Dinner with Anonymous (Scarlet Envelope) // Review

Dinner with Anonymous is the eighth chapter of a puzzle game anthology series from Scarlet Envelope. Horror comes to the fore in this instalment, which offers up a creepy mystery with dark humour. Why have you been kidnapped, and can you discover the identity of your mysterious captor before it’s too late?

Players: 1+ // Age: 14+ (mild violence, suggestive themes, fake blood, crude humour) // Playtime: 1-2 hours

Requirements: An internet-connected device.

Synopsis

“First course – peanut stew, main course – your dirty lies with a tahini dressing.”

Five honorable guests have been blackmailed into dining with Anonymous. Everyone’s a suspect when murder is on the menu. In a twisted turn of events, you find yourself in Anonymous’ basement, kidnapped and challenged to answer two questions: “Who is Anonymous? And what have these five people done to piss them off?”

First impressions

For those new to the world of Scarlet Envelope, it’s a puzzle game series from Montreal-based duo Anna and Lisa. Each game is packaged in a distinctive scarlet red envelope and comprises a combination of paper-based items and online content. One aspect of the series that I love is the fact that each envelope is completely distinct from the last. In one, you will embark on a medieval quest in a fantasy land, and in another, you’ll investigate a distress call from outer space. Envelopes can be purchased individually, as a subscription or in a box set, and there are plenty to choose from.

Dinner with Anonymous is the eighth game in the series and was created in collaboration with horror maestro Keith Dozois from USB Escape. You can read about his experiences working on the game in our recent interview. It isn’t a hardcore jump scare type of horror game, but it does touch on some dark themes with twisted humour. A good reference point would be the Saw films, which feature punished wrongdoers; only in this game, there are no gory, limb-ripping traps.

One thing I did not anticipate was the unexpected references to the cult TV show, Riverdale. This was the puzzle game crossover I did not see coming, but I appreciated the extra layer of ‘meta’ for those in the know.

Gameplay

Getting started

Everything you need to play is contained within the envelope or accessed online. There are no specific rules, but you will need to discover for yourself where to begin. It’s always handy to have some paper and a pencil to hand for note-taking.

Puzzles

Early on, you’ll gain access to a website which features an old-fashioned flickering television. It is delightfully creepy and reminded me a little of Saw or The Ring. The TV has a knob that you can turn to change the channels, with each channel displaying a key piece of information required to solve the puzzles. These clues pair up with physical items contained within the envelope, and once solved, result in a password that can be entered into the TV keypad.

One element that makes puzzle-solving really rewarding in this game is the fact that every time you get one right, you unlock a new video. These are engaging and reveal more of the narrative, expanding on the reasons why each victim was targeted.

Gameplay is mostly non-linear, so you can tackle the puzzles in any order. I personally appreciate being able to leave a puzzle for a bit and return to it later, without having to abandon the game if I get stuck. I did struggle with the recipe card puzzle due to misinterpreting some of the icons. It can be easy sometimes to follow the wrong path of thinking, so I find it helps to let go of assumptions and give yourself a break. Some puzzles involve manipulating the components in different ways, pattern recognition, and there is also a crossword with a difference.

Presentation

The visuals are great. The web interface has a fairly simple design, but it is really effective. There aren’t too many physical components, but they are well-made. A whisky bottle label is very convincing and features shiny golden lettering, while a glossy page looks as if it has been torn right out of a magazine. I always encourage the inclusion of reusable items in games, so the beer coaster is also a welcome addition.

I also thought the puppet show-style videos were fantastic. They felt really original, added a very different visual flavour to the game and managed to be both humourous and incredibly chilling at the same time. The use of rhyming was genius.

Hints & Difficulty

All Scarlet Envelope games are available as either Standard or Expert level. If you opt for the Expert level, the hints won’t be offered up to you on a plate. You’ll need to locate a hidden QR code to access them, or sometimes even answer a special puzzle. The hints for this game were hidden in a very clever way!

I’d say this is a medium to hard difficulty for seasoned puzzlers, with some slightly easier puzzles and a couple of much trickier ones. I was playing on expert level, so the standard gameplay is likely to be a little easier.

Bonus content

An optional ‘Kitchen of Anonymous’ curated Spotify playlist is available to enhance your gameplay experience. It features plenty of appropriate songs, such as Killer Queen, Season of the Witch and Monster Mash. I’d also recommend playing with the lights turned down low…

Verdict

Disclaimer: Scarlet Envelope kindly sent me a copy of this game in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences the content of my review, which accurately depicts my experience.