Murder at Shrike Bay is a murder mystery puzzle magazine from Finland-based Cluehound. Solve puzzles, use your skills of deduction and crack the case! These easy-to-transport ‘zines are the perfect solution for a long train journey, a cosy night in or a vacation. To date, four magazines have been released spanning a variety of settings including a remote island, a manor house and a ship.
Players: 1-3 // Age: 12+ // Playtime: 2-4 hours
What you need: A pen/pencil and paper. No internet access is required.
Story
“You join a crew of bird enthusiasts on a trip to a paradise island. Everything starts off wonderfully, but then a stuffed bird is stolen from the museum and is soon found accompanied by a threatening message. Is there something special about this bird? Is someone in danger? Something on this island feels uncanny…”
First impressions
You’d be forgiven for thinking that a murder mystery puzzle magazine would be dark and dreary, but Cluehound magazines are certainly not. The cover, along with the rest of the magazine, is bursting with colour. It adopts a very distinctive illustrated art style that is charming! But fear not, there is death…
One of the key selling points of these magazines is that they are light, portable and require no outside knowledge. They can also be played completely offline. This is a big plus for me as I often crave time away from technology after too much screen use. I played this game in one sitting, but the beauty of its design is that it is very easy to put it down and come back to it at a later point. If you can tear yourself away from wanting to solve the crime that is…
Gameplay
Murder at Shrike Bay contains thirteen different puzzles/chapters to work through. The gameplay itself is very straightforward. You read a chapter, are presented with a question and then solve a puzzle to find the answer. Once you are confident you have the right answer, you can progress to the next page and continue to unravel the mystery.
A lot of thought has gone into weaving the puzzles and narrative together. The puzzles are well-constructed and fun to solve. I found a couple of them more tricky than the others, but not so hard that they became frustrating. In this particular case, the puzzles included a mix of ciphers, logic and deduction, which I particularly enjoy. The puzzles don’t feel repetitive and include refreshing takes on the familiar. Some require you to go back through the magazine to find hidden details; this is a great way to keep the gameplay interesting.
There are some educational elements present here too. I found myself learning some new bird facts! I was shocked to read some, frankly rather disturbing, information about one type of bird in particular… How this was incorporated into the story was clever.
Hints and solutions are available at the back of the magazine in case you get stuck. There are two hints for each chapter, which should help you on your way. Solutions are printed upside down on the next sheet to prevent revealing spoilers.
Finally, you don’t need to write on the magazine or cut anything out, so provided you take good care of it you can pass it on or sell it afterwards.
Verdict
Murder at Shrike Bay
Summary
Murder at Shrike Bay is a twisty murder mystery with clever puzzles and an engaging story. Its vibrant and colourful artwork is delightful and continues the distinctive art style of the series. It is fun to work through but not so difficult that it becomes frustrating.
The portable, offline design means that you can play anywhere, pausing after you have completed any of the puzzles and coming back to it when you are ready. All you need is the magazine and your detective hat; a pencil and paper are handy too!
The magazines are available in bundles from Cluehound for a sizeable discount or as individual copies.
About Cluehound
Cluehound is the brainchild of Vilma from Finland. She designs and illustrates the magazines, along with her partner who has recently become more involved.
Murder at Shrike Bay is the fourth magazine in the series, the previous are titled: Murder of the Black Rose, Beyond The Veil, Murder on the Midnight Maiden. A new magazine is currently in development.
Disclaimer: Cluehound kindly provided me with a review copy of this game in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences the content of my review.
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