Co-Decode: Operative Onboard

"Operative Onboard" - the second game in Co-Decode's Oldervik series - takes all the elements that made Ch.1 an already enjoyable game, and improves on them in every way. 

The narrative in this chapter takes on a classic "whodunnit" style, with story and puzzles themed around a selection of suspects on a train. Players are given just enough information about the characters to feel interesting, but not so much to be overwhelmed by text and unnecessary backstory - in fact, the entire game is a beautiful example of elegant design - absolutely every detail is there for a reason, and they fit together beautifully, nothing extra and nothing missing.

Players use two sheets of A4 printed paper as a "game board" containing QR codes representing the locations that can be visited, passengers to be interviewed, and objects to be examined, all of which lead to corresponding puzzles on a website. This makes the entire games feel like an Escape room/Cluedo/Poirot crossover, and it works brilliantly.

Mechanically, the designers have taken feedback from the first game - QR codes are larger and easier to cut out and scan, and we had no tech issues at all - the entire experience felt very high-quality. Which, considering it only cost £12 (of which £2 goes to an NHS hospice) and provided over 3hrs entertainment for 4 people makes this a "must-buy" game.