Inspectors' Review:
4/4 paws for quality rolling paper
Newspaper is good for sniffing
Do not eat the badge - doesn't taste good XD
These people look suspicious...have I seen them somewhere?
The newspaper mentions a carnival - the boss should take us on a day trip to, you know, improve morality in the inspectors!
Boss' Review:
Mystery Experience Company (Or Murder Mystery in a Box) is a name I know that can create some tension in certain puzzle group circles. That said, I received EIGHTEEN of these suckers from a friend (my enabler of puzzles) as a gift. As such, I feel it is a my (and my inspectors') duty inspect and review them for people’s viewing pleasure. Full disclosure, I have been told there are SIXTY-SEVEN of these games and counting. I believe I have late 2018 onwards as part of the pile. Now, let the review begin!
The first ever MEC I played is Double Jeopardy which revolves around solving two seemingly disconnected crimes (one being a murder and another a serial killer). My task was to examine the clues (various paper items and one large newspaper) and discover who killed the elderly man in the hospital and who killed three ex-Alcatraz inmates. Overall, I found the story to be sound. One item I found to be a little bit too much exposition but the newspaper with all the articles was fascinating to read and I get the sense there are certain nods to previous games throughout. That said, these games can be played independently but if you subscribed to the monthly games you may see easter eggs.
These games seem to all focused around deductive solving rather than puzzles. You need to examine the evidence and the paper and make connections – usually revolving around time. You make a list of suspects and use the evidence to whittle down and by the end you will have a suspect and motive. I enjoyed the deductive reason. I found I was able find the motive pretty easily but it took a little bit of additional googling outside the game to find the suspect. This game uses some online components with websites, phone numbers, and a QR code (that did not work so I called the number). You also receive some tangible items that do not necessarily provide clues but are decorative and to build theme (such as a FBI badge). I enjoyed the mix. When you think you have the answer, you type in the URL provided in the box and are able to read a narrative concluding the game and summarizing the investigation. I admit there were some connections I missed but I still got the criminal so I was happy.
One thing I noted that was interesting about this series is about the figure of Mr. X and Halsey. These characters will try to reach out to you through various means to provide clues about your case. They are “in the know” about the rumblings of the city. I did find this quite fascinating but I wish I knew the context for why they are helping.
I have no experience with their customer service so I can nothing to that degree. These were gifted to me. There is also no hint system to this game but since the game is primarily deduction, it makes sense.
Overall, if you are looking for a short mystery game (takes about an hour and a half) then I think it’s a decent option! This is a great game for an evening after work where you want something to play that still has you searching for clues but without the struggle of puzzles that make your brain hurt. For 35$ a month is a little pricier on the subscription side (comparative to Scarlet Envelope or Mobile Escapes) but I would compare it to the cost of an hour long escape room.
Check out Murder Mystery in a Box here.
Full disclosure this game was gifted to me by a friend.