Escape the Crate “Whodunit?” May/June 2022 Review + Coupon

Escape the Crate is a bi-monthly subscription-box-based game that puts all the fun of an escape room in a box delivered right to your door. Every other month, Escape the Crate delivers a new adventure from time travel to a murder mystery, with puzzles designed to be solved at home.

The Cost: $29.99 every other month, plus $9.95 shipping

ACTIVE DEAL: Limited Time Only! Use code 1STFREE at checkout to get your first box FREE with a 6 or 12 month preorder!

CODE: 1STFREE

Note: "Retired games" (boxes that are no longer part of the subscription) are often sold as one-time purchases on the Escape the Crate site for $39.99.

First Impressions

At the start of the pandemic, when everyone and their second cousin was ordering board games to play at home, I tried to order Clue. How I'd gotten to my late 30s without this classic on shelf is beyond me, but apparently I was not the only one. Because as I sat in my living room, scouring the Internet for Colonel Mustard and his friends, I kept coming up empty. Apparently the entire world had the same idea as me at just about the same time, and I had to make do with Exploding Kittens, and Throw, Throw Burrito for my family fun dining room table style.

Why am I sharing this with you? Let's just say when the latest Escape the Crate landed on my doorstep, I was more than a little excited. Finally! A whodunit mystery board game (well, sort of), and it was in my house!

What's Inside the Box

First thing's first. As usual, the May/June Escape the Crate came in a white plastic envelope. Opening it, you reveal the box which doubles as a carrying case for all the game pieces as well as being part of the game.

Inside the box itself, I discovered what I'd come to expect from playing this escape room-style at-home game: A series of disparate objects including a sleep mask, plastic item that resembled a cake knife, pill box, and a series of envelopes and pieces of paper.

On one paper was a website link and password — Escape the Crate incorporates an online element with pre-recorded videos and a series of websites to stand in for the escape room guide you'd normally encounter and some of the heftier items you might find in a real world escape room.

Good to know: It's much easier to work as a team when everyone can see the website screen, so opt for a laptop or even your TV — a cellphone works in a pinch but presents a challenge as everyone has to crowd around.

Once you hit the Escape the Crate website for the May/June 2022 challenge, you learn your great uncle Thomas Burke has died, and you're being invited to a reading of his will at Burke Manor. Joining you are a number of other people — aka the suspects you're about to evaluate in this "whodunit" murder.  See the relation to Clue yet?

In the ensuing game, you'll scour the items in your box to come up with answers for various clues — just like a real escape room. Some answers will be numbers, others letters, and you're going to have to size up suspects who you meet in the various videos on the site. The game is split into two, which I'm learning is standard for any Escape the Crate subscription delivery. It's one of the parts I like most because it allows you to split game play into essentially two escape rooms. Not to mention at $29.99 per box, you get enough for a number of players to play without having to add on costs for bringing friends.

The Verdict

Last time the delivery of Escape the Crate inspired me to dig into the Mission Impossible movie franchise. This time it had me on the hunt to watch Clue for some Tim Curry action! I'm not sure if that theme will continue, but it's nice to have a second spin-off activity with the family after we've been challenged to solve puzzles together.

The only thing I'm not crazy about with Escape the Crate is that I don't have use for all the extra items — I'm not exactly going to use a random pill box! — but this time I was careful to do my scribbling OFF the box and papers. That way I can pass it all along to a friend who can do their own Escape the Crate adventure on their own time. That adds even more value to the subscription.

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist.

More You Should Know

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, if you order now your first box will be "Escape the Grimm Wish" (a hint at fairy tales in the next box?). However, you can purchase this box (as well as most previous boxes) as a standalone purchase for $39.99.

What do you think of the Escape the Crate "Whodunit?" box?