Masters of Crime: Rapture review

 My wife and I are always on the lookout for new one-off games in the crime, escape room, or detective genre; I've reviewed more than I can count. But after getting my hands on the first game in the Masters of Crime series—Masters of Crime: Vendetta—I was incredibly impressed with the system, the storytelling, the use of various websites to advance the plot, and the grading elements. Vendetta was great, so when I got the chance to pick up a few more games in the series, I immediately volunteered to get all four, which I hadn't tried yet.

 Today I'm going to be talking about Masters of Crime: Rapture. Oddly enough, it seems to be even better than Vendetta. Read on to find out my spoiler-free thoughts on why!

IT'S HARD TO BE A STAR

 Masters of Crime: Rapture is a one-time crime investigation game, meaning that once you've completed it, you can't replay it. However, the game is completely "restartable," so I'm already looking forward to giving it to my friends so they can experience it too. Although the box says it can be played with up to six people, in my experience it's more of a one- or two-player game.

 I also want to pay attention to the game's length - the box says 2-4 hours, and the instructions advise taking a break at the two-hour mark. We finished Rapture in two and a half hours, so a break may not be necessary. We took our time - we read all the cards out loud and carefully sorted the evidence, so your time may vary. In any case, the Masters of Crime games last longer than some other detective board games, but the amount of material in the box is truly impressive.

 In Rapture, players take on the role of a shady cartel boss who enjoys a life of luxury on the fictional island of Isla de Cubados, making a fortune from the lucrative drug trade. (These games are very reminiscent of the feeling of being the hero of Grand Theft Auto, which I personally like.) While relaxing at a beach bar on the island, you overhear a local cop talking about the disappearance of one of the world's most famous pop stars - a singer who has just arrived on the island to shoot a music video. And yes, this star, Diana, is originally from the same island. (By the way, the cop is on your payroll, so that's also to your advantage.)

 Suddenly you realize you have a problem - your "white business" is making great profits, but the disappearance of a pop star could attract the attention of the police - both local and international. Despite being a criminal yourself, it becomes vital to figure out what happened to Diana before the real investigators arrive.

 I really liked this plot idea. Over the course of a few hours and with around 70 cards of evidence, photos, visual clues, and a series of suspects—each with their own dark motives—Rapture does a great job of confusing players, gradually drawing them into the investigation. There are half a dozen fake websites to scan, a dozen envelopes with additional evidence, and a logic puzzle to solve to gain access to new cards.

 “This is probably the neatest and most cleanly constructed detective game we’ve ever played,” my wife said as we neared the end of the investigation. And I had to agree. Experience helps, of course, but here everything seemed logical and understandable—we were just working through all the cards carefully. We even got a high five when we used deduction to guess part of the final solution. Despite the large number of false clues, we managed to piece together a complete picture by carefully following the “crumbs” of evidence scattered throughout the island.

KOSMOS PUBLISHER NICHE

 By the time we got to the final clues, we had solved the crime correctly and achieved the second highest score in the game. Like Vendetta, Rapture gives players the chance to find out what happened to all the characters in the story, and it also goes a step further by letting you decide the fate of some particularly vile characters. (Even though you're a drug lord yourself, let's face it, they were a bit worse.)

 The level of detail in Rapture is simply amazing. And it's no wonder, since the publisher is KOSMOS, the company behind the Exit: The Game series, including the Exit: The Game Advent Calendars that our family plays through every year during the holidays. KOSMOS knows how to make games in this genre, and every installment of Masters of Crime is a real win. Knowing that we have three more games left - Shadows, Incognito, and the latest Mosquito - is a real treat; my wife can't wait to start the next one ahead of schedule.

 I, on the other hand, enjoy the anticipation. Like a good TV drama, Rapture offers a truly high-quality narrative - mature, deep, and tense, just the way I like it. It's a fairly expensive game for a single-player format (around $25), but it's totally worth the price.

 Be sure to check out Masters of Crime: Rapture if you like playdates!