Nancy Drew

My daughter (15) and I wanted a semi-easy mystery game to try out since we’ve never done one before. We’ve done one real-life escape room that did not go so well logistically (due to technical errors on the company’s part), so I wanted to make sure that this wouldn’t start poorly either. I did a thorough search and looked for these criteria: 1) easy for first-timers and/or younger adults, and 2) under $20, 3) didn’t involve murder, and 4) didn’t have a lot of reading materials that it would tire us out. Since this was on a Black Friday sale and fit my criteria, I went with this one, and I’m glad I did!! We had fun putting our timeline together, figuring out the puzzles/codes, and collaborating on who we thought could be ruled out. The storyline was well thought out and I just loved all the details. The materials were of high quality and were all needed to solve the mystery. As first-timers, we felt it wasn’t too easy yet not too hard either. We did have to use the hints though. As one reviewer stated, however, the website they listed in the game brochure to get hints if you’re stuck brought us to a non-working godaddy website. I decided to check out the huntakiller.com website, searched “Mystery At Magnolia Gardens,” clicked on “Player resources: Hints & recaps”, provided the code that was listed in the game brochure, and provided my email (to subscribe). From there I was able to see all the hints. We were able to solve the mystery in 4 hours. It was a fun bonding activity for me and my daughter. Aside from the wrong website, everything was perfect! Totally recommend for beginners and younger players who are looking for some quality bonding time.

Mystery at Magnolia Gardens follows the same format as the other stand alone Hunt A Killer games in that you basically start with a letter (in this case from Nancy Drew) then you can continue your investigation with any of the clues/materials. The world-building is at the same high level as other HAK games and the materials are very good. There is only one true (and dead simple) cipher in this game, so if you are not a fan of cipher puzzles, this is a good game for you. There are a couple of easy to moderately difficult puzzles that are well designed. You will need to solve a puzzle to get the combination to the locked tin to unearth more clues in order to solve the mystery. Building a timeline is a must as it will eliminate some suspects. Having played a number of Hunt A Killer games (Death at the Dive Bar, Body on the Boardwalk, and two of the full seasons) there isn't much here that is new, but I think that the story and puzzles are well done. I think this game did the best job of maintaining a complete narrative. With other HAK games (especially the standalone games), I feel like you spend a lot of time discussing motive and the storylines/actions of the characters only to receive a very brief solution that states murder's name and little else in the way of the story. Mystery at Magnolia Gardens has two solution documents that fill in a lot of the background, plus there is an optional email that provides more details. We did not need to access any hints while playing this game, but it's probably worth mentioning that the hints are hosted online, so if might want to have an Internet connection while playing in case you get stuck. I don't know anything about Nancy Drew other than she is a teenage detective. Outside of the initial letter being from Nancy, I don't know that anything else ties in to the Nancy Drew universe. The game should be accessible to young adults and there is no violence or graphic imagery. The game took my wife and I about 3 hours to complete, with a puzzle requiring the reassembly of two letters taking the longest to complete. If you're looking for an easy to moderately challenging mystery, then Mystery at Magnolia Gardens is a very good option.

My husband and I enjoyed puzzling this out together! I originally bought this to play over several days while visiting family, but we didn't get to it until we came home. Although it is not especially serious or mature, we got sucked in and did not stop until we finished. We liked that it had reasonable "mini-ciphers" that related to the crime you were solving as opposed to being an abstract part of game play. We also appreciated that the main task of the game was examining evidence, which led to a definitive solution. AGE: It would not be inappropriate to play with younger children around since none of the materials or content is especially graphic. However, those playing need to be able to focus on details and consider multiple elements simultaneously, so it would be best to play with adolescents and adults. EXPERIENCE/SKILL: Mystery at Magnolia Gardens was the first game of this kind that we have played. It was challenging enough to be fun, but not frustrating. NUMBER OF PEOPLE: Two people seemed like the perfect number, but it could be played solo or with more people. Although you could play it with a larger group, I personally would limit it to 4-6 people depending on who you're playing with. TIME: We solved this in about 90-120 minutes with a relaxed - yet intentional - approach. We spent more time considering the culprit, reexamining materials, making a timeline, and taking notes than was really necessary. Once you get far enough, you will have a pretty good idea of who did it, especially since there are a few ways of figuring out who it was. However, it was fun to eliminate other suspects and talk about all possibilities. If you want to go through all of the materials at an average pace while discussing possibilities with someone, 60-90 minutes is pretty reasonable. MATERIALS: The materials were clever and seemed to be well-made with one exception. The lock was a bit finicky, so we thought we had the wrong combination at first, but it eventually worked. Also, we took notes using our own paper, so we can pass the game on in "like new" condition. PRICE/REPLAY: It was more expensive than I would have liked, especially for a game you would not want to play again, but it gave us a nice "night in" that was a comparable price to an outing and gas. Since we can give the game to someone else to play, I see the price as being $30 per purchase, but not $30 per play. I'm glad I bought it.

