If you limit this game to 4 players (1 ghost and 3 guessers), then you *can* change the theme back to be that the ghost is giving the guessers clues to murderers and the locations rather than eliminating suspects!

As a ghost, the experience is clearly different in Mysterium Park. The ghost screen is gone, but it existed in Mysterium for a good reason : for the ghost to look at the suspects / locations / weapons easily. Now you have to look at them from a distance and be sure that no player look at your eyes. Also you can't keep some clue cards for future locations, as you have no idea of what they will be I like being the ghost in Mysterium and for me the experience is not as good in Mysterium Park :(

Personally, I’ll eventually get this to mix and match the best parts of both games.

Haha! Yeah, I was always amused that the play time for the original Mysterium is listed as specifically 42'. Happy to hear that this weird little quirk continued here.

Zee is hands down my favorite reviewer of the Dice Tower and the one I agree with the most, but I have to take a totally opposite stance on one of his negatives. Spending the bulk of the game eliminating suspects before all agreeing on the final verdict actually sounds like a better theme/process opposed to the original Mysterium where everyone is spending most of the game trying to accuse the wrong people only to then have the last round where every player but one to changes their mind by going, “ Oh yeah, my bad. My clairvoyance was ACTUALLY telling me that it was this totally different person/place/thing.” That “professional” flip-flop was my only negative about the original Mysterium. A friend of mine refused to play the original game because he said that THAT mechanic alone made it pointless to play and it should all be skipped and just play the last round. I like Dixit and grand looking tables so Mysterium stays in my collection… but I think it’s time to take a trip to the Park. 😎

Thanks for the review, I think that it brings some new ideas to the Mysterium format, some good, some perhaps not so much... I think there is still room for improvement, others have already made a bunch of relevant observations about using cards from the original, and the issues with looking at the cards as the ghost... so I'll try to focus on some other observations. As a travel game with just suspect and location cards, the cards could be double sided with suspects on one side and locations on the other, which would allow far more replay-ability with the same number of components. For the three final suspects and locations, I'd suggest having them be the first three suspects and the first three locations correctly deduced. if there are not enough players for all three final suspects and locations to be selected this way, the ghost may choose additional suspects and locations to make up any shortfall. I own Mysterium, and prefer the screen, but I can see some advantages to the location card system that Mysterium Park uses. I will probably pick it up at some point, but I suspect that I will end up primarily playing a homebrew fusion of the two rather than either in the original format. I think it is a great game for the style of game it is, but that it has rough edges that can be improved. Thanks again for the review, it gives me a much better handle on if I want to get the game or not.

Our group felt that we wanted to steal a lot of the streamlining for the original game. But we found the ghost clue cards were really hard to use. The original Mysterium clue art had a lot more elements that could relate to the cards on the table.

I agree about the locations being too similar, and not finding the suspects until the last round is weird. A bonus is that it's easy to play over Zoom.

Great review. I bought this and haven’t played it yet, but I really like the production value in this game. I’ve never seen a game mechanism like this and the idea of playing this as a cooperative game in party format intrigued me, and I could see my non-gamer friends enjoying it. It has a macabre feel to it in the art, but is not. Definitely a keeper.

Liking the easier set up for teaching new people, I like to mix and match cards from all versions. Still prefer the presentation of Original Mystrium of course, but Park is a lot of fun.

I understand the issues described but I enjoy this game much more than the original Mysterium (which I sold years ago). I really hated the original's annoying set-up and the clairvoyance token mechanic. Mysterium Park is a lot of fun to quickly play with the family, something I couldn't say about the original.

@jensthernstrom8602

3 жыл бұрын

Speaking of the original, the clairvoyance tokens were added when the game was released in the english market. The original polish version did not include that bit of the game and was better of for it, just play Mysterium without guessing if others guesses are correct and show all cards to all players at the end of the game.

@joerobertson7709

Жыл бұрын

Ever play it with two players? Thinking about getting it to play w/ my husband. Any other 2 play co-op games you like that aren't super complicated?

