Diorama - "The Medusa Report"

Photo above is property of Diorama

Company: Diorama

Game: The Medusa Report

Country: Netherlands 🇳🇱

Language: Dutch, English

Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬

Genre: Mystery

Date Played: May 17, 2023

Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6/10

Size of Team: 1-5 Players (Recommended 2-4 Players)

Time: Approximately 2-3 Hours (without use of hints)

Price: $49.00 (Kickstarter)

🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈

The Medusa Report is the second game of a trilogy from Diorama (Read our review on The Vandermist Dossier to find out more about the first game). After a wait that felt like millions of years, Abagail finally reached out! Now we just have to find her as she seems to be in danger. Apparently, she discovered someone or something called "Medusa" and now she's being chased by an agent codenamed TULPA. We have to get to her before TULPA...

🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞

The photos taken in this review were from a prototype. It is quite close to the final product but the box that you'll receive will probably be in better quality. We really appreciated the details that went into these props as they all felt authentic. The box (along with several documents inside) had an "aged" look and could easily become a collector's item. In the box, you'll find a transcript, a folder, a cushioned envelope, a floppy disk (with a file printout), a torn-out page from a book, a map, several letters, a stack of photos, and a transparent sheet.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈

The gameplay was quite similar to The Vandermist Dossier. There was a clear objective that we needed to complete and once we had the answer, we could either email headquarters for confirmation or check the solution page. There was a hint page that provided nudging hints for each of the puzzles. Although you could freely analyze the items, the puzzles were designed in a linear way where you would need a specific solution in order to help you solve the next quest. It was great that there was a message in the initial letter that directed us to a starting point. This really made a difference in the game flow. One thing I did miss was a webpage to input solutions since sometimes I could mistakenly press on a hint that I didn't want to see while checking on a solution.

I'm sure you've all had moments where you've completed a game but wanted more. Well, if you have the previous game( The Vandermist Dossier ), then you're in luck! You'll be able to discover the hidden puzzles within the games and puzzle on with some extra difficult puzzles to satisfy that thirst.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂

This game really brought out "the detective" in me. The creator really took the time to think of ways to hide secrets in the game that made sense to the storyline (spies in the Cold War era, how will they pass on secret messages or codes? hm...) yet still provided that "wow" moment to the players. From the surface, the items in the game felt quite ordinary but as you piece them together, a new horizon would appear. Some puzzle solutions were more obvious than others but we really enjoyed the multi-step ones. There was one puzzle that could be quite challenging for some players. We thought a more detailed hint (a video or photos) would be more helpful. Also, we were really excited about a puzzle that we wanted to discover the puzzle solutions on our own but were unable to visualize it at the end. This one could also use a starting marker. Overall, the puzzles were quite satisfying for veteran puzzlers. And for beginners, you'll definitely learn some "new tricks" to remember for your future puzzle adventures.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂

"The Medusa Report" provided a harmonious habitat for a thrilling narrative and unconventional puzzles. The clarity of the game's objective, the innovative puzzle design, and the fascinating plot make us can't wait for the final chapter of this trilogy. It is very easy to be immersed in Abagail's world sitting in the comfort of your own home with a cup of tea. Are you ready to find out the secret about "Medusa"?

---

Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of the game:

BUY NOW

(If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

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

#CiciCao #AtHomeGames #TabletopGames #PuzzlesByMail #OneOffs #Diorama #Netherlands #Mystery