Location: Your Home!

Players:  We recommend 1-4

Price: $29.95 per box

Mystery from the Cinders.

Theme:

The search for Isaac King continues in this second bonus mystery from Sleuth Kings! On the trail of an elusive gang, Sullivan has found a former member who might know something about where his father disappeared to, but will only talk if he can stop the attacks that have been going on in his neighborhood. Sullivan needs your help to piece together the evidence and determine how deep this conspiracy goes, or his father’s trail might go permanently cold!

First Impressions:

For those not in the know, one of the many amazing things about Sleuth Kings is that once you’ve successfully solved four cases, you will receive free bonus case that ties into the overarching meta-story of the disappearance of Isaac King. As we had completed our eighth case, it was time for us to continue the hunt for Sullivan’s father! Sleuth Kings being our top favorite monthly box, we dove in as soon as possible!

High Points:

While this may be a bonus case, it’s no less complex than a regular case, and boasts an excellent continuation to the overarching story! Codebreaking puzzles along with an extremely fun tactile interaction all feed into a couple meta puzzles which open up online components that further add to the narrative. The game flow and story deepen as the case evolves, allowing for each thread to unravel slowly, pointing towards new clues and details to explore. Some classic puzzles are involved, and will be spotted immediately by veteran solvers, but are still presented interestingly, with a few twists to keep things fresh. Emails to Sullivan continue to be fantastic additions to the experience, and create a sense of real world progression while not halting the action unnecessarily. The climax sets the mystery up well for a continuation while still presenting a satisfying conclusion, and the epilogue is appropriately equal parts a denouement and cliffhanger.

Another bonus case full of codes!

Low Points:

The great tactile interaction mentioned earlier was a lot of fun, but I can see some people having a hard time getting it to work. Without spoiling anything, I personally had to seek out some extra tools to really get it going. Others might find it frustrating since there aren’t tools included to finish this one easily, but most people should be able to get it done with household items. One particular part of the metapuzzle was a bit silly in how strained the suspension of disbelief was, though there was an obvious reason for why it was presented in this way. It was still a little more over the top than what we are used to when solving Sleuth Kings cases.

Verdict:

Though you can’t order this case right away, it is an excellent example of how Sleuth Kings adds so much value to their subscriptions. The fact that this free case is so deep and tightly crafted shows that even when something is a bonus, Sleuth Kings does not skimp on the quality! 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!

8.5/10 (Great)

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