or to have a small scalpel type blade to help yourself. Even with the perforations it was hard to crack things open. Once inside the level of detail was engaging. I did wish the autopsy would give more towards solving but it was well scaffolded and added a new element to this game that none other had. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Overall MPC’s first instalment in the “Body of Evidence” series boasts a new level to deduction games that engages audiences and immerses them more actively in the investigation. I found the story to be really well done and the ease of the information coming meant no one ever felt overwhelmed. The ahas as we put the pieces together had my group devouring this game in about two hours and we can see both new and experienced players being delighted by the macabre of this game. I look forward to seeing how the next installment continues to elevate this series. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from" ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure: We thank  The Mysterious Package Company  for providing us with a sample of their game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #TablettopGames #PuzzlesByMail #MurderMystery #TheMysteriousPackageCompany #Canada

Photo above is property of The Mysterious Package Company Company: The Mysterious Package Company Game: Doomensions: Mystery Manor Country: Canada 🇨🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬 Genre: Paranormal Investigation Date Played: February 3, 2024 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 5/10 Size of Team: 1-4 players (Ages 14+) Time: Unlimited (Suggested 8-12 Hrs.) Price: $87.00 USD 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 You and your team of paranormal investigators have just been commissioned to unravel the obscurity inside a mystery manor. An artifact has been stolen and it's believed that the thief hid it inside one of the rooms... Video above is property of The Mysterious Package Company 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The game arrives in a perfectly packed brown box w/ a "Mysterious Package Company" sticker on it. Once you open it, you will discover a vibrant purple & pinkish colored box with artwork of the "Mystery Manor"! There is no assembly required! Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Once you lift the box lid, the first thing you'll notice is the instruction booklet. There is a QR code for you to scan if you decide to opt for the abridged audio introduction. I definitely recommend doing so! It really sets the tone for the game and enhances the experience. There is also decoder wheel, a hint book, a dossier, and a velvet pouch (containing a magnify glass, pencil, flashlight, and a notepad). Underneath you will find a book with 3 ribbons along the side tied to keep it shut! At the bottom of the box, there is a safe (you'll know when it's time to examine it later on in the experience). Note : This game has a hint book with a nudging system. If the hints don't lead you to an answer, there's a grid that you can plug the provided coordinates in to find out. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 After reading the instructions and listening to the abridged audio introduction (optional), you are now ready to begin your investigation! For the most part of the game, you are going through the dossier case-by-case and using the pop-up book to gather your 3-digit code which you will align with the decoder wheel. Opening the dossier, you'll notice 5 case files separated by their tabs and there are 4 puzzles to solve for each marked in alphabetical order. Packed inside are photos, notes, newspaper clippings, and more evidence to sift through. Setting up the pop-up manor was brilliantly constructed to create your centerpiece. The 3 ribbons that were used to tie the book shut can now be tied to keep it open allowing you investigate each room by simply turning it. Inside the manor, there are over 8 rooms to explore. When we first started, the floor-plan of the manor was a bit confusing. Eventually, we had to put a sticky note up on each room labeling what it was. This entire experience will definitely last about 8 hours. There is so much backstory and interesting things to explore throughout the manor. One thing to keep in mind is that this entire game can be played without the internet. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 As expected from a pop-up book with so much artwork and attention to detail, there's going to be a lot searching involved in this game (the flashlight provided will definitely come in handy). At first, it's a bit confusing when you open a case file and start to examine all the information as it's scattered all over the place. The puzzles are marked with an alphabet, but figuring out which pieces correlated with the question was a bit challenging. Other familiar puzzles challenges were cleverly implemented into the dossier allowing your team of investigators to utilize their knowledge from past experiences to solve the case! Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Our reviewers have raved in the past about " NYARLATHOTEP ", " HASTUR ", " The Buried Puppet ", " Post Mortem London Gothic: The Ghost in the Machine ", and " Body of Evidence - Best Served Cold ", so it was great to experience firsthand the level of quality that The Mysterious Package Company puts into their games! Much like the other Mysterious Package Company games, " Doomensions: Mystery Manor " was beautifully constructed with an insane amount of attention to detail. Throughout the game, there were so many "wow' moments that we literally felt like were exploring different rooms and checking behind closets and cabinets! This reminded us a lot of " The Cursed Dollhouse " by ThinkFun but on a much larger scale! Towards the end, we definitely felt like we were inside of an escape room! Twice we both said to ourselves, "wait, there's more?". " Doomensions: Mystery Manor " is the perfect blend for escape room enthusiasts and tabletop gaming sleuths! Note : The Mysterious Package Company has provided a "Regifting Kit" for you in case you decide to pay it forward ! (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from" ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure: We thank The Mysterious Package Company  for providing us with a sample of their game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #BrandonChow #AtHomeGames #TabletopGames #PuzzlesByMail #Paranormal #Mystery #TheMysteriousPackageCompany #Canada

