Sleuth Kings – Isaac Case 003 (Review)

Location: Your Home!

Players:  We recommend 1-4

Price: $29.95 per box

The hunt continues!

Theme:

Sullivan King’s hunt for his father continues! After the events of Isaac Cases 001 and 002, we’ve discovered that his disappearance might not be all that it seems, and the intrigue just keeps building and building. Sullivan has become suspicious of his shadowy informant, wondering if they’re truly trying to help find his father or if they might be one of his enemies, attempting to track him down for more nefarious purposes. Help Sullivan find out who’s really behind the letters he’s been receiving for the better part of a year and further the search for Isaac King!

First Impressions:

It’s no secret we love Sleuth Kings, and getting an extra case every few months is always awesome! Just before the holidays, we carved out some time to help out our detective pal, and I can definitely say we have no regrets we did! Especially since he’d gone through all the trouble of digging around in the trash for some guy’s old coffee cup. Sleuthing is glamorous work.

High Points:

I am always astounded with the quality of the Isaac cases, and this one is no exception! In fact, while we have received cases in which a list of suspects is provided before, this one evolves that mechanic by including a suspect list that contains pictures and personal biographies! This allows for a slowly evolving and immensely satisfying meta-puzzle that builds towards a climactic final reveal. The game flow that leads towards that revelation is perfect as well, with clues that initially seem cryptic, but reveal their secrets through intuitive puzzling. Each step of the way feels important, serving up substantial clues and bread crumbs to further the story, and the trademark layered puzzling that Sleuth Kings provides is excellent as always.

Every time Sleuth Kings introduces a long term character to the ongoing narrative, they feel fully fleshed out and intriguing. The way that their dialogue and backstories are written really help to make sure we are engaged and fully immersed in the cases they appear in. Asuna from Case 009 and Celeste St. Clair, who was introduced via Case 012, come to mind as excellent examples of characters who not only help out Sullivan during the storylines they’re involved in, but serve to expand the Sleuth Kings Universe itself through superb characterization. The small interaction we have with the informant during the epilogue is great, and seems to be the beginnings of another awesome character’s storyline! Not only that, but even though we’ve satisfyingly tied up some loose ends during this case, a few more intriguing mysteries and possible plot lines presented themselves, keeping us hungry for more!

Some cryptic clues, a run of suspects, and a used cup of joe. Inauspicious beginnings for further intrigue!

Low Points:

We’ve gotten very used to our little hidden notes from Celeste St. Clair, Sullivan’s definite love interest, (no matter how much he denies it,) so it was a little disappointing that this case didn’t have her sneaky little hint pages. Of course, part of the story is that Sullivan doesn’t know who he can trust in this matter, but at the same time, I’ve never seen her back down from sneaking into his case files before! Honestly, though, that was my only quibble, and it’s understandable why it was omitted.

Verdict:

Though this case isn’t immediately available, the continuing meta-narrative evolves further through this case, as adds even more intrigue to the story. While still keeping to the usual Sleuth Kings format, the additions to this investigation as well as the excellent value this free case adds to your subscription make it yet another exciting entry for any mystery lover’s collection! It may take a while to get there, but I highly recommend subscribing so that you too can experience this fantastic story. You can use the promo code ESCAPEADVENTURE to get $5 off your subscription here! And if you’re really wanting to get to a bonus case quickly, you can order and solve past cases from the Sleuth Kings archive! You can also read the rest of our Sleuth Kings reviews here!

9.5/10 (Excellent)

Full Disclosure: Sleuth Kings provided a complementary box. (Duh.)