Cold Case Inc. - "A Summer To Die For"

Photo above is property of Cold Case Inc.

Company: Cold Case Inc.

Game: A Summer To Die For

Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Language: English

Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻

Genre: Mystery, Detective

Date Played: June 29, 2023

Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7/10

Size of Team: Unlimited

Time: Approximately 3-5 Hours

Price: $14.99

🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈

A Summer to Die For? She was one of the last people to see Neil in the area before he was found dead. But they had been broken up since forever, and it was actually his current girlfriend Kelsey whom he was seen arguing with in the park on the day of. Her son Cody never liked Neil much, but he was at the soccer game just down the road. And what about Max, Neil's jilted former business partner, nearby taking in a day of fishing, wasn't it about time he settled scores once and for all. And then there was the ever shady Perry, probably out selling drugs again, I hear he and Neil had a history. You could always pin it on the drifter though, Evans is known to roam these parks, and what's one more act in his long history of violence? Seems like Neil had a lot of enemies about on that fateful day. Is your head spinning yet? Everyone's a suspect in this next installment of the UK detective game series Cold Case Inc.. You have one shot to get it right, make it count.

🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈

Is the blush still on the rose, can they deliver a second time? It hasn't been that long since I played and reviewed their first case, so with that still fresh in my mind, and a little wiser and possibly more jaded, but I have to say that they got me this time, and what a pleasure it is to be got. I guessed wrong, in fact I now realize after having brute forced the right answer and gotten the full run down that I had fallen into their little trap. And for the most part, maybe minus the motive and one other detail, I must admit it was legitimate. Even before I gave my answer I was still going over my copious notes and theories, still feeling uncertain and unsatisfied about my final answer. I implore anyone doing it to really take stock, look at the details - it's always in the details, the details will set you free - and by details I mean the real minutiae of the case, and then work through the logic of the facts, do not force any conclusions, which is maybe the hardest thing not to do, and I guarantee you the truth will emerge. Although I thought I had it, they nailed me. And I went through all the layers, well at least I thought I did, and yet there was still more. Did I leave completely satisfied with the answer, maybe not, but I would still shake hands with the one who has bested me. I should also mention that they have updated the case file website, which was already very well organized and laid out, and it's really really good and makes the game and your detective work easier to organize.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂

It's still a good old fashioned detective game. Classic. Nothing out of this world, but at the same time. There I was figuring it out piece by piece, trying to hold all these disparate facts together. I have already reminded you, but I will remember myself for next time to really pay attention, that they are actively trying to camouflage the most obscure and consequential details in the most mundane. And there is an immense beauty to it, that is at the essence of what real detective work is about. Sometimes it falls under its own weight, and there is a bit of jankiness to this mystery, a bit that you might roll your eyes and throw your hands up at while saying "really?" to yourself. That's always the risk, the further you push the twists the harder it is to keep the mystery together as a realistic narrative. But without the twist there is no thrill, and these games hinge on their ability to deliver ever greater intellectual challenges and with them intellectual payoffs, while sustaining the illusion of a realistic scenario that the player accepts he could have reasonably solved. To be fair, though the motive here was a bit suspect, and though one particular detail which appeared explicitly consequential turned out to be a coincidence - which is ironic because there were greater coincidences that ended up having logical resolutions, meaning their twist threw me completely off the cliff - but at the end of the day I will still admit that if we stuck purely to the facts the case does add up as they eventually lay it out. So thats on me, and now them; but ya it was a bit of a stretch.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂

Another solid entry. Maybe they are starting to play fast and loose in their attempt to create ever more elaborate and outlandishly layered scenarios to outfox us with.

You can almost feel this sense of dueling detectives, one creating and one solving, as we try and outwit each other. Sherlock vs Moriarty type stuff. It's a fun mystery that could possibly leave you scratching your head by the end, but it will legitimately challenge you to immerse yourself in the material and work the logic of the case. By this point I've developed my own case solving procedures and methodology, which means I'm seriously hooked. Next time I will be ready! And I can see they've got a new case under development, which could be the final act in my redemption arc. Tides of Deception, mystery at sea, all aboard!

---

BUY NOW

(If you do decide to try this experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

Disclosure: We thank Cold Case Inc. for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.

#AndrewWoods #AtHomeGames #DigitalGames #ColdCaseInc #Detective #Mystery #UK