An Inheritance of Murder - Cosy Killer Season 1

This game was played in June 2020.

Inspectors' Review:

• LOTS of paper to lie on

• Smells good!

• We figured out everything before the boss...but refused to tell her!

• We just stared at her while she failed again and again to solve it.

• We judged her.

• HARD.

• Could not fit in little boxes but LOVED big box.

• So many little boxes to shove my snoot in!

• Boss needed help with writing but we are illiterate ...so I ate the pen. XD

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Boss' Review:

Cosykiller is another mystery subscription company I came across during my journey of finding things to amuse myself with during the early lockdown. I saw it discussed in a Facebook group and I was curious. I was currently on unemployment at this time so while I could not reason to spend the £275 this games cost (keeping in mind it consists of 12 boxes), I was able to find a used copy that I could dip my toes in before looking at the other seasons (The Marlborough House one looks fascinating).

The story surrounds the death of a young woman in India and a law firm (who have listed you as the recipient of the inheritance tied to this woman) trying to help you uncover information that would help you figure out what transpired. Essentially this experience is an expansive who did it and why, but be wary! There are red herrings and other intriguing things happening in India at the same time Maria is there. This is a narrative driven story with lots of reading of diaries, letters, government documents, and codes. The puzzles of this game are primarily cipher based so make sure to brush up on your skills. There are also blogs made by Cosykiller that explain some of the more complex cipher codes in case you are unfamiliar.

In terms of puzzles and as mentioned above, this game primarily consists of LOTS of ciphers. They range in variety from straightforward to HARD as they pulled out techniques I had never heard of until then. These ciphers often reveal key information to help solve the case but other times they just revealed thematic components that made the puzzles make sense as to why they were in the narrative (ie. why would a young British woman be using a cipher?). Some of these puzzles were exhaustive in solving them (as in there were pages and pages to translate) but I loved unpacking the story with each word I translated. I personally enjoy cipher puzzles, especially when their answers connect to the story. I will say even with the more troublesome puzzles I was able to appreciate how unique some puzzles were and the care made to seamlessly weave the puzzles into the characters and their stories. They are not thrown in but in fact make sense for the characters. Now, there is no hint system for the game but there is a facebook group and a solutions envelop in the last box that will allow you to back track if you missed anything. The Facebook group is filled with wonderful people who helped me out when I was confused. The solution page doesn't necessarily point out everything but they touch on the key puzzles that would have helped solve the case.

In terms of customer service, I have no experience with them but I seem them actively helping players on the facebook group. I also know from my friend's experience in buying the games, the boxes arrived each month in a timely fashion.

If you can swing it, I recommend buying this season all in one - I personally liked being able to pick up the next one when I finished, which allowed me to retain memory and information from the previous box. In addition, there are puzzles that can often not be solved until further mailings (in some cases you can break the cipher but this would be brute-forcing) so having all the boxes together ensured I didn't have to wait. If you prefer a monthly style, I recommend taking detailed notes to track what is happening and if you cannot solve a puzzle, set it aside or make a note for the next box.

Overall, I loved the story and how it unfolded right until the end. The documents and artifacts were well executed and I could see how much effort and detail was put into the games. The narrative was rich with development and the ciphers worked well to slowly reveal pieces to each puzzle. I especially love the way they revealed the final piece of the puzzle in the last box (no spoilers)! I wish there was a more formal hint system but there are plenty of people on the facebook group willing to help so don't be afraid to ask! I will definitely try out the next season!

Check out Cosykiller on their website here.

I purchased this game myself.