RATING: 5 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: Not Timed
Uh ruh roh Shaggy… there uh seems to be a ROAST in here!
Did somebody say a roast?! Mmmmmm!
Step into the roles of Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang as you work to solve the mystery in Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion. Work together to decode over 50 clues and find your way out of the haunted mansion in this cooperative Coded Chronicles game, an officially licensed escape room board game great for Scooby-Doo fans.
The gang and The Mystery Mobile have run into some trouble. While driving through a not at all spooky wooded and mountainous area, the smell of smoke started to creep into the vehicle cabin. Ruh Roh.
Unfortunately that smell wasn’t thanks to a cozy fireplace crackling away on a cool fall night. It was the cars engine. Ruh Roh. But have no fear! The ever adventurous crew of sleuths manages to make it to a large home to look for help. Not just any house, but a beautiful old mansion. Turns out, however, that this grand abode happens to be… well… haunted! PLOT TWIST!
A mysterious old ghost has been haunting the grounds of this mansion, and now has trapped Scooby and the gang inside. They have until daylight to uncover the truth and Escape from the Haunted Mansion!
Being a home game, we define “Scenic” from a graphic design perspective, as well as the quality, weight, and feel of print materials inside the box.
The Op’s Coded Chronicles product boasts detailed custom graphics colorfully printed on thick card stock. The mansion itself is made up of many individual square map cards, each representing one or two distinct rooms within the haunted home. Investigators are directed when and where to place each card, essentially “building” the set as progress is made throughout the game.
In addition to the thirteen map pieces, there is a sizeable deck of sixty puzzle cards waiting to be revealed. These show close up details of specific areas within each room, or give clues needed to solve the mystery. The puzzle deck is slightly smaller than standard playing cards, and like the tiles used to create the mansion it is highly detailed in a style that fans of Scooby Doo will certainly recognize and enjoy.
Additional pieces help create a more tangible experience for both the story and the challenges. What at first may seem like a smaller game in terms of physical size quickly expands to take up quite a large footprint. When all is said and done, this ghostly dwelling wonderfully transports visitors into the world of Scooby Doo and friends.
The Op’s has developed a very unique spin on a card based puzzle adventure for their Coded Chronicles line. Scooby Doo Escape from the Haunted Mansion weaves thorough storylines into the game play thanks to the five characters who help to solve the mystery as well as the eccentric people they meet in the home along the way.
Scooby, Daphne, Shaggy, Velma, and Fred all have a specific ability that they contribute to the teams investigation. Whether it is smelling, using, eating, researching, or investigating, each member has a unique characteristic that works towards uncovering the secret of the ghostly apparition that has been haunting the mansion.
Guests at the haunted mansion use the characters in combination with what is found around the home to advance through the experience. Eight secret envelopes contain additional materials and puzzles and are opened when the team successfully completes a given task.
Observational skills will be needed to find items seemingly hidden in plain sight. Using logical deduction, the gang will find themselves getting into – and hopefully out of – hi-jinks in every room. With the help of storyworld building books for each character, answers can be checked as progress is made in a clever and intuitive manner.
While much of the puzzle game play is similar to that found in other card based escapes, the additional of several physical pieces helps bridge the gap between a two dimensional experience and the real world. Investigators will be required to combine the cards and supplementary materials in creative ways to crack this case open – but don’t eat all the Scooby Snacks!
Scooby Doo and his gang of detective friends are the perfect crew to solve an escape game style mystery, and The Op has put them in just the right spot to do so. Taking a unique spin on card based puzzle games, Scooby Doo Escape from the Haunted Mansion transports investigators right into the heart of a classic spooky misadventure.
High quality materials set the scene as the mansion literally expands right before the gangs eyes. Room by room, the searching and solving leads to many enjoyable surprises and “ah ha!” moments. A nice mix of puzzle styles, as well as a few physical pieces to go with the cards, balances out the experience. While the story and puzzles do not change, this game is re-playable in the sense that no materials are destroyed in the process of playing. In fact, as the team progresses through the mansion, exact instructions of when and where to return pieces makes resetting essentially automatic.
The Op has marketed this to players aged twelve and older. Brave investigators even younger could certainly partake and would find plenty of enjoyment in the experience, but would likely benefit from an adult acting as a “game master” of sorts to help with the reading and managerial aspects of playing a table top escape game.
Overall, Scooby Doo Escape from the Haunted Mansion proved to be quite the adventure… and that ghostly menace would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for those meddling kids!
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Venue: Coded Chronicles – Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion
Location: At Home Game
Number of Games: 2 (available, each sold separately)
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 120+ minutes
Capacity: 1+
Group Type: Private / You will not be paired with strangers
Cost (at Publish Time): $29.99 (TheOp.games)
We thank The Op for inviting us to play this game. Although a complimentary copy was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.