The Vandermist Dossier - Chapter 1

We tackled The Vandermist Dossier by Diorama Games as a team of four, which felt like the right number for this experience. The components in the box were beautifully crafted—high quality, varied, and visually engaging. However, we found the puzzle connections a bit tricky to navigate. Despite our combined experience of over 300 escape rooms, we struggled to piece together how certain elements fit into the overall flow. It’s hard to say whether this was due to our approach or the fact that this was Diorama’s first game in the series. Having played The Medusa Report a few weeks before, we personally found that game to be a smoother and more enjoyable experience. That said, The Vandermist Dossier still offers a solid challenge for players who enjoy intricate, investigation-style puzzles. Recommended for all players, but be prepared for a more abstract and demanding puzzle-solving experience.

➕ Deluxe components. Authentic and genuine, it's difficult to get better than this. ➕ Interesting story. The story overlaps with the puzzles exquisitely, making it rather engaging and immersive. ➕ Out of the box puzzles. While the puzzles were pretty difficult, they were really creative and figuring out the solutions felt SUPER satisfying. I can't stress enough that the puzzles were really really good. ✖️ Some busywork. There were times where we had to decode a message, spending a good 5-15 mins on it. A good way to circumvent this is to view the solutions once you've figured out the approach. If you're an enthusiastic puzzler, this is a must try game. The puzzles are very different and unlike the norm so expect to take a good chunk of time figuring out each puzzle. The game definitely leans towards the difficult side so I would recommend playing with it more players if you're a beginner or bring along a more experience puzzler.

this is the type of game that i’ve been searching for. if you love decryption and solving puzzles that have been staring at your face for hours without you even knowing it was a puzzle to begin with, then this is the game for you. the only thing that makes finishing this game so much better is the knowledge that there’s 2 (or 3?) more games in this series to finish!