Room Escape Artist

Roll the dice and unleash the excitement…

Location:  At home

Date Played: April 13, 2024

Team size: 1-6; we recommend 2-3

Duration: 75 minutes

Price: about £45 ($57) plus shipping (£25/$32 to USA)

REA Reaction

The Ghost in the Attic was a refreshing deviation from many at home experiences, by not relying on predominately paper components and instead providing a multitude of physical interactions. The physical components added to the story and ambience, which we found to be engaging and compelling. From the moment we saw the padlocked and chained board game, we were hit in equal measure with feelings of excitement and foreboding as we prepared to unlock the box.

Inside The Ghost in the Attic game box we were met with a board game complete with a board, cards, miniatures, plastic resources/ items, and dice, which were used throughout the game to solve the puzzles. The production of the board game was so well done that we were disappointed not all of the board game components were used in the puzzle path. Each of the puzzles were well designed, logical, and largely non-linear. A vast majority of the puzzles required us to make visual connections between components to find a solution, thus we would recommend this game to players that enjoy visual puzzles (or are trying to improve their visual puzzle prowess).

Furthermore, after finishing the puzzles and banishing the ghost, the board game is entirely safe to play! The game is very simplistic using roll and move with some pick up and deliver mechanisms. Our feline package inspector, Vax’ildan, joined us as a third player and added extra mayhem by refusing to use his playing piece and moving items randomly.

The cost of international shipping made The Ghost in the Attic expensive compared to other at home escape game experiences. The game price is much more reasonable for players located in the UK. However, no components were destroyed during the game allowing for a full reset. The listed playtime of 2+ hours was also a bit longer than we experienced. Our group of two enthusiasts finished the game in 75 minutes at a leisurely pace. While we enjoyed The Mystery Agency’s The Ghost in the Attic and it spoke to our love of both escape rooms and board games, we wished the puzzle paths were longer and/ or the included board game were more strategic for the price point.

Who is this for?

• Story seekers
• Component snobs
• Any experience level

Why play?

• Intricate, collectable components
• Compelling story
• Passion for both board games and escape rooms

Story

On May 9th, 1956, the toy and game manufacturer Brogue Bros Entertainment recalled all 500 copies of their board game The Ghost in the Attic after the game was associated with seven tragic deaths across the USA. As an agent of The Mystery Agency, we were recently sent a copy of this haunted board game. Our goal was to banish the ghost by helping it complete its unfinished business.

Setup

We opened the box to discover a newspaper article from 1956 and a locked and chained copy of The Ghost in the Attic board game. An internet connected device, pencil, and paper were also needed for this game.

We started the game at The Mystery Agency website which provided us with our first clue, an optional game clock, and a hint system. We were told to report back via the website once we’d banished the ghost.

Gameplay

The Ghost in the Attic was a play-at-home escape game with a moderate level of difficulty. Over the course of the game we solved about a dozen puzzles, many of which involved making visual connections. Completing this game took our group of two enthusiasts about 75 minutes.

We appreciated the wide variety of physical components in the game, which outnumbered paper components. In fact, we played The Ghost in the Attic board game with all included pieces after banishing the ghost. The board game mechanisms were primarily roll and move with some pick up and deliver.

Analysis

➕ The Ghost in the Attic looked like and had all of the components of a complete board game. We thought the physical components helped to sell the story and ambience and provided the nice benefit of having a playable board game after completing the puzzles.

➕ The story of The Ghost in the Attic was compelling and immersive. The danger was immediately evident by the padlocked board game and the sense of foreboding was maintained throughout the game by the component design.

➖ The Ghost in the Attic included some story points that were relayed in a way that seemed inconsistent with the larger narrative. We were unclear how the information made its way to the location where we found it.

➕ We found all of the puzzles in The Ghost in the Attic to be well designed and logical. The game was mostly non-linear and many of the puzzles involved making visual connections.

➖ We encountered one group of four puzzles that each involved a similar set of steps to complete. After one puzzle in this set was solved, the other three puzzles became obvious and somewhat repetitive. However, these four puzzles could be solved in parallel with a larger group.

➖ Many of the board game components were not necessary to solve the puzzles. We wished that more of the components were incorporated into the puzzle paths.

Tips For Players

• Space Requirements: Small table
• Required Gear: Internet connected device, paper, pencil

Buy your copy of The Mystery Agency’s The Ghost in the Attic, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Update: The Ghost in the Attic now ships from the US via Amazon.

Disclosure: The Mystery Agency provided a complimentary game.

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