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Mysteriously, this company’s packaging is the best part of its product.
Date purchased: January 3, 2016
Price: $199.00
Backstory
I decided to surprise Lisa with “an experience” from the Mysterious Package Company for her birthday. (This was a replacement gift after the first gift I gave her was promptly recalled due to a high risk of detonation.)
The Mysterious Package Company describes its “experiences” succinctly:
“We tell a story through the mail using letters, postcards, diary pages, artifacts and more. Mailings arrive over time to build anticipation and intrigue.”
The Mysterious Package Company asks users to apply for a membership before allowing them to buy and sends email correspondence in an engaging pseudo-Victorian voice and tone.
It was all a bit pretentious, but also slick and intriguing, so I went mid-range and purchased The Yellow King to see what they were going to send.
Lisa loves letters, physical mail, and mysteries. I was optimistic that I was giving a good gift.
Standouts
The packaging and materials were detailed and interesting.
Shortcomings
The contents of the packages were wordy, meandering, and could have greatly benefited from substantial editing. It was confusing, uninteresting, and with each passing package, I could see Lisa giving up on even trying to make me feel like this was a good gift. “Read the gift” started showing up on her to do list because reading this stuff was work.
It also took for-freaking-ever for these packages to arrive. They came over the course of months.
Should I buy Mysterious Package Company’s The King in Yellow?
I cannot recall giving another person a gift so disappointing.
It was time-released disappointment. Every month or so, some potentially interesting package would arrive. Then, upon deeper exploration, it would dash our hopes.
The materials and packaging were cool. The story and content was incredibly weak.
The Mysterious Package Company’s The Yellow King would have been a regrettable purchase at half the price.
Skip it and escape a bunch of rooms instead. You’ll feel better about how you spent your money and time.
Update: Emily Short’s Interactive Storytelling ran her own post at nearly the same time on the Mysterious Package Company. She has some added insights that are worth exploring if this company’s work interests your.
Any other recommendations for at home puzzle adventures?
To try an escape room at home, order Think Fun’s Mystery at Stargazer’s Manor.
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