Bought this game, along with Ticket to Ride London, as "travel" versions of their larger counterparts and couldn't be happier. 7 out of 10 is fair. I'm higher at 8 out of 10 though.

@Stomski

3 жыл бұрын

Surely if you couldn't be happier it'd be 10/10?

I enjoy the new game and the condensed rules. We mix in the original Mysterium Cards so it has more diversity. I think it is neat that they changed that the ghost identify the innocents, bc I always found it weird that in the original the ghost would identify multiple different guilty ones. that never made sense to me.

This is really fun to play with kids.

Could the cards be used as an expansion for regular Mysterium or vice versa?

@dev.strato

3 жыл бұрын

the card backs are different, but considering they're just cards of weird abstract art that don't matter until they're passed out, you absolutely can use them without issue. you could even pull in cards from other similar games such as Dixit.

To make sense of the theme to the mechanics: the card giver is the spirit of the still living medium while the others are the dead loved ones of the suspects. The medium gets flashes of insight and the ghosts go “yes, yes my little Johnny was at the corndog stand and isn’t the killer”. You assume the medium is talking to other ghosts that aren’t at the table and eliminate all the people/locations that the ghosts know weren’t involved with the murder. The final round is all the ghosts trying to help the medium pin it on the right killer. The medium has a guess based on what the ghosts have said BUT also is getting flashes of insight. If the insight and the guess line up, the medium is right and the ghosts helped solve the mystery. If the insight points elsewhere then the medium is considered a fraud because they spoke their guess but the insight said they were wrong.

Great review! Thanks for it. I've played this new version several times already and I can say I like the new system better. On the other hand, as you mentioned, I liked the old setting more. And I must tell the new locations I just a lot harder. What I would do is to mix the old cards into the new system. If I end up byuing the game, I'll do. One more point: I like the new "find the witness" better. It always felt weird to look for people and locations that just might be rigt ("I might have been killed in the garden by the cook OR maybe it was the old lady in the living room"). Right now the ghost is telling us "these people didn't do it" which make sense. You are right about the attachment to "my cards", but it is also misleading in the final round. There is also the problem with "making a code language". If I understand why ghost pointed to a specific character one time, it might be easier to do it again at the end. The new system also fixes that.

@AccioPadfoot12

3 жыл бұрын

So the old people and place cards would work with this? I love the idea of a faster game. Like the old one but it dragged.

@PetrVojtech

3 жыл бұрын

@@AccioPadfoot12 Absolutely, you can use old cards.

My thoughts: This is beginers guide to the real Mysterium. Get your barings with this one first, and then do the real one once you understand the jist.

regards the random 28 minute estimation on the box, i think there is anecdotal evidence that short games tend to sell better, so saying 28 instead of 30 makes it look like it's shorter than it is. kinda the reason why marketing always sell something for eg $49.98 instead of just $50.

So, if you prefer theme, go with the original. If you prefer streamlined mechanics, go with this one. I'm sticking with the original, thank you. But hey, Libellud, how about an expansion for the original with only the vision cards from this one?! ;)

I would like to have that bigger concealing screen back, but this basically took out all the weird unnecessary fiddly bits in the last round of scoring that I hated about Mysterium and simplified the game down to something much more playable at a game night table.

Nothing like Mysterium and it’s grand setup that brings out it’s beautiful art and theme. Love the intense ending where everyone secretly guesses and that pure excitement when you win is awesome. Having a murder weapon is a must. I will say that this new version is cool for 2-3 players and mixing all the cards 🙌🏽

Does anyone know if the expansion "Hidden Signs" for the original game can be used for Mysterium PARK? Are the cards roughly the same size? (Having extra locations looks like it would be worthwhile)

Sorry, what's the name of the board game with a white box in the background? (is above Fate of the Elder Gods and left from Istanbul) Thanks!