My family loved solving the mystery. The clues are well-made, interesting, and authentic looking. The timing of the game was correct. It took us about 80 minutes to talk everything out. There are several different types of clues- puzzles, letters, maps, brochures, pictures with biographies, and locked clue. There is a downside to this one- your family can only play it once. Unlike Clue, there is only 1 conclusion to be made. It does make the game perfect for regifting.

My husband and I love to do these types of games for date nights. It wasn’t too hard, so even some kids that are a little older, preteens, teenagers, etc. could even play these in my opinion, but this is super fun for me and my husband to play, especially with make a little date night out of it. We end up just sitting down laughing and working together so it gives good quality time for couples or families. We bought several games from the same brand and we absolutely love these and will be buying more. If you’re looking for just an evening date night at home or a family fun night at home I would recommend this. Maybe not for kids under 10. But older kids and adults. I definitely would recommend. If you’ve done some of these, you may want to get a little harder one just for the challenge if you’re like me and my husband! But definitely recommend for some good quality family time

Normally, I would not have bought this game. However, I saw a review on Youtube and decided to try out the game while it was on sale. Some other crime-solving games I have played previously include Exit, Unlock, and Sherlock Files, Clue, and Box One. Often, mystery-solving games involve mainly cards. This one has several physical objects, although I would argue you only really needed one. I think this drives up the cost of the game and it isn't necessary unlike in Box One where the item really contributes to the puzzle. The story is interesting and straightforward which I liked. I dislike that some of the stories go off on wild tangents like in the Unlock series. I was wondering if this game was related to the CW TV series; It's not - it seems to be good 'ol Nancy Drew which is a good thing in my case, though I never read the series. I did not follow the instructions exactly and looked at the clues in the order I wanted to and it was fine - maybe not the most straightforward but more pleasant. I have a medical background and I appreciated the lack of wacko science which some board games try to do. The puzzles were mostly easy and straightforward. Everything is solvable and reasonable. Some things don't make sense...like why a code would be present or why would anyone write down certain things...but oh well. I think I solved the case in an hour, but I really wanted to figure out two puzzles - I eventually solved one which involve dots. If you get stuck, I highly recommend turning up the white light because you might be missing important details. If you're color-blind...You might need a non-color blind friend. Everything you need to solve the puzzle is in the box. You don't need the internet. You might want to use something like a pen and paper. I used graph paper. Another puzzle I gave up on and got some hints from the website. The website listed in the manual is obsolete – Just google the game title AND "hint" which should get you to the Hunt A Killer website and from there you can navigate to the hints. That puzzle was over-engineered and unnecessary but I concede I didn't solve it completely. I don't think there was a puzzle that I haven't seen some variation of before unlike in Box One has some pretty interesting, unique puzzles. There is a lot of reading and some words may not be in the vocabulary of a 4th grader, so I think this game is more geared towards older kids, teens, or adults. It helps to stay organized and to take notes or work out problems on paper, but the puzzles aren't really logic puzzles.. The game is reset-able so you can pass it along to someone else. Compared to other similar games, I would rank Exit/Unlock > Box One > Sherlock Files > Clue > Nancy Drew in terms of "Fun". I think I wanted more of a challenge from the puzzles and less redundancy. However, the production is well done, there were no errors, and the theme is more approachable for families compared to Sherlock Files. I liked that the puzzles weren't weird or ridiculous like in Exit or Unlock. Overall, I think the puzzles were interesting but not mind-blowing. Even then, I still spent more time than I needed to (3 hours total). I would recommend this to teens/adults or middle school-aged kids with some adult guidance.

Such a fun and challenging party game. I highly appreciated all the real clues and parts. It gave the game a really authentic feel and made me feel like it was worth much more than what I paid. I would hands down do this over an escape room any day. Definitely more intimate and challenging!

Very fun game! You could play by yourself but is also very fun in a group. Love the Nancy Drew references and the premise of the plot.