There have been plenty of times in my life when I wished I was as smart as Sherlock Holmes. Or at the very least, had his memory for details and facts. It would certainly make parts of my day job a lot easier.
Alas, I don’t have his brain. But Unlock!: Short Adventures, Inside the Mind of Sherlock Holmes, rather literally puts you inside his head as he solves a murder. This is an app-assisted cooperative puzzle game from 2024.
Soundtrack for this game: built into the app!
Gameplay Overview:
In order to play you must download the free Unlock app and select the Inside the Mind option. The physical game components are a deck of 32 cards, each with a number or letter. You are directed to which card to read first on the very short rules card.
Each card has the necessary information, either a snippet of a story, a visual clue, a link to another card, or something similar. Between the card information and additional information or answers provided by the app, you figure out the clue and are given the number or letter of the next card to examine.
Continue reading, exploring, and interfacing with the app until you have all the clues and are ready to solve the mystery. It’s elementary, dear reader! (Sorry, I had to. You must use ‘elementary’ at least once in anything referencing Sherlock Holmes; it’s a rule.)
Game Experience:
It’s hard to get into detail on this without spoilers but I will try.
This game is a fun diversion for a few hours. This is a short mystery, so there weren’t red herrings or dead ends to complicate things. Every piece of information goes to resolving the murder.
The clues are not super easy, nor are they always obvious, but they are not really obtuse either. The clue solutions are varied. They aren’t all solved by doing the same thing (for example, searching for hidden numbers on a card). Clues need different actions and different types of deduction, which I love. It keeps you sharp and keeps the game entertaining.
The app is integrated into the mystery; it is not just used to confirm your answers and direct you to the next card. Some clues are solved in the app. Some might even be given in the app. For example, one card asks if you can hear a particular sound. Selecting the ‘hearing’ function in the app lets you listen to soundscapes in order to resolve the question.
My one complaint with the game is the app. Or rather, the lack of instruction on how best to use the app. The tutorial tells you to read the cards, explains the puzzle piece symbols, and tells you to use the app. That’s it. Since some of the crucial information is actually in the app, I would have liked a little more. Unlock! is a pretty robust product line with multiple titles all using the same app. Individual tutorials would be a challenge, I get that. Still, figuring out to what extent the app interfaces with the game, and how to use the different sections of the app, should be considered the first big puzzle of this game.
Final Thoughts:
Unlock!: Short Adventures was a short, well-crafted mystery with intriguing puzzles to solve. The game is perfect for a rainy afternoon, and can easily be played in one sitting. Solo or with others. The app does present some challenges, but once you’ve got it figured out, it keeps the game streamlined. I recommend using a tablet for the app, as navigating through Sherlock’s mind requires interacting with the different regions, and this might be challenging on a smaller screen.
This could be a great travel game as it doesn’t have a huge footprint.
Final Score: 3.5 Stars – I am not the biggest fan of one-shot games. But this one is fun, not overpriced, and won’t take up a ton of shelf space when you are done.
If you have ever fancied yourself a detective, this will be a fun investigative interlude.
Hits:
• Good mystery
• Love the artwork
• Plays in one sitting
Misses:
• Poor app tutorial
• One shot game
Source: Board Game Quest
