Publisher
Crimibox
120-180
minutes
€30
cost
1-4
players
Game explanation
The Crimibox: Undercover is an exciting detective game. You can best compare the game with an escape game. The difference is that in this game you are not trying to escape from an escape room, but you are trying to solve a murder case. In Undercover you try to solve the murder of your colleague as an undercover agent.
In this Crimibox, you follow in the footsteps of Undercover agents Bob and Kim. You infiltrate the crime scene where drug crime and arms trafficking take place. The Crimibox contains a real-life paper police file, evidence and clues that you can dig up online. You read the police file and interrogate suspects. Do you have a suspicion? Then you follow the leads to the Internet. On a special chat, websites and social media you will find even more hints that can help you in your search for the truth. In this game, the truth is not only found in the physical materials, you also search the internet and talk to chatbots! Are you stuck? Then you can turn to your colleague Bob, the laboratory or the Special Units for consultation and tips.
Of course we can't tell too much about this Crimibox, we don't want to spoil the story. We can say that the game consists of 3 rounds. You have to submit a report three times. In this report you must find answers such as the perpetrator of the murder and the murder weapon. To find out these things you have to solve several puzzles, decipher code language, look at evidence and search the internet. As soon as you give an answer you are shown whether you got it right. The further you get in the story the more evidence you will see. Voice messages, new pictures and even video will guide you through the story.
Our thoughts
We really like escape rooms and really enjoy diving into a game where we can work together. Crimibox has a slightly different approach than an escape room. We find this very innovative and fun to do. Crimibox offers an exciting detective game, wrapped up in a well worked out and matching theme. We would like to add that you should not expect the story to be exactly like Undercover. There are characters from Undercover in it so you can see it as a kind of sequel mission. Logical, because otherwise you already knew what happened from when you saw Undercover. For some players, there might be a few more references to Undercover needed. Besides the characters and going undercover, there are not many links to the series. Despite this, we still really like the theme. The evidence, the online chat and the websites really make you feel like you have a real police file in your hands. The combination of physical and online material make for a very unique and complete gaming experience.
We initially started playing the game with 4 of us and then completed half of the Crimibox. The second time, however, we continued with 2. Because you have to look up a lot on your laptop or computer it is awkward to play with 4 people. Everyone wants to watch, but this is a bit tricky. During the game 2 people who could not look around on the laptop quit playing. You do not get all the hints and information if you do not look at the laptop, which is a bit awkward. This could, of course, be partially solved by playing with 2 laptops.
Furthermore, we really liked the fact that you could get hints and information through the internet. It really feels like you have to go to different contacts and like you are in a conversation. The chatbots were very well put together and knew how to respond to all types of questions. We were amazed that we even had to search on Facebook. This adds a lot to the authenticity. We do think that sometimes you get hints too easily. Sometimes we didn't know what to do and decided to open the chat. But if you click through a few times, the answer can already be given. So pay attention to this! Only ask for hints if you really can't get any further. As far as we are concerned, it would be better if you could get hints only on a special site.
Playing with 2 players
Undercover is a perfect game for 2 people to play. With the Crimibox you will have fun all afternoon or evening. You really have to dive into the mystery together to solve the murder. You can consult with each other and solve puzzles. This makes Undercover just perfect to play with 2 players. With 2 players it is also easier to follow what the other is doing and therefore keep an overview. We think it is fun with 3, but it is best played with 2 players.
Pros and cons
+ Fun game material
+ Combination of analog and digital
+ You can pause the game
– Hints are sometimes too easy to get
- Because you have to look up a lot on the computer, the game is hard to play with more than 3 players
This game has been kindly gifted by the publisher for review purposes.
