One of my favorite activities to do with my family members is an escape room. From my first escape room, The Classroom at West Palm Beach Escape rooms, I was hooked. I can no longer count on one hand the number of escape rooms we have attended. So, it is not much of a stretch that we also love escape rooms and detective-type games like Unsolved Case Files and Escape the Room. I recently had the pleasure of receiving a free detective game from The Detective Society. A subscription-type box that is mailed directly to your home.
The Detective Society
I had been holding out for the kids to finally have time to play The Detective Society with me and then this past weekend I gave in and played all by myself. I was a little concerned if I was going to be able to figure it out on my own as often it takes many heads to crack the code. However, that was not the case. I enjoyed the game a lot but would say the game is more of a “beginner” level or great if you are playing by yourself.
I was sent Season One Episode One and I was afraid based on that title that I was going to play and be left hanging. I was pleasantly surprised to find that while there are six boxes to each season each box is independent and can be played and give you a feeling of accomplishment that you have solved the case. The storyline (I assume) builds on each box but each box is individual and can be done as a stand-alone game.
The Detective Society Review
What I loved about this box is that it did a great job of making the game interactive with passwords to crack to get into secret files. Websites to visit, phone calls to be made, and clues to be found. Due to the highly interactive features of using the internet and phone to further the game it really made you feel like you were a detective trying to solve a case.
I got through the first three clues pretty quickly to unlock the additional assets and thought this was too easy and too fast only to find every time I thought I was done I received another assignment. In fact, just today after completing the box (I thought) 3 days ago I received an email with additional information (a bonus postcard).
The Detective Society Features
- Each season is six episodes made to be stand-only cases. You are immersed into a narrative-driven world, in the comfort of your own home.
- You will need to solve puzzles, decipher cryptic does, and use your powers of deduction to figure out how to solve the case.
- In addition to physical items, you receive you will be investigating the characters and interacting with them via SMS, email, and via a variety of websites.
- The game can be played solo or with friends.
- The average playing time is 90-120 minutes depending on your experience and the number of players (I’m pretty sure I finished in an hour).
- Age level is recommended 14+ up due to the difficulty.
- You will need internet access, email, and the ability to make phone calls to play.
I did want to mention that the shipping time for The Detective Society is a little long for us, must have it today, generation. This is due to it coming from the UK. There is also a shipping charge for the USA of £7 per episode or £42 for a season. The only other hiccup for me was I knew I had the right idea, I needed to call someone, however, I didn’t know how to call them because it was an international number LOL. I should have taken the time to google how to do so, but instead, I started guessing as it was one of five options.
Overall I really enjoyed the game, and highly recommend it for beginners if you enjoy solving puzzles that are not so hard you are pulling your hair out.