Hunt a Menace
Location: at home
Date Played: May 20, 2023
Team size: 1+; we recommend 2-4
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Price: $31.99
REA Reaction
If you enjoy tabletop detective games, Mystery at Magnolia Gardens was an approachable, family-friendly version. There had been a poisoning... but nobody had died. Nancy Drew had completed all the hard work collecting evidence, and we got to do the fun part: crack the case.
While the gameplay relied heavily on reading, as detective games tend to, a few puzzles scattered throughout delivered fun aha moments. One puzzle significantly overstayed its welcome, but this was the only time the gameplay was overly tedious.
Puzzlers take note: The puzzles in this game acted as little gates. They weren't particularly exciting. This was a detective game through and through. And this is good because their hint system has some pretty gross gating (read on to learn more).
We stayed engaged with Mystery at Magnolia Gardens primarily because writing had character. We laughed at the characters' actions, motives, and relationships.
For anyone at the height of their Nancy Drew phase, or looking back nostalgically on that time in their life, this would be a delightful way to bring the satisfaction of being a detective to your own dining room table.
Who is this for?
- Detectives
- Murder mystery fans
- Any experience level
Why play?
- To tap into your inner detective
- Family friendly "murder" mystery
Story
Nancy Drew had been investigating a poisoning at Magnolia Gardens when she became sick too, falling victim to the same poison. Luckily, Nancy had documented all the evidence. Now it was up to us, her apprentices, to look over the evidence and determine which person at the botanical garden had committed the crime.
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