Featuring: Cold Case Investigation Unit, Six By Nico, The Royal Mint, Morgan’s Escapes, Enigmarch, and a Murder Mystery Trail update!
Welcome! This is the first post in this series, where I’ll ‘log’ recent games and experiences I’ve had the pleasure of trying out, from at-home games by fellow creators to random things I come across along the way. It’s a chance to give a shout-out to other creators, and I’ll also share some ‘intel’ on my own recent projects occasionally.
So, in the order they were played…
🔍 Christmas with the Gildmores
Cold Case Investigation Unit‘s advent calendar with a twist! The game contains 24 days of investigation that “blends authentic procedure with festive mischief”, created by a qualified Police Detective.
I know it’s Easter, not Christmas… My partner received this as a gift last November. But we were so busy in December and away in January. So we played this festive mystery at the end of February. Better late than never!
🧩 The Mechanics
This mystery unfolds like an advent calendar, where each day you open an envelope to reveal new evidence, turning the experience into a month-long investigation. We played this over a few nights instead, which worked totally fine and actually helped keep the evidence fresher in our minds.
It’s easy to get started, and you can work through the game at your own pace, with optional world-building content if you want to go deeper.
The sheer volume of statements, photographs, records, reports and additional online content was incredible, which helped create an immersive story without feeling overwhelming. No spoilers, but some of the online content was so in-depth that it made me question if I’d stumbled out of the game and into real people discussing a real crime.
Once you’ve gone through all of the evidence, you then make your verdict and check if you’re correct. Each suspect has a case file with their motives, alibis, and declares whether each is guilty or not guilty.
🎭 The Atmosphere
It’s quite lighthearted; nothing graphic or gruesome is involved in the mystery. One of my favourite parts of games like this is all the fictional brands, articles and statements not essential for the mystery, but which add to the fictional world, which in this case, is often quite comical. I especially loved this as I’m based in Leicester and the mystery is set in Leicestershire!
🧠 Final Thoughts
The story and evolving evidence kept you guessing the whole time. There are so many components in the box! Having assembled The Laundering game (which has around 20 components), I can imagine it’s such a mission packing all of these boxes consistently, so honestly, bravo! This festive game is incredible value for money. Plus, there’s nothing you need to damage in the process of playing the game, making it reusable for another group. A lighthearted mystery ideal for couples to play over the festive period.
Top tip: As obvious as this sounds, take notes as you go from the start! If you’re doing this over 24 days, I can imagine it would be easy to forget key bits of evidence you’re picking up along the way.
The game is available from coldcaseinvestigationunit.com.
🔍 Six By Nico – Sherlock Holmes Menu
A six-course tasting menu alongside a murder-mystery case inspired by Sherlock Holmes, where each course reveals a new layer of the mystery. The menu is running from 9th March to 19th April 2026.
I was invited to attend this event at Six By Nico in Bristol and what a treat it was! The immersive experience blends storytelling, drama, and expertly crafted dishes; each one a clue in a mystery that unravels over the experience.
🧩 The Mechanics
With each course, new evidence is unlocked, which you examine and discuss at your table while enjoying the delicious food. The hosts describe each dish and cocktail or wine pairings in detail, and also provide additional clues as you progress through the case. After your final course, you make your conclusion on the motive, method and murderer and find out if you’re correct.
🎭 The Atmosphere
The room was dimly lit, with candles flickering on each table. A violinist played over dreamy, piano-filled mystery music, and a Sherlock Holmes actor guided us through the case. It all really added to the Victorian mystery and gave the whole experience a premium, immersive feel. From the moment we stepped in, we were really well catered for! The mystery isn’t graphic or gruesome.
🧠 Final Thoughts
Conner, our host, was fantastic. Not only knowledgeable about the food and wine pairings, but also about the case and clues being fed with each course. It was an ideal level of difficulty to do over a meal, revealing bite-size portions of evidence alongside each tasty course. I was amazed at the quality of the food and overall experience. It’s incredible value for money, and I’ll definitely look to do more of these in the future. It was a joy.
Best of all, @ruarcussfood and I solved the case!
