What Makes A Good Box

Mike and I are avid mystery box enthusiasts. Whether they are single play, boxed set, or subscription, they are all enjoyable when done correctly. 

I wanted to take a little space here to discuss what goes into our reviews and what we consider when ranking a good box vs. a disappointing one.

Difficulty Level:

Mystery boxes are a niche interest that we admittedly have gotten really good at. We make a good team because we are wired differently. I am good with letters and Mike with numbers. I am good with logic puzzles and Mike is good with ciphers. We tend to disagree with the average difficulty level advertised as we generally find them easier than rated. In our reviews we will always include advertised difficulty as well as our own difficulty rating. A good box should have a great combination of puzzles, ciphers, logic, timeline building, and, if it’s a murder mystery, sufficient story related red herrings so as not to make the conclusion simple. While a clear solution should be able to be reached, it should not be a direct line to get there. 

Physical Content:

A great box will have a variety of physical content including documents, maps, pictures, newspaper clippings, letters, inanimate objects etc. Also, who doesn’t love a locked box. All of these items should be not only readable, but concise and factual (even if its only factual in the eyes of someone lying). Direction and objectives should be clear. 

Storyline:

A storyline can make or break a mystery box. The story must be cohesive and have a proper flow. It must be unpredictable, yet believable. It also must be intriguing. The story should draw the player in and start the immersion process. This leads us to our next factor.

Immersion Level:

They story begins the immersion process but to completely draw the player in, a good box should have audio, video, or online content aspects with a combination of these creating a level of escapism that is truly what makes a mystery box so special. A killer theme should have the player feeling on edge and feeling the suspense. A more supernatural theme should have the player feeling slightly afraid and maybe even a little disoriented. Taking a break and ultimately finishing the box requires one to come out of the fantasy world the box created. 

Conclusion:

There are so many aspects that make a great box but to us, when we feel challenged, excited, immersed in a fictional world, and ultimately when finished, fully satisfied, that is what a great box means to us. We will talk about a good box for quite a while after finishing because we truly enjoyed the experience so much. These feelings are what make mystery boxes so special to enthusiasts like us, and why we crave to find more that create another night of thought provoking fun and escapism.