Photo above is property of The Deadbolt Mystery Society
Company: The Deadbolt Mystery Society
Game: The Unknown Passenger
Country: USA 🇺🇸
Language: English
Type of Game: Tabletop Game 📬
Genre: Mystery, Murder
Date Played: April 12, 2024
Difficulty (based on 4 players): 5/10
Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommended 1 to 4 ppl)
Time: Unlimited (Recommended 2 - 3 Hrs)
Price: $36.99 USD
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Boarding the passenger train, The Olympian, looking for a small vacation, it seems you won’t be getting one. During the evening, someone was found murdered and hidden under a dining cart. The odd thing is that there is no record that they should be on the train, neither a passenger nor crew. Who are they and why are they here?
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Opening the branded box with "The Unknown Passenger" artwork, we found the “Start Here” sheet for new detectives, a collectible card and sticker, as well as a Beginning Brief, a page of interviews, the passenger manifest, a shoelace and more.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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Opening the box, we started the experience by reading the “Beginning Brief” sheet which kicked off the story for us as well as gave us directions on what we should look at first. For those who are new to DMS, how the game progresses is once we solve the puzzles or believe we know key information, we would scan QR codes and input the information. If we were right, something would open and continue the story or tell us more information. To proceed through the story, they would also have envelopes with more clues and information for us to read once we were told to do so.
As usual, DMS has been stepping up their gameplay. First off, they did change the system to input the solution. For a couple of the more detailed questions we needed to answer, rather than having a pdf and using your solution as the password, there was a system in place that required a few detailed questions to unlock the next part of the story. This time around, there were also some point and click components with audio that we got to experience that made us feel like true detectives as we investigated locations.
The story writing was fantastic as each envelope presented us with new information as we continued. It was gripping and progressed like a mystery novel and some great reveals throughout.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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There were different puzzles which included manipulating things and linking key items together. There were also 2 puzzles that took some effort to complete, which required creating timelines and as well as comparing statements to find inconsistencies.
How the hint system works is there is a document that can be downloaded online. It is a nicely formatted pdf that presents a table of contents at the start that we could find the puzzle we need hints on and go to that page. There are sufficient tiers provided for each of the puzzles. The solutions are provided in a separate document.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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"The Unknown Passenger" was an amazing experience to play through and as veteran DMS players, we loved some of the new aspects that kept the game fresh. Things like the point and click parts of the game as well as the new interface to answer questions to proceed with the game was exciting to see. The puzzles and storytelling both flowed nicely together to make us feel like true detectives. We completed the game in just under 2 hours with 4 people and found that to be a perfect number as we could share ideas and see everything together. Any armchair detective would love this game. Next stop, a gripping mystery experience for a fun night in.
(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)
Disclosure: We thank The Deadbolt Mystery Society 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.
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