Dispatch: I, Spy series by Breakout Games
Price: $24.99
Website Description of Box: “Imagine a new kind of escape, one you can experience in the comfort of your own home – introducing Dispatch by Breakout. It’s a step apart from everyday entertainment—better than a book, more engaging than television—think of it as an immersive mystery where you wear the detective hat.
The story begins with the first delivery, or dispatch, if you will. In it, you’ll find physical clues that lead you to the web and back to the real world to unravel a mysterious crime. Grab a friend, the whole family and your thinking cap, and get ready to put your heads together for one mindbending ride as additional details are revealed with every package.”
Shipping: Free
Ships to: U.S.
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This is the second series by Dispatch we’re reviewing. To see our previous series click here.
I’m always so amazed by how intricate and neat looking the boxes are. It really sets up the mood for the box and makes playing the game that much more fun. Dispatch explains this series as, “You’ve been mistaken for a top secret agent. Track down an assassin known as The Raven to stop his nuclear threat. Can you sabotage The Raven’s plan in time?”
Included in the box were the helpful cards that Dispatch always includes in each box. I love having everything spelled out so I know what to expect. Especially for a first time box, this is extremely helpful and valuable.
I found the familiar Bailey’s Detective Company card right away. Glad I will have a familiar person to help me crack this case! The game also had some other business cards, including one from “The Raven”, and a business card that was attached to this letter from Agent Hollis.
As you can see, there’s a barcode on the back of The Raven’s card which leads me to an Instagram page. Make sure you don’t skip this part. I don’t want to dish out too many clues, but, it will take you to a game that will give you a clue for later on in the game. I went back to this after skimming the Instagram page and then realized there was more to it.
On the business card with a picture of an eye on it found with Agent Hollis’ jacket, it appears I am supposed to call this number on the back. Once I do this, I receive information that I need to be very careful. I’m traveling to Kalbakistan which unfortunately is not the safest place at the moment. Listen to the entire message though, you receive some good tips and information. It might have been overkill but, I redialed the number and listened once more just to make sure I understood the directions very clearly.
Next is a pocketbook of Code Systems. I have a feeling I really need to hang on to this for now, and probably for the future.
As you can see, on the last page, this book has a message for me. Also pictured is a passport. I mean, you can’t travel without one, so very fitting. I love how it looks real.
As shown above, there’s a message waiting for me. Is the second part…a word? Nope, I know what to do! Looks like I’m ready to start deciphering a code.
Once I figured out the meaning, it took me to a mail vault website where I had a message waiting for me.
I guess you can say this is where the fun began. The message was all in Morse Code which I was not prepared for. And while this took the longest for me to solve, I have to say this a lot of fun! I may not be an expert yet but, once I got the hang of it, I was able to decipher the message. I had to repeat it quite a bit though but, hey, if I was a real spy, would anything be this easy anyway? Also, one more hint, as I mentioned above, there is a step you take with The Raven’s Card. It’s related to this website and yes, it involves Morse Code. While it was a bit frustrating at some points, once you get the message you’ll feel really cool just like I did.
In this envelope below, it appears we have a clue. It took me a few minutes but, I figured it out (thanks to another part of the box) and then it was smooth sailing.
Oooh, now if only I could actually spend this money below, then I would be pretty happy! The only real hint I can give is to think of …money. Yes, literal money. You have paper money and you have coins. What do you think you’d do with a coin if you weren’t spending it and you saw a blank white box?
Here is a close up of the money. This is what I mean by a blank white box.
Included in the first chapter was some paperwork and Top Secret files for us to take a peek at.
At first, I thought that the even number lines in the letter were whited out and I would not be able to read the entire document. Nope, read the words carefully and it tells you exactly what to do to uncover what’s hidden.
Apparently everywhere The Raven goes, he leaves a mysterious black feather.
Unfortunately, this is the only picture that was provided of our new friend. We did get some good background information on The Raven though, so that was helpful.
We also received some files on another person we must keep our eye on. Too bad the Sharpie pen got to this document before we could read it in full!
Not to worry, I know I can crack the code, just wait and see.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, I had a blast with this first box. While only one part felt significantly challenging to me, I thought it was a nice way to open the series. I liked all of the details and pictures that were included in the box. It felt like every clue had a lot to offer and it kept me on my toes. Since I’ve already completed one of the series, I feel like I understand how things work a bit more too. Definitely make sure to take advantage of the Dispatch Community on Slack and/or Facebook. It’s filled with a lot of good information and people who want to help you solve the boxes. I am excited to crack into the next box and see where this adventure takes me!
Want to try Dispatch: I, Spy?
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