50 Clues: The Pendulum of the Dead (2019)

About this game

Maria is locked up in a psychiatric ward and must escape finding her son before it’s too late. The Pendulum of the Dead is the first episode of the murderous trilogy about Maria. 50 Clues is an immersive puzzle game that offers the experience of an escape room, but in a format that can be played at home. You combine objects, solve puzzles and decipher codes to complete the story. A smartphone or tablet keeps track of the solutions and provides multistep hints if the need arises.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 1 to 5. It has a designed solo mode.
• Rules load. At 2.1/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 16 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.