Hunting the Kent Killer (FOXBOX Detectives) // Review

Hunting the Kent Killer is a murder mystery/detective game from FOXBOX Detectives. When an old friend is brutally attacked during his investigation into the murder of Caleb Kingsley, you are tasked with picking up the case. Can you scour the evidence and pull together the loose threads to find the killer?

Players: 1-4 // Age: 14+ // Playtime: 2+ hours

What you need: A pen or pencil. An internet-connected device; PC or laptop is recommended.

First impressions

Murder Mystery games have become a go-to for date night, and it’s always exciting to try out a game from a new company. FOXBOX is a small UK-based independent business founded by Hannah and Sam, who also happen to be married! They’ve taken their passion for the genre and used it to craft some thrilling mysteries for wannabe sleuths to enjoy. I was delighted when they reached out and invited me to play their latest release, Hunting the Kent Killer.

Shipping was insanely quick, next-day quick, which Hannah and Sam credit to their slick dispatch system. The game arrived packaged in an A4 cardboard envelope with a bespoke sleeve. Inside there’s a briefing letter, suspect sheet and a case notes document to log important dates and items of evidence. There is also a nifty blue folder full of photographs, posters, emails, letters and more. The physical components only form part of the game, however, as a lot of it also takes place online.

Story

“Whilst private investigator, Jack Raven, was investigating the murder of Caleb Kingsley, he was brutally attacked. Jack’s inability to continue leaves the case unsolved. His wife, Penny, needs you to retrace Jack’s steps, study his findings and piece together the fragments of his investigation. Analysing evidence may lead you to Caleb Kingsley’s killer and in turn, get justice for Jack Raven. Trust no one. The truth is a morphing shadow, elusive and forever shifting. Will you find the answers everyone is so desperate for?”

Gameplay

A detailed letter from Penny Raven sets up the story. She is the wife of Jack Raven, the original detective tasked with investigating the murder of Caleb Kingsley. The police have managed to retrieve data from Jack’s laptop that could be key to solving the case. As he is currently out of action, you’ll have to sift through and see if you can piece together what happened. His calendar is stored in an Online Evidence Database that Penny has been given access to and she has forwarded you the login details.

The Evidence Database

Once you’ve logged in you’ll find Jack’s calendar. It is split into colour-coded sections that each correspond with pieces of physical evidence marked with the same colour. Navigating between the calendar entries worked well, but could perhaps be a little more slick. Having the colour blocks to focus on breaks the game into manageable sections, preventing that initial feeling of being overwhelmed by where to start. I’d recommend working through the calendar in date order for the best experience.

While the colour coding worked effectively for us, I have fed back to the creators that colour-blind players may experience some difficulty with telling some of the colours apart.

Multimedia

Hunting the Kent Killer features some strong multimedia content. Video logs recorded by Jack Raven feature authentic performances, with natural touches like breaking to sip his tea. It may seem like a small point to make, but the attention to detail can make or break how immersive a game is. Voice notes, a phone call and CCTV footage are also very realistic. We liked that photos of characters didn’t look like generic stock photos, which I have seen in some offerings. Generally, the attention to detail is great.

We particularly enjoyed the parts of the case with more interactive elements, such as a stand-out section featuring a game within the game. I won’t say too much, but it was super creative, unexpected and a lot of fun. I’m always happy to see new and interesting ways of enhancing the gameplay experience and this was certainly one of them.

Puzzles & Deduction

I was delighted to find a couple of more traditional puzzle elements in the game; these included a cipher and a coding-related puzzle. I was right at home with the coding, having done some programming in the past! The cipher wasn’t too tricky, but fun to solve nonetheless.

The case itself was a joy to crack. It’s full of twists and turns as you work through the evidence to try and piece together motives and alibis. We felt like we really had to work to find out who the killer was. There is plenty to share around if you are playing with a partner and/or friends.

Closing the Case

Once we correctly identified the killer, we were treated to ‘The Full Story‘ video which recaps the whole case. This was very engaging and capped off the experience wonderfully. We found ourselves celebrating when our correct observations were revealed and sheepishly looking at each other when we realised we had missed a detail. This debrief pulled the whole game together in a satisfying way, which in our experience isn’t always a given.

Keep your eyes peeled for a super secret easter egg hidden in the game. Once found, this will give you access to a special discount code that can be used against your next purchase of a FOXBOX game.

Difficulty & Hints

We didn’t use the hints system during our playthrough, but there is one available. It is fairly basic, with a couple of clues and then the solution. You should hopefully only need an occasional nudge anyway.

The game took over two hours to complete, so you do get a decent amount of playtime for the price tag. There was a lot of content to work through during this game, so great attention to detail is needed. We found a good level of challenge in piecing everything together, which ultimately felt very rewarding.

Verdict

About FOXBOX Detectives

Disclaimer: FOXBOX Detectives kindly sent me a copy of this game in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences the content of my review.