I was invited to attend this Six By Nico event with no request for a review. This is my honest experience.
Top tip: Get the wine pairings!
You can book the Six By Nico experience at 15 locations across the UK.
🔍 The Penny Drops – The Great British Treasure Hunt
A nationwide quest by The Royal Mint built around an official UK coin, inspired by the legacy of Sir Isaac Newton. Uncover layers of secrets, riddles, puzzles for a chance to win a solid 250g gold bar! Entries close 30th March 2026.
This combined a few of my interests, so I was instantly curious when I discovered it!
🧩 The Mechanics
The puzzle game (or hunt) uses a combination of the coin, its packaging, and multimedia to progress through multiple levels of increasingly complex challenges. Level 1 doesn’t require the coin and can be played straight away. But you’ll need to purchase the coin to unlock Level 2 and beyond. The game uses a wide variety of puzzle techniques and multimedia methods to unlock new clues.
🎭 The Atmosphere
Most puzzles are a subtle nod to the life and work of Sir Isaac Newton. With each puzzle solved, new facts about Sir Isaac Newton, science, and The Royal Mint are revealed, showing the world of Sir Isaac Newton in a new light.
🧠 Final Thoughts
The packaging and coin are stunning! There are some great “aha” moments and unlocks along the way. They aren’t lying when they say you progress through “multiple levels of increasingly complex challenges”! Sometimes the answer is staring you in the face, or hidden in plain sight, and can be easy to overthink. While other times, you really need to think outside the box, and your brain- (and will-) power will be tested. Not for those who give up easily!
One of my favourite elements was the rhyming riddles you unlock along the way. And I loved learning factoids and insights about Sir Isaac Newton’s life!
Top tip: You need access to a printer to solve some clues!
The Penny Drops is available from royalmint.com. The competition element ends on 30th March 2026, but the treasure hunt will remain playable after this date.
🔍 Inheritance – Morgan’s Escapes
An escape room in an envelope: Solve a series of puzzles disguised as a hotel welcome pack to unlock an online safe and expose a cover-up.
At-home puzzles games like this are my cup of tea, so I was excited to play one from a fellow independent creator!
🧩 The Mechanics
After reading through the intro letter setting the scene, you work through a series of mini puzzles, that collectively reveal the access code to an online safe. It’s really easy to get started with the game and get stuck straight into the puzzles. Before you know it, you’ll be halfway to cracking the safe!
🎭 The Atmosphere
The story is based around owners of a hotel in north Wales. All of the game materials are themed around local points of interest and fictitious local businesses which all adds to the immersion.
🧠 Final Thoughts
If you’re new to escape room-type puzzle games, this would be an ideal intro game! Some puzzles are easy to get going with, while others require a little more brain power. The components are all great quality, and there was one tactile puzzle which I really enjoyed (no spoilers!). At the end of the game, there was also a nice “choose your path” element. It took me around 50minutes in total to complete the game.
Morgan’s Escapes and I did a game swap, and this is an honest review of my experience playing Inheritance.
Inheritance is available from Morgan’s Escapes.
🔍 Enigmarch and New Trail in Windsor!
I recently discovered #Enigmarch and created two puzzles for it, which you can see here and here. Huge respect to the creators doing this every day, as I found it surprisingly time-consuming!
What is Enigmarch? 🧩
It’s a daily puzzle creation challenge. Every day in March, @EnigMarchHQ shares a prompt that creators use as inspiration to make any kind of puzzle. Go and check out some of the brilliant people posting puzzles with #enigmarch.
NEW! Windsor Murder Mystery Trail
It’s been a minute, but I’m finally working on our next Murder Mystery Trail in Windsor, which will be released… soon!
I won’t say too much about it yet, but an Eton College alumnus stirred up the inspiration for the trail’s theme 👀 Expect more of what you love from Killer Trails: puzzles with just the right level of difficulty, plenty of hidden gems to discover, pubs galore, and much more!
That’s all for now!
If there’s anything you’d recommend that I should check out, if you’d like to do a game swap, or if you’d like an honest review of a game or experience, leave a comment below or get in touch!