Photo above provided by The Curious Correspondence Club Company: The Curious Correspondence Club Game: Chapter I: The Custodian's Keys Country: Canada 🇨🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Mystery Date Played: 9/16/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 5.5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Age 12+) Time: 60-90 minutes (Approximately) Price: $21.95 (free shipping in North America); Monthly Subscription: $19.95/Yearly Subscription: $179 Video above provided by The Curious Correspondence Club Our first Chapter from The Curious Correspondence Club came in an intricately designed envelope. As we "unlocked" the flaps, our adventure began. The story was printed right on the back of the envelope. It seemed like we've just walked into the M.B. Franklin Museum of Natural History. Inside, we had a peculiar meeting with the custodian (or so we thought...). There's definitely more to this place than meets the eye... Photos above provided by The Curious Correspondence Club Chapter 1 came with the outer envelope, a museum ticket, 6 museum tiles, 6 custodian keys, 1 key ring, 1 exhibit lock, 1 custodian note, 1 torn museum sign and 1 souvenir notepaper. A website was provided for easy access to hints/solutions and for entering the last code to reveal the final ending. One thing we would've liked would be a place online where we could enter our answers to check if we got the individual puzzles correct or not (rather than going through the hint section). It would make use feel like we've actually unlocked that passage and would be allowed to move on to the next one. If you were unsure on where to began, reading the custodian's note would be a great place to start. Once we knew what we needed to find, we started to put the clue pieces together. This game was a game of discovery. There were always moments where we felt like our search led us to questions like: "where have we seen this before?" or "oh, so that's what it's used for". As we went through the different exhibits in the museum, each gave us a glimpse of the history and story behind the artifacts. We can definitely see being used for educational purposes. If you are very observant, the puzzles should not be difficult for you. The only part that stumped us for a bit was how to use the keys. These were by far the BIGGEST keys we've gotten in terms of props in a game. It was definitely a "wow moment" for us when we discovered how it was supposed to be used as it felt like a real experience but designed with embedded puzzles. You may also find items/images you might not use in this game. These were merely items that will connect the stories together in the next mailer as legend has it there were 12 curious treasures that fell to Earth long ago. I'm not sure about you but I'm totally excited to be part of this secret society to help to seek and protect these artifacts when they come to light. Stay tuned and see where the next adventure will take us in Chapter 2! Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from" ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure: We thank The Curious Correspondence Club for providing us with a sample of their game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #AtHomeGames #PuzzlesByMail #SubscriptionGames #Mystery #Detective #Canada #TheCuriousCorrespondenceClub

Photo above provided by The Curious Correspondence Club Company: The Curious Correspondence Club Game: Chapter II: Warehouse On The Wharf Country: Canada 🇨🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Mystery Date Played: 10/9/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 8.5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Age 12+) Time: Unlimited (Suggested: 60-90 Minutes) Price : $21.95 (free shipping in North America); Monthly Subscription: $19.95/Yearly Subscription: $179 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 You found yourself at a mysterious shipping yard covered in thick fog. Other than the documents you were given, you see nothing but a few shipping crates and barrels. Will that be enough for you to uncover the secrets within this creepy shipping dock? Video/ Photos above provided by The Curious Correspondence Club 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Similar to the packaging in Chapter I, you'll receive Chapter II in an envelope with a different but equally pretty sticker. The back story is printed on the inside of the envelope so open with care. Inside you'll find 1 strong box, 1 strong box note, 1 strip of negatives, 1 photographer, 6 cargo crate panels, 1 wharf map, 3 warehouse documents, 1 warehouse clipboard, and 12 crate assembly tabs. We really liked the color choices for the graphics of this game as it created that dark, rusty warehouse vibe. Photos above property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 This game needs to be played in a linear fashion. We strongly recommend reading the your objectives before starting the game. It'll be much either to organize the clues together. As we ventured through the game, it felt like we're part of an action movie. From identifying the whereabouts of the entrance to the correct warehouse to looking for the artifacts in the right crate to ultimately escaping by sending out the proper distress signal, the entire game felt like a "007" assignment. You'll have your "M" to help you out incase you get stuck. As were game pieces that needed to be constructed in this game, we really appreciated the photo aspect of it in the hint system showing that final look. Photos above provided by The Curious Correspondence Club 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles were definitely harder than the first game but that might differ from person to person. If you are good with sp atial visualization some of these puzzles may be a breeze for you. We had a difficult time with one of them but good thing the hint system was quite helpful. Although the puzzle itself was difficult to solve, it was still our favorite from a design aspect. We really like the interactive aspect of puzzle pieces especially when it's closely tied in with the storyline. There's essentially 4 puzzles in the game before you get to the finish line. If you want to know if you got the previous answers correctly, you'll need to go to the hint section and click the solution button. It would be great if we could have a separate portal to enter the individual solutions instead of just having a place to enter the final solution incase players doesn't want to go to the hint section to avoid accidental spoilers. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃 This was a cool concept of closely connecting the storyline and the actual pieces being used in a puzzle game. We were surprised at how much play time we got out of one little envelope. We suggest using the hints if you get stuck on a puzzle for too long as it does take the fun out of it. Regardless you should definitely attempt the "arts and craft" aspect of the game. It does make it stand out from some of the tabletop games we've seen. (If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from " ESCAPETHEROOMers "!) Disclosure: We thank The Curious Correspondence Club for providing us with a sample of their game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #AtHomeGames #PuzzlesByMail #SubscriptionGames #Mystery #Detective #Canada #TheCuriousCorrespondenceClub