Room Escape Artist

Storage Wars: Serial Killer Edition

Location:  At home

Date Played:  September 1, 2024

Team size: We recommend 1-2 for The Collector and 2-4 for Catch Me If You Can

Duration: 60-90 minutes per box

Price:  Sold as a set for $49.99 + $12 shipping

REA Reaction

The Collector and its sequel Catch Me If You Can were originally released in 2019 and 2020, respectively, as part of Deadbolt Mystery Society’s monthly subscription. Due to their popularity, both of these games were reprinted in 2024 and sold as a one time box purchase. Since March 2021 when we started our subscription (while hunting for ways to keep ourselves occupied during the pandemic), Deadbolt Mystery Society has proved their consistency and dedication by sending monthly mystery packages to our doorstep. We were excited to get the chance to play The Collector and Catch Me If You Can to better understand how Deadbolt Mystery Society evolved over the years.

Both The Collector and Catch Me If You Can were packed full of puzzle components immediately after opening the box. Our foster kittens, twin brothers Mushu and Mowgli, helped us sort through all of the materials. It was very fitting to have twice the “help” for a two part box. While each game did have an introduction letter to help guide us toward a starting point, the unfettered access to all of the contents significantly increased the difficulty level of these two games. In contrast, more recent Deadbolt Mystery Society offerings divide game materials into multiple envelopes which are opened progressively during the game. However, both The Collector and Catch Me If You Can started with a non-linear puzzle path which somewhat justified access to all of the content at once.

We enjoyed The Collector primarily for its strong, coherent story. We were drawn into the hunt for the serial killer and were intrigued by the details we found out about the killer on our journey. In general, the puzzles were logical; however, we found the repetitive decoding elements tedious after the first two times. We were also disappointed to discover that one of the few non-paper props in the game was only a keepsake and was not tied to any of the puzzles.

On the other hand, Catch Me If You Can had several interesting gameplay elements including two fully parallel puzzle paths which were themselves also non-linear. Furthermore, we were told that several of the puzzles needed to be solved in multiple different ways to obtain information, which we found to be clever and unique. Although we preferred the puzzles, the storyline of Catch Me If You Can felt pasted on to the experience and we left the game feeling confused.

While neither game hit the bullseye with both story and puzzles, they each had their bright moments and provided an advanced level of difficulty due to the sheer amount of instantly available content. The fact that these games still hold up as well as they did 5+ years later also speaks positively of Deadbolt Mystery Society’s puzzle design capabilities. We would recommend these games for experienced players looking for a tabletop escape game on the more difficult side who enjoy synthesizing lots of information. For players who prefer a tabletop experience with more gating, one of Deadbolt Mystery Society’s newer experiences would probably be a better choice.

Who is this for?

• Story seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
• Fans of Deadbolt Mystery Society games

Why play?

• To play a gruesome game of cat and mouse with a serial killer
• You enjoy bringing order to chaos as you start puzzling
• “Too many puzzles” is missing from your vocabulary

Story

Arthur Dukes had just purchased an auctioned off storage locker hoping for something antique and expensive. However, all he found inside was a box filled with blood-soaked personal effects and strange symbols. Since the Valley Falls police were busy with other cases, they called on us at The Will Street Detective Agency to investigate. It was up to us to find out who The Collector was and hunt him to put a stop to the serial murders.

Setup

Each game included a “Start Here” card which provided general information and instructions for how to play a Deadbolt Mystery Society game. The card also gave the link for the hints PDF. We needed an internet-connected device that could scan QR codes, paper, and a writing utensil to play these boxes.

Each game also included a “Beginning Brief” which provided the backstory for the adventure and some vague directions for how to start the box. There were no envelopes to open during the game. Every puzzle page was at our fingertips from the start.

Gameplay

Deadbolt Mystery Society’s The Collector and Catch Me If You Can were play-at-home escape games with a moderate and advanced level of difficulty, respectively.

There were a large variety of puzzles in each box. Both boxes included mazes, logic, and visual observation puzzles. The Collector also contained a significant amount of decoding. Puzzle contents were mapped (usually through common symbols) to photographs with QR codes. After solving each puzzle, we scanned the QR code and used the puzzle solution to unlock a password-protected PDF with additional information.

Hints and solutions for each of the puzzles in the game were provided in two large PDFs. The structure of the hint system made it difficult to find information relevant to the puzzle at hand and also provided a high likelihood for spoilers for other puzzles (especially since these were non-linear games where puzzles could be completed in a different order than listed in the PDF). Furthermore, there was generally only one hint available for each puzzle.

Analysis

General Comments

➕/➖ These two boxes did not hold our hand. We were provided with all of the puzzle material and QR code input sheets at the very beginning of the game, and it was up to us to figure out what sheets went together and when. We found it fun to sort out the information and bring order to the chaos as the game progressed. These games would not be recommended for players who want more structure in their tabletop escape room game.

➖ The hint system employed by Deadbolt Mystery Society was extremely minimal, providing only one hint for each puzzle before the solution. The format of the hints within a single PDF also added an extra challenge during the non-linear gameplay to avoid spoiling answers to puzzles that hadn’t been solved.

➖ The beginning of The Collector allowed for parallel puzzling, which then shifted to a linear story about a third of the way in. Since the majority of the game was linear, we would recommend this game for smaller player counts. On the other hand, Catch Me If You Can was mostly non-linear with enough content for up to four players. We were disappointed that the two experiences were not designed with the same number of players in mind since they both shared a story and were sold together.

The Collector

➕ The unfolding story provided interesting context and world-building for this adventure. We enjoyed finding out more details about the serial killer as we progressed through the game.

➕/➖ The Collector required us to complete several decoding puzzles. The cipher was clear, but became tedious by the end of the game.

➖ One of the non-paper items included in the box wasn’t used for anything, which was confusing and also a let down since all of the other papers and physical objects were tied to puzzles.

➖ The penultimate puzzle involved a deductive leap to come up with an answer. We felt like we were guessing at an answer, although it happened to be correct.

Catch Me If You Can

➕ Catch Me If You Can was mostly non-linear. There were two puzzle paths that could be solved in parallel to make it through 75% of the story. Each puzzle path was also non-linear within its path providing an ample amount of content for a larger group.

➖ While the beginning brief and storyline during the game seemed to make sense, we found the conclusion to be confusing. We ended the game unsure about what had happened.

➕ There were a ton of puzzles included within the box and each puzzle was also intended to be solved in more than one way to provide multiple pieces of information. We never had a dull moment while playing Catch Me If You Can and were always busy with another active puzzle to solve.

Tips For Players

• Space Requirements: Coffee Table
• Required Gear: Internet connected device that can read QR codes, paper, and a writing utensil

Buy your copy of Deadbolt Mystery Society’s The Collector and Catch Me If You Can, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.