Detective games have always been a welcome sight on our table. The kind where observation, logical thinking, and deduction matter. Both the more interactive ones, where we influence the investigators’ actions, and those where we are given a stack of documents and have to find the clues that will lead us to solving the mystery. This is exactly what the “Cold Case” series, published by ThinkFun which was acquired by Ravensburger, is built around.
Today we are taking a closer look at three cases: “A Story to Die for,” “A Pinch of Murder,” and “Murder with Interest.” Each of them is a separate case in which we receive the files of an unsolved investigation and try to get to the truth. There is no app guiding us by the hand, no board, no classic turns. Instead, there is a stack of documents, photos, reports and clues that we have to organize on our own and figure out, “What does not add up here?”
Gameplay
The rules are basically minimal. We open the box, take out the evidence materials and begin the investigation. Among the components, we find police notes, newspaper clippings, photos, reports, witness statements and other documents connected to a specific case. Our task is to analyze the information, connect the facts and answer questions about the course of events.
This is not a detective game with clearly marked stages. We are not told which document to start with or in what order to examine the clues. Every document can add something to the case, especially when combined with others. Hence, the gameplay feels more like working through case files than solving classic puzzles.
At the end, the answers are checked online. It is a practical solution because the game does not require electronics to be constantly present. Correct answers to the questions reward the player with a description of the story that led to the investigation.
Review
The greatest strength of “Cold case” is its atmosphere. You simply receive a case file and have to deal with it. The most important things are reading carefully, connecting facts, spotting inconsistencies and building hypotheses.
We really like that the game does not turn deduction into guessing. A good solution should not come from a hunch, but from gathering several small pieces of information that together begin to form a sensible picture. Sometimes a clue seems significant right away, and sometimes only after numerous minutes does it turn out that a seemingly minor detail changes the way we look at the whole case.
The series works best with a small group. Solo, you can calmly analyze everything at your pace, but in our opinion, the most fun comes from playing with 2, maybe 3 people. That is when discussion naturally appears, theories are exchanged, and there are moments when one person notices something that others missed. We have not played with 4 people. It seems to us that with this type of gameplay, it would already feel crowded.
“A story to die for”
“A story to die for” is a good case to start the series with. The starting point is the death of young investigative journalist Andy Bailey, whose body was found in Camdale in 1988. The police never managed to determine who pulled the trigger, so the players return to the old files and try to uncover the truth.
This title has a very classic crime story feel. A journalist, uncomfortable topics, local connections, secrets—all of this creates an atmosphere of mystery that encourages the player to dig deeper. The case shows very well what the whole series is about: not spectacular puzzles, but calmly browsing through materials, asking questions, and spotting connections.
“A pinch of murder”
“A pinch of murder” takes us to 1983. Harold Green was supposed to appear at a summer church fair in Melmbury, but he never arrived. After a search, his body was found, and the murderer was never identified.
We enjoyed this part for its intimate, small-town atmosphere. The case does not impress with scale right away, but that is exactly why it builds tension well. We have to take a closer look at the local parish community, where various people appear on the list of suspects.
“Murder with interest”
“Murder with interest” takes players to Ireland, where the bodies of two bank employees have been found. Everything points to poisoning, but the question is: was it murder, an accident, or something more complicated?
This case has a slightly different weight from the very beginning than the previous two. The premise itself is stronger, because we have not one victim, but two, and the circumstances of the event make us look more closely at what really happened. The tension between the official version and what begins to emerge from the documents works very well here.
What works best?
What we value most in the whole series is freedom. We can spread the materials across the table, take notes, group documents however we want, create a timeline or simply discuss and return to specific fragments. The game gives us the material, but does not impose tools or a method.
The quality of the materials also works well. In detective games, it is important that the evidence gives the impression of being actual case material. Here, browsing through photos, reports, and notes is part of the fun. These are small elements, but they are precisely what build the atmosphere of a home investigation.
The low entry threshold is another plus. There are practically no rules to explain—you simply sit down and immerse yourselves in the case.
What might bother you?
This is not a series for everyone. If you do not enjoy large amounts of text, analyzing documents and returning several times to the same information, “Cold case” may feel too static. The game does not offer many flashy mechanical moments. There is no revealing of new card decks, no spectacular twists triggered by an app, and no feeling of progressing through levels.
You also need to accept its one-time nature. After solving a case, you know the answers, so returning to the same part does not make much sense. You can, however, pass the box on to someone else, as long as you handle the components carefully.
Summary
“Cold Case” is a great series for fans of crime stories and deduction. “A story to die for” introduces the format well, “A pinch of murder” focuses on an intimate atmosphere and working with clues, while “Murder with interest” offers a case that requires more careful assembling of facts into a coherent whole.
These are not mechanically flashy games. Their strength lies in the atmosphere, the conversation, and the satisfaction of the moment when scattered pieces of information begin to form a coherent story. If you enjoy crime mysteries and do not mind the one-time nature of the gameplay, this series is worth giving a chance.