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Company: Killer At Large
Game: A Marriage Cut Short
Country: USA 🇺🇸
Language: English
Type of Game: Tabletop Game 📬
Genre: Detective
Date Played: July 29, 2022
Difficulty (based on 2 players): 3/10
Size of Team: Unlimited (Ages 13+)
Time: Unlimited (Approx. 1-2 Hrs.)
Price: $32.00 (One time purchase), $27.50 (Monthly subscription), $25.00 (Annual price billed as a total of $150.00)
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As an experienced investigator with years under your belt, it was no surprise when Melinda Markez reaching out to you in desperate need to find closure after the murder of her son, Luke. The case has gone cold and she feels the police are simply trying to brush it off as a robbery gone wrong rather than truly inspect the crime. She has had a private investigator collect evidence, but is hoping you can examine the case file and help identify who the killer is. She thinks she has narrowed down the suspects but an objective eye might be able to narrow it down further. When a mother pulls on your heart strings you know you have to help her… better get started!
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This game arrives in a slim and compact cardboard box with the company logo branded on the box. Inside is an introduction card that provides an overview of how the game works and a note on finding hints. In addition to the card are two envelopes; the largest envelopes is stamped with “evidence” containing an introduction letter from the client, photos of suspects and crime scene, a news article, forensic reports, a suspect list, map of the area, witness statements, interviews, and other evidence to help narrow down the first round of suspects; the smaller envelope, which you can open after your solve the first objective, contains a follow up letter from the client in response to your discovery, follow-up interviews and witness statements, a police report, receipts, photos, and a letter that will help narrow the suspects down fully. There is also a folded paper sealed with tape that provides the conclusion once you have solved the crime.
I found the overall of the game to be well situated. There are a variety of ephemera that you can really spread out across your table to explore. Each piece of evidence contributed to the overall story and helped build things, even the photos which might, initially, look innoculour, contain important clues for deduction!
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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This experience is broken up into two halves, which makes it easier to do over the course of two evenings if you would like - personally, I completed it in one sitting. You read the introduction card that provides a package list, a link to the hint site, directions on how to begin, and a hint on how to frame yourself if you’re new to these kinds of experiences.
The key thing is to read the introduction letter from the client which will contextualize the experience as well as provide you with your current objective. You will then examine the evidence, look to corroborate alibis of various suspects, and then you can log onto their website to check your answer (or if you’re ambitious you can just open the second envelope and hope you were right). The second envelope will provide you with the final objective of the experience and encourages you to use evidence from both envelopes to make a final decision. The key thing is to create timelines with locations of suspects to help narrow down!
There is a small hint system available on the website if you require, with up to three nudges to help get you on the path.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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For Killer at Large, the puzzling is mostly focused on the deduction process. There is one very small cipher but otherwise your main task is to vet the various suspects to see if they may be lying. I did feel a little let down by this single cipher - while its solution provided a valuable clue, the set up leading up to deciphering was essentially handed to players.
For a deductive game, I felt the clues were well hidden and I often found myself finding the key clues and then fiddling with them to figure out what role they had in the narrative. A keen eye and using all the various elements of the evidence (front and back) can help you feel confident in your choices quite quickly. I liked how in their deduction they made it realistic for a person and players have all they needed right in front of them, even if they needed a moment to recognize it. Overall, I enjoyed the deduction aspect and felt it was smoothly entwined throughout the story and evidence. I wish the cipher aspect had a bit more nuance to it.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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"A Marriage Cut Short" provided me with an enjoyable deduction experience that really utilized all aspects of its components to engage players in piecing together the story. There is some nuance to the hidden clues that I enjoyed catching and there were a few moments where I thought to myself, “this is the clue I need!” I would say this game is for deduction players who like a lighter adventure as it is tailored a bit more to newer players. I do hope the puzzling ramps up a little in their later games. As it stands, I would definitely play another one and I’m intrigued to see how this series grows!
*** We regret to inform this company has closed its doors ***
Disclosure: We thank Killer At Large 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.
#JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #TabletopGames #PuzzlesByMail #Detective #MurderMystery #KillerAtLarge #USA
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