Turn on the lights and find the crime – review of the board game “MikroMakro. On the trail of a crime “

The reviewed game is a chance for extremely addictive cooperative gameplay based on deduction and perceptiveness. Together with other players, we solve criminal cases, investigate the motives of the crime, look for evidence and convict the culprits. MikroMakro is a detective adventure, during which you will analyze a board with dimensions of 70×110 cm.

The beginning of the game

A decent cardboard box contains only a few elements: a board – a city map, 16 envelopes, a magnifying glass with a sticker, 120 case cards, a short and simple instruction and a spoiler alert (very important for beginners!). All of them have been prepared with the greatest care. Before the first game, you need to stick a sticker on the magnifying glass and place the decks of cards (case cards) in separate envelopes. At the beginning of the game, place the city map in a convenient place so that it is visible to all players. The most convenient will be a large table, because all players will be able to move freely around the city map and see it from all sides. One of the most important issues during the game is lighting – there are many really tiny elements on the board that you will not see,

Introductory investigation

The creators of the game prepared the so-called introductory investigation entitled “Cylinder”. To save time, you can start them while reading the instructions. One of the players becomes the main investigator – he will lead the case and read aloud the texts on the cards (in the meantime, he will also help to solve puzzles). The card on top of the deck assigned to an investigation will always be the starting card for the game. Thanks to it, you can find out what needs to be investigated. The next card – black – contains the description of the first task; the principal investigator reads the command but does not reverse it. To win the game, you need to explore the city map together, getting answers to questions about the case. The solution is always a specific scene on the board. If you have your type, the Chief Investigator can check the coordinates and the scene on the back of the case card. ATTENTION! Good to remember,

Other investigations

For all players who have not played  MikroMakro before , the publisher – Lucky Duck Games – has arranged five investigations in order. The stars next to the graphics symbolize not only the estimated difficulty level, but also the time consuming the game (on average, from 10 to 25 minutes). The first puzzle is on the game box; so you can try to face it, even if you do not want (yet, because it’s worth it!) to buy board games. I also give you a link to the game demo: https://www.micromacro-game.com/en/democase.html. Locations that have been found can be marked on the board with caps, coins or other small objects, which undoubtedly has a chance to diversify the game, and the city map can be hung on the wall and played for fun with friends (the so-called quick investigation mission). On the publisher’s website you will find additional puzzles, but remember that you can also invent them yourself. The game has an advanced version – we only read the starting card and try to solve the puzzle.

Find me!

MikroMakro  resembles a game of looking for Wally from a literary series by Martin Handford. The originators of the game are Johannes Sich, Daniel Goll and Tobias Jochinke, while the Hard Boiled Eggs studio is responsible for the first release. The reviewed game is an example of an undoubtedly involving board game players – we have an investigation, cause and effect relationships, the desired result and cooperation. MicroMacro is dedicated to children from 12 years of age and I think that is the minimum – despite the simple mechanics, there are criminal threads. In this game, we have a chance to play together solving puzzles, so don’t count on dramatic plot twists, interrogations or forced interactions. Nothing like this will happen. However, you must remember that after 16 cases are resolved, you will be rather reluctant to return to the game. It is an offer for all visual learners who like the atmosphere of  Kroniki zbrodni and board games of the escape room type  .