Crime Unfolds: Pop-Up Mystery Escape Game review

Theoretically cool but meh execution

Table of Contents

Location: Home

Date Played: May 2024

Team size: 1; recommended 1-2 players

Duration: 1 hour/game; total 6 hours

Price: ~S$200 on their website

Premise

You have received an invitation to Barrow Manor, where a crime will be committed that only you can solve. All the members of the mansion are suspects, both the servants and the family members, including the cat!

Do you dare to go through the mansion and catch the culprit? There are more than 6 cases available.

 Do note that I purchased this game through Kickstarter.

Components

 

The game comes with two items: the pop-up book itself and a container containing various puzzles and mysterious items.

As I fiddled with the pop-up book when it arrived, I was quite dismayed at the quality of it. The rooms aren't capable of standing up on their own, requiring you to use both hands to spread the book. Some of the pop-ups weren't even "popped up" and remained flat even after some manipulation to try and keep it standing. Lastly, I was concerned about the quality of the book as some wear & tear appeared after fiddling with it for a bit.

Thankfully, these issues do not impact the satisfaction of solving the puzzles but it did ruin my overall enjoyment of the game with how lackluster the components were.

Gameplay

The game is split into around 6 chapters and will revolve around you solving the puzzles scattered through the pop-up book and inputting your answer in their website. Fyi, using their website is a must to play the game so an internet connection is required. 

Each puzzle generally requires you to look for clues in 1 or more rooms and figure out a solution to the puzzle stated in the website. Sometimes, you'll be required to use the items in the container to aid you in your puzzle-solving as well. 

If you ever get stuck, the website offers three hints before giving the solution for each puzzle.

Puzzles/Thoughts

➕Cool concept. The idea of having your own mini escape room at home is amazing and at times it really felt like I was in one as I had to look high & low in the rooms looking for a particular clue.

➕ Premise was alright. While it isn't groundbreaking, the story of investigating a mysterious murder is always a delight to behold.

➖Puzzles were a hit or miss. Some puzzles were fun to solve! Some puzzles were tedious and mostly busywork.

✖️Components lacking in quality. The pop-up book needs a major improvement in terms of quality to really boost this game to a higher rating.

Verdict

While Crime Unfolds has its flaws (i.e. especially the quality of the pop-up book), I still enjoyed the game and had a decent time with it. However, its current asking price is insane and I would recommend waiting for a sale if you're interested in picking this up.

Rating: 3/5

★★★✩✩

You can buy their game here