Works well with just 2: Yes!
Solo quality: Perfect
Age: 12+
Playtime: 15-45 min
Complexity: 2/10
Before we begin, a few words on the above data points:
Welcome to Crime City, where everyone’s a crook so you better watch your back!
Opening the small box reveals rather sparse components: a large 75 cm x 110 cm black-and-white map of the titular city, a bunch of cards, and a magnifying glass.
Not much, right? And yet...
- You can theoretically play MM:CC with an infinite number of players, but I doubt your table can accommodate that many bodies. 4 is just more manageable.
- From a game mechanic standpoint, kids as young as 5 could play this; I think the 12+ is a recommendation based on the subject matter (murders and stuff).
- Don’t let that complexity rating fool you: the rules are super simple but the game doesn’t play itself.
Opening the small box reveals rather sparse components: a large 75 cm x 110 cm black-and-white map of the titular city, a bunch of cards, and a magnifying glass.
Not much, right? And yet...
The map depicts the hustle and bustle of a regular modern-day city. Subway stations, a variety of shops, large parks, City Hall, living quarters—all beautifully drawn in isometric perspective. Woven throughout the scenery are 16 different crimes that unfold before your very eyes. Of course, everything is small and busy, so at first it’s not clear what’s going on. That’s why each case asks that you concentrate on the activities of a few central characters.
For instance: how did the bunny last seen in front of the theater holding a heart-shaped balloon disappear? (Yeah, he’s the guy on the cover.) What happened to him and why? That case, like every other one, comes in the form of a handful of cards, each asking specific questions. Where was the restaurant owner before she met her end? Who killed her? For what reason? And where can the murderer be found now?
The key is the poster, and it’s a genius design. You see, the poster doesn’t show a snapshot of the city, a single moment frozen in time. Instead, it shows a series of moments, all merged together in one image; and if you’re observant enough, you can rewind and fast-foward time to access different moments in the story you’re asked to untangle.
Take that bunny guy with the balloon. If you look around the theater, you’ll spot him a little distance down one of the busy streets, and the way he’s facing tells you that’s where he went next. If you then look in the opposite direction, you might spot him right before he got to the theater. Keep going in either direction, and you’ll unspool his entire day—what he did, whom he met—right up to that fatal moment. (Of course, people don’t always walk in a straight line, so you’ll probably have to do some looking around before you find him again.)
Think of it like if Sherlock Holmes and Wally (or Waldo in North America) got together to create a detective game. It’s engrossing and brilliant and I can’t wait to dive into that map again.
The game’s 16 cases should keep you busy for a little while; and once you’ve solved everything, give the game to a friend and buy volume two, which is already out!
[In Germany, MicroMacro: Crime City won Spiel des Jahres (literally “game of the year”) for 2021. That prize is bestowed upon the best family game of the year, and it’s not difficult to see why they went with this one. It’s great.]
Most easily forgotten rule: For the very first time, I can’t think of anything. The game is that straightforward.
# # #
For instance: how did the bunny last seen in front of the theater holding a heart-shaped balloon disappear? (Yeah, he’s the guy on the cover.) What happened to him and why? That case, like every other one, comes in the form of a handful of cards, each asking specific questions. Where was the restaurant owner before she met her end? Who killed her? For what reason? And where can the murderer be found now?
The key is the poster, and it’s a genius design. You see, the poster doesn’t show a snapshot of the city, a single moment frozen in time. Instead, it shows a series of moments, all merged together in one image; and if you’re observant enough, you can rewind and fast-foward time to access different moments in the story you’re asked to untangle.
Take that bunny guy with the balloon. If you look around the theater, you’ll spot him a little distance down one of the busy streets, and the way he’s facing tells you that’s where he went next. If you then look in the opposite direction, you might spot him right before he got to the theater. Keep going in either direction, and you’ll unspool his entire day—what he did, whom he met—right up to that fatal moment. (Of course, people don’t always walk in a straight line, so you’ll probably have to do some looking around before you find him again.)
Think of it like if Sherlock Holmes and Wally (or Waldo in North America) got together to create a detective game. It’s engrossing and brilliant and I can’t wait to dive into that map again.
The game’s 16 cases should keep you busy for a little while; and once you’ve solved everything, give the game to a friend and buy volume two, which is already out!
[In Germany, MicroMacro: Crime City won Spiel des Jahres (literally “game of the year”) for 2021. That prize is bestowed upon the best family game of the year, and it’s not difficult to see why they went with this one. It’s great.]
Most easily forgotten rule: For the very first time, I can’t think of anything. The game is that straightforward.
# # #
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