The Medusa Report is a fantastic carton of intrigue, mystery, and discovery masquerading as a table top puzzle box. It’s both a universe expanding addition to Diorama’s ongoing Vandermist story, and a worthy stand-alone experience.
The sequel to The Vandermist Dossier, The Medusa Report is a narrative puzzle box set against the backdrop of the subtle world of Cold War era espionage. It continues the story of Helena Vandermist as she continues the search for her sister Abigail who, after disappearing under mysterious circumstances, has resurfaced as a spy for an organization known as S.E.A. You (the player) are called on, once again, to help Helena track down her sister and along the way find out why Abigail is obsessed with discovering the secrets surrounding a CIA backed rescue operation.
Expanding the world introduced in Vandermist, The Medusa Report presents its narrative in beautifully crafted and realistic documents, pictures, maps, post-its — an honest to goodness floppy disk — and a varied series of unique problems, codes, and observations. The driving force behind the puzzle solving, however, is the strong narrative. Each challenge is cleverly embedded in each document and piece of ephemera in the box; and each solution delivers a little more of the world or characterization on top of the next clue, revelation, or “aha!” moment. I found myself saying “That’s cool!” more than once while playing.
The Medusa Report is a solid few hours of entertainment, depending on the number of players (it’s recommended two to four players, but can be played solo), their level of experience with the kinds of puzzles involved, and how much of the documentation they explore.
And there’s plenty to explore with additional bonus puzzles that tie into a bigger, longer puzzle begun in The Vandermist Dossier, which requires that game to fully solve the overarching puzzle — fortunately, it’s available as an add-on in their Kickstarter.
Get Anthony Robinson’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
SubscribeSubscribe
Experienced escape room players and puzzle-solvers may make discoveries quickly but will still find puzzles challenging (and sometimes frustrating) to solve. Fortunately, the online hint system is easy to use, so that the game remains fun and navigable.
While The Medusa Report is part two of a three-part series, it works well as a stand-alone piece. It hits all the right notes for an at home boxed experience, and is definitely worth taking a look.
The Medusa Report’s Kickstarter runs through June 20th. The Kickstarter price is $49 before shipping and taxes. It will be available for retail sale at a later, to be announced date, for $65 before shipping.
Players looking to start from the beginning can purchase The Vandermist Dossier on Diorama’s website. Its price is approximately $76 before shipping and taxes.
Anthony Robinson is No Proscenium’s Associate Culture Editor
Discover the latest immersive events, festivals, workshops, and more at our new site EVERYTHING IMMERSIVE, new home of NoPro’s show listings.
NoPro is a labor of love made possible by our generous Patreon backers. Join them today!
In addition to the No Proscenium website, our podcast, and our newsletters, you can find NoPro on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, in the Facebook community Everything Immersive, and on our Patreon Backer exclusive Discord.
Discussion