The Deadbolt Mystery Society Monthly Box
by Deadbolt Mystery Society$23.67/ month
Buying OptionsReviews (1230)
Fun, even if not what I expected
Jan 11, 2023
Adrianna O.
This was my first box of this kind ever, I purchased as a gift for my grandmother and I ended up sitting down with her to help "solve" it. I really enjoyed figuring out the clues and I pretty quickly could put the pieces together, there was only one instance where I had to look up a hint. Overall it was fun and I would purchase again to solve on my own.
Although I was satisfied with it... I had hoped for a more realistic detective-like experience that required some deep thought. The process felt kind of hollow up until the end when I had to consider personal information about the characters. I wish there had been more to read and digest about the people involved that provided clues and helped support the ending.
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Great Fun Overall
Nov 28, 2022
Kibi H.
Overall a great box. I have come across a couple older boxes recently that seem to have left out important clues or reasons for including certain items, but even when missing those items my Boyfriend and I can work through them and still have a lot of fun.
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Deadbolt
Aug 13, 2022
Annemarie B.
I find it difficult to navigate create joy
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Hey AnnMarie,
Our customer support team at The Deadbolt Mystery Society is always available to assist you if you need it. Simply send us an email and we will happy to help. We see that you have placed 4 separate orders with us on different occasions. Please let us know if you need any assistance with those.
Too hands on
May 01, 2022
Amber G.
We loved the box for the most part. We started doing mystery boxes over video chat with a friend across the country at the beginning of the pandemic. We wanted something a little darker than Hunt A killer and this box definitely delivered. The only issue is that almost all the puzzles required physical manipulation of the clues to figure out, completely leaving out the friend in another state.... I already paid for 3 months so hopefully the next box is better suited for our needs, but I don't know if it's a great fit for us.
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Hey Amber, thank you for your feedback. We appreciate you giving us an opportunity. Our mysteries are meant to be hands on, and that's why you will see physical manipulation in some of our mysteries. While our mysteries can be solved via video chat with people in different locations, it's best if both parties have copies of the mystery for situations such as yours.
First Impression First Box
Apr 13, 2022
Thuromin R.
Some items had very poor guidance. Without "cheating" it would be nearly impossible to figure out that for example some lines have nothing to do with anything and you just "know" to omit them somehow. Now that I know how the creators are implementing these games, perhaps I will be able to do better on the next round. Took months to receive the first box.
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Hi Thuromin,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us feedback on your first experience with us. We do appreciate knowing about your mystery solving. Our mysteries go through extensive testing before ever going to print or going to our customers. We test groups of all sizes, as well as groups of all experience levels. We would never release mysteries that would only be solved by looking at the hints. That is something that is a major part of our testing process. You also mention "took months to receive the first box." This subscription was purchased on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Our subscription policy is that we take subscriptions from the first day of the month to the last day of the month. Then, the...
Not good for Android users
Feb 16, 2022
Wendy G.
The QR codes only work on iphones. Not on androids. I always need to have someone there with me that owns an iphone. Very disappointing.
Hey Wendy,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. However, our boxes do work for Android users. Part of our testing process before releasing a mystery is to test the box with Iphone, Android, and Google users. Feel free to contact us directly via email for additional assistance in using your Android phone with our mysteries.
Canceled subscription
Mar 11, 2022
Sandra L.
I canceled my subscription.please send me no more. Sandra Lovejoy
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Fun detective work
Jan 23, 2022
Jolene O.
This was my first box. It took a while to get the right clues to open more clues. A few things were not clear but we finally figured it out. It took us about 4.5 hours. It was fun though! Can't wait for the next one to arrive.
A fun night
Jan 15, 2022
Siv S.
It wasn't what i expected but i gave to husband for Christmas. 3 of us took on the challenge to solve it and it was fun..had to get some hints. The puzzles were good...not that easy. We are waiting for our 2nd box of his 6 month subscription
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Thank you for your review! We are glad that you had fun solving your mystery! We hope you enjoy your 2nd box as well!
Keeping the girl happy
Jan 13, 2022
Jesse G.
Asked about shipping three times with Zero reply. Not good. Customer service should rank higher on the list here.
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One technically difficult puzzle
Jan 13, 2022
Little B.
Only reason it isn’t five stars is one of the puzzles.
Maybe Spoiler
You have to measure the circumference of circles and it is extremely difficult to maneuver and guess. And multiple circles were the same size so it was extra confusing.
The Terminal fun but beyond our skills
Jul 26, 2021
Cat F.
Are you ready for a challenge? The Terminal Mystery Box was very difficult. One seasoned adult, two escape room experienced adults and a 12 year old had to call on Crystal for clues and hints. In the end we still failed. But had some laughs while working on family communication skills! Looking forward to the next box!
Many of your fellow detectives realize their puzzle-solving skills increase with each case closed. Hopefully, you will enjoy the next one more. We are glad to see you still made some fun memories, Cat!
suited to kill
Jan 12, 2022
Robin D.
What an interesting idea. I received this as a gift and it is the coolest thing. I am very busy this time of year, so not sure I will be able to get thru this one by end of January, but the puzzles are interesting and all different, can't wait till I really have time to go thru it all.
nicelydone
Jan 23, 2022
Teller B.
Nicely done .Compelling
Taylor Murder
Jan 13, 2022
Robert H.
Overall it was good
This Is One of the Best Boxes!
Nov 27, 2021
Tonya W.
I enjoyed this mystery box. Some of the clues were a bit hard for no reason, so I had to rely on the hints. But this is still a good time, reading the information and working through the clues until you find the suspect. This is great fun for families or individuals.
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We are so happy to hear you are enjoying our mysteries, Tonya! Thank you for your feedback. We have found that the more mysteries you solve, the better your detective skills become. The hints are always available just in case you need a little nudge. We look forward to working with you again soon, Detective!