@thedicetower

3 жыл бұрын

That's a very neat roll-and-write called On Tour. - Zee

@guidomoyanoloyola7282

3 жыл бұрын

@@thedicetower Thanks!!!

My #3 of 2020 given a 7. I must make myself a soothing tea...........while wearing clown shoes.

@MRW1NKLE

3 жыл бұрын

Zee is awesome but I personally agree with your review more. I never liked/understood why the ghost was giving clues for multiple suspects when only one of them was, in fact, the murderer. I think exonerating innocent suspects makes more sense (not that it really matters). For anyone who doesn't own the original Mysterium, I think re-playability would become an issue but I plan on mixing everything together.

This one looks like it'd play better at lower player counts compared to the original one which didn't really play well with 2 or 3 players.

Is this fun with just two people?

First the players find themselves, then they catch the criminal.

To address your biggest negative, since it isn't really explained, I will be saying "The Ghost will be giving each of the Psychics key information solve the mystery. Since Mysterium Park is only in town for six nights, the Ghost needs each of you to speak with a specific employee and look for clues in a specific location. Each night, the psychics will receive Visions that will guide them to the employee. Once a Psychic has received the information needed, the Psychic will no longer receive Visions until all of the Psychics have spoken with their assigned employee. The next night, the Psychics will receive Visions that will guide them to clues in certain locations that, tied with the information gained from their employee, will hopefully solve the mystery. If all of the Psychics speak with their assigned employee and search for clues in their assigned location while Mysterium Park is in town, then they will have three viable Suspect/Location scenarios. The Ghost will give all of the Psychics two Final Visions to hopefully guide them to the correct scenario. As much as I love the original, I feel that its main premise was weak, as well (amnesiac Ghost). I altered that storyline, too :) I'm thinking using the Key Cards as a setup for regular Mysterium and using the new rules could be an option for replayability.

I own the original and it's great. After watching this review I don't see any reason to own this one too.

in terms of theme, i imagine that the souls of the innocent are trying to contact psychics to tell them they're innocent, and the guilty party are being silent.

Base Mysterium has 18 of each card type... so at 20 Park is doing just fine. Basically a comparison of Mysterium All in and Park if you’re complaining about seeing new cards. Mysterium Park strips out the cumbersome setup and tear down, which is why base game left my collection. The theme was always a bit overstated in my opinion anyhow, so this looks equal to the task. For me, this game looks and feels like an improvement in every way shape and form.

This seems like they tried to streamline it, but did so in the wrong way.

Disagree with your Criticisms and conclusion. Own it. Played it. A great streamlined version of the original. Artwork and theme are great.

I like the original Mysterium game and I can see how this one can be even a better opener. But having to look at the 9 cards on the table to know which clues to provide as the ghost can give away a lot unfortunately. Plus, the logic of searching for the innocent rather than the possible suspects does not make any sense to me. But that is where the beauty of the board games come to the picture. Have a house rule that you search for the suspects. Still not sure if I want this one, we play the original game on regular basis and I have 2 expansions for it.

I think the theme hurts this one. For locations and characters more varied backgrounds would have been much better. We struggled with this one

@AccioPadfoot12

3 жыл бұрын

Do you think it would mix well with the original? As in add or use the character and place cards from the original and play the faster game? (I know the clue cards can be mixed, along with those from Dixit)

Why not just make another expansion? Seems pointless.

The suspect sounds dumb, what if you Codenames it and YOU DONT WANT players to guess that witness and maybe they lose an hour if one of them chooses that character?

Game length: 28 minutes too long. As a filler game, it's excellent - for filling your trash can.

@MRW1NKLE

3 жыл бұрын

pipe down, jabroni!

@StevenStJohn-kj9eb

3 жыл бұрын

@@MRW1NKLE LOL. Thanks for teaching me a new word. :)

@MRW1NKLE

3 жыл бұрын

@@StevenStJohn-kj9eb haha i'm glad you can take a joke

@StevenStJohn-kj9eb

3 жыл бұрын

@@MRW1NKLE Cheers!