Dispatch: On the Run 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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First and foremost…if you DO NOT like Spoilers, I repeat, DO NOT like Spoilers. You may want to click out now. I am doing my best to not give away a lot of details but, there could be some within this review since it’s a bit unavoidable.
I have to admit that this box was a little harder for me to solve than the first two. I was stumped quite a bit on a couple of items but, if there’s one thing to be said about me, I love the thrill of a good mystery so I was definitely up for the challenge. As I dig through each box, I am growing more and more fond of this company and the series. There are so many details and fun stuff about it! It’s not just about reading the clues but, actually researching and interacting with them that is super appealing to me. I’m sure others agree with me!
Clue 1 – Chop Sticks & Folding Fan
I picked these items up right away, mostly because they were the most interesting clues to me. I love clues that are different than just normal letters or newspaper clippings so I studied these right away. I don’t want to give away too much, but, as I mentioned in our IG TV Video posted on September 9th (check out our Instagram for more details) – there’s an item in the Chapter 1 Box that will help you with this particular clue (and others) and help understand what it all means. As you can see, there are letters on the chopsticks packaging, and also on the fan. What do you think that they could mean? It took me a little bit to figure out how to decipher this but, once I did, it helped me a ton with solving the box and I was able to proceed full steam ahead.
Clue 2 – Hotel Notepad Sheet
On this clue, you’ll see a message that says “I hope you’ve read all my favorite mysteries.” I racked my brain to try to think about what this could mean. I interpreted that it had to be some kind of printed material or book(s) based on the word ‘read’ but other than that it, unfortunately, wasn’t as obvious to me right away. However, as mentioned, if you use a particular item from the Chapter 1 Box, you’ll slowly start to make sense of this clue. I also had to utilize the Slack Message Board that each subscriber can join and talk to other people about the different boxes. I highly recommend this community if you need some subtle (or bigger) hints. There’s also a Facebook Community if that’s more your style. You’ll need to look ‘beyond’ the box to crack this code. I had so much fun deciphering this message and I felt like a real true crime detective!
Clue 3 – Origami Paper & Instructions
I had a lot of fun putting this together but, to save myself some embarrassment, I will not post the final product (it wasn’t that pretty!). I found another clue on the crane once I put it all together that was pretty important to figure out all the clues for this box. It’s important you don’t skip putting this together! I really liked how it was a different kind of clue than normal too. It was fun to put together and brought back some memories. A very long time ago, I learned how to do different kinds of Origami figures with my grandmother when she volunteered at her local library.
Clue 4 – Fingerprint
This clue was one of the few that kind of creeped me out! I’m scared somewhat easily though, so maybe that’s why. I studied this for a while, trying to figure out who’s prints they could be. As you can see there are “names” below each set of prints with one being ‘Thief’. But, who? Is this someone from the Van Kress family? Is it James? Does this mean something from the previous back when you had to figure out the clues to who the thief was? There are so many possibilities. I honestly wasn’t completely sure what to do with this item. I decided not to spend too much time on it, only because I had a lot of other items to get through in the box. I made a quick mental note of it in case it becomes relevant for future boxes. 
Clue 5 – Photograph
There are three men in this photograph, with something written on the back. The only name mentioned is Dr. Roland. It appears that this is one of the clues that we will need for future boxes. I looked over it but there wasn’t anything glaringly obvious about the clue at first glance other than the name and that everyone is somehow intertwined together. I figured it would somehow play out later so when I open the next Chapter, I’ll make sure to refer back to this clue in case it means anything. 
Clue 6 – Tabloid Covers
I like the details that went into this tabloid. I love looking at them, and feeling like the story is actually real! As you can see from them, there’s a fire that happened and it alludes to a secret life for James’ bride. It also mentions a curse. Maybe the family is cursed, and this has something to do with Victoria’s death. Time will tell and more information will be revealed as we continue to go through each clue and try to put everything together.
Clue 7 – Newspaper Articles
Here are some newspaper articles about a fire that happened in Japan. It’s one of the Van Kress’ properties. Again, is it possible that the family is cursed? Or could this be something more sinister, such as an intentional fire set by an arsonist? I have a couple of theories, but, I don’t want to give away anything until I get closer to solving the entire series. Definitely make sure you read through these articles though because there are some things you will want to keep in mind.
Clue 8, 9, 10 – Eye Witness Account, Letters & Memo
I grouped all of these clues together because in an envelope there were three of the clues mentioned, so I kept them together in case there’s some significance to that. I also included the letters because I felt they tied in nicely. The eyewitness account mentions a couple of items that were in the newspaper articles. This made me think I need to keep this fresh in my mind because there’s something important. One thing that I noticed was mentioned more than once was a clue about a witness at the fire. We know that this witness is not from Japan. There’s also another newspaper article that came in this envelope that mentions it again.
A letter from White Towers that was in this box has some rather important details. Don’t be afraid to really “reach out” and look into additional information. For example – (hint) There is a phone number in the letter from White Towers. Don’t be afraid to use it. You are going to need the information from this letter in the future when it comes time for piecing each clue altogether.
A second letter that was a clue for this box is an insurance letter from Tucker, Tucker, & Nab. Yikes, this isn’t good news. Or at least it isn’t to the Van Kress family! It looks like this fire was not covered by insurance. The Tokyo Police Department also receives what appears to be an anonymous note about the fire. So, maybe this isn’t a curse and is, in fact, something much darker than that. Creepy, right?
Clue 11 – Sudoku Puzzle
I had fun with this clue as well! I love puzzles and while it wasn’t particularly difficult to figure out the answers, it still was fun to complete and think about what all of this could possibly mean. My favorite part about this clue is it’s obviously wanting to send you to a website for additional information. I figured this out with a hint from the Slack message board but, the introduction box actually already gave you this clue – how cool is that? Unfortunately, I will admit that I didn’t pick up on that until it was pointed out to me but, I love that everything is tying itself together. It’s made me want to back and review everything again and see what else I can rediscover. 
Overall
This month, I feel like I was able to ‘solve’ the majority of things on my own but, I did need a push in the right direction for other things. I can tell each month is going to get a little bit more difficult as I go on but, I am up for the challenge! The theme of each box so far has been very thought out and really interactive. I feel that the price of this box is worth so much more because of the experience. I can’t say enough good things about this box and I’m excited to share with you Chapter 3 next month. Stay tuned for the next IG TV Instagram post, and of course our review. Comment below if you’re also currently receiving this subscription. Are you loving it? Any subtle hints out there you can share?
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