Great
Nov 11, 2021
Chad C.
Fun for the whole family
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We are glad to hear you were able to spend quality time with the family and our mysteries!
The Inheritance Box
Aug 29, 2021
Jennifer L.
Elizabeth Sword suggested the inheritance box for myself and my husband. We enjoyed playing and figuring out all the puzzles. Our 9 year old daughter even helped and loved it! The only negative I can say is it seems like things could be a bit more organized in the box, or just a more clear order of operations. Other than that, we can't wait to play our next box!
Welcome to The Deadbolt Mystery Society, Jennifer! We love hearing about family time with our mysteries. Thanks for the feedback.
The Inheritance,
Aug 29, 2021
Daniel L.
We really had a good time with this box suggested by Elizabeth Sword. We played it with me, my wife and 9 year old daughter. I loved the puzzles! I feel like I could have played this by myself and had just as much fun as if I had played with multiple people. This was our first box so we may have done some things incorrectly, but I think a tad more instruction would bring my review to 5 stars. There was nothing to tell us that figuring out things like, who's fingerprints were on the door, meant that they were no longer a suspect. In my mind, finding someone's fingerprints made them more of a suspect. I'm also not sure if the cards/papers are in a certain order or not. Most of ours got mixed up as we passed them around. I think if things were numbered a little better, the game would have been more fluid. We had a Book 1 and Book 2, but we had to go back and forth between the books when I think it would have been better to complete book 1 then move on to book 2. Like I said, this was our first box so we may have not played it correctly, but a little more direction would have been a bonus.
These boxes are great. Very entertaining and interactive. They can be saved for get togethers, given as gifts, or...
Welcome to The Deadbolt Mystery Society, Daniel! Our mysteries are designed to be played solo or with others so they make the perfect gift or game night activity! We are glad to see you didn't give up on solving your first mystery. As a consultant with the Will Street Detective Agency, your first task is to read everything and examine the evidence. Once that is complete, begin solving the puzzles to unlock QR codes which will provide you with further details about the case. The more mysteries you solve, the more your skills will improve. Thank you for your feedback on The Inheritance, Detective.
Deadbolt Society Box Subscription
Feb 14, 2021
Kathryn H.
As I mentioned when asked to review previously, I think that the Deadbolt Society does a GREAT job with the boxes themselves. They’re well put together. They’re interactive. They have great support.
The SOLE reason I subtracted 1 star for the overall rating is because Cratejoy gave it a 13+ for the recommended age range. When we subscribed we took this to understand that younger kids/teens (13-16) could easily enjoy it solo or with adults. Arguably, it’s NOT something that a couple of younger teens would be able to play without needing to use A LOT of hints/clues.
The boxes are challenging and fun. Don’t expect to breeze right through them. It’s a good time with the right group of people/friends.
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Thank you, Kathryn, for sharing your thoughts on the DMS mysteries. We are glad to hear you are enjoying them. We have a 13+ rating on our boxes due to the subject matter contained within the stories. Although there is no nudity or profanity, there are references to murder. The puzzles are designed to be challenging but not impossible. Hopefully, kids ages 13 to 16 will continue working with our boxes and develop an appreciation for the creativity. :-)
Not the best but not terrible
Jun 13, 2021
Kathryne A.
The Blast from the Past box was fun and had a lot of great 80s pop culture references that made it extra enjoyable. That being said, I think a few of the puzzles seemed great on paper but where very confusing in terms of reality. Overall not bad and looking forward to next months mystery!
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Hi Kathryne! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on Blast from the Past with us. We are sorry to hear that some of the puzzles were confusing to you but are so grateful that you pressed on, figured them out and closed the case, Detective! Well done!
it is decent
Dec 27, 2020
Brian G.
I bought this box on as when November was transitioning to December. I wouldve liked it if i couldve gotten this box before Christmas but hey, 1 day too late is better than like 1 week too late. This box looks interesting, however I was originally bought this box to get the Framed theme but The Spider def does look interesting to play. Tbh, i dont hate this subscription, Im only going to done one and done as i only got this as a gift for my uncle
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Well contrived for four to six players
Mar 16, 2021
Johnny J.
This was our first Mystery Box. The solution was quite difficult and well contrived. Our group of 10 may have been too large for this as a few just wandered off mentally. However, the ones who liked this really liked it. I think a quarterly mystery would suit us best.
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Hi Johnny! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on solving your first mystery. While ten players can certainly take part in the challenge, we recommend four players so each person has a complete idea of the storyline and objective for each puzzle. We are glad to welcome you to our team, Detective!
I have not received it!
Mar 15, 2021
Daniella B.
I can't answer any of the questions since my box has not arrived yet. PLease check my address info.
Verified Purchase
Hey Danielle, we shipped your package to the address and preferences that you set while placing your order. When we check the tracking of your shipment, we see that your package had a delivery attempt two weeks ago on March 3rd. We are always happy to assist our customers when they contact us directly about their order.
Well conceived and designed... but hard.
Mar 14, 2021
Jr H.
We have had a lot of fun with these boxes. Our team has gotten the hang of it and found a teamwork approach that is fun and effective. With that said, this box seemed much more difficult to us and we ran up against some frustration. We had to resort to looking at hints a couple of times.
I understand there is a balance to find between being too challenging and too simple. If anything, this box seemed to err on the side if being too challenging for our enjoyment.
Verified Purchase
Thank you for sharing your experience, JR. Some of our mysteries are seemingly more difficult than others so we added a 0 to 10 level of difficulty rating on each box. You can find this in the box description. Please do not feel bad for having to look at the Hint files. That is what they are there for....to give you a little nudge in the right direction. Thanks for hanging in there with us, Detective!