Mysterium Review
There’s been a murder, and it’s up to you to discern the nature of the suspect, the weapon, and the room in which the attack took place!
Hold off with that cease and desist letter there, Professor Plum. This particular murder took place thirty years ago, and the ghost is on your side.
In Mysterium—originally released in Poland as the devilishly-difficult-to-pronounce Tajemnicze Domostwo—players work cooperatively to interpret whimsically-illustrated picture cards, eventually hoping to put together enough subjective clues to solve the ghost’s murder and lay his poor spirit to rest.
There are some minor mechanical differences between Mysterium and Tajemnicze Domostwo. This review will only be covering the 2015 English version released by Libellund games.
Gameplay
How do you play the game? Is it a fun experience? How much interaction is there between the players? Is there very much luck involved? Will it take forever to to learn and teach?
Depth
How much strategy is involved? Is there a sense of variety and balance? Does the game play well no matter how many players there are? How long does it take to play?
Look and Feel
Is the game aesthetically pleasing? Are the components made out of quality material, or do they feel cheap? Is the rulebook well-designed and easy to read? How well is theme integrated into the game?
Value
Is it a game you can play over and over? Are there expansions available for the game, and if so, are they necessary? Does the amount of the content in the box justify the price?
Conclusion
Mysterium is a fantastic cooperative experience with an immersive theme, and it absolutely lives up to its hype. As soon as I heard about the premise around GenCon 2015 time, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, and I wasn’t disappointed at all.
While the game certainly isn’t without its flaws, they are easy to overlook given the big picture. It’s true—certain situations can be very frustrating if you’re not on the same wavelength as the ghost, and it’s possible to lose the game all of a sudden in overtime even if you played perfectly up until that point. These things might not normally be earmarks of a great game.
However, in Mysterium, the appeal is in the journey. Whether or not you win, whether or not your ghost and psychics understand each other, you’ll find that this is a spectacular game. I would recommend it to any of my friends in a heartbeat, no reservations.
Whether you’re having a family game night, a casual get-together with friends from work, or hosting a congregation of battle-scarred war gamers, Mysterium is a blast.

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Verdict
YOU WILL LIKE THIS GAME IF…
- You’ve ever enjoyed a game of Dixit
- You like an immersive, thematic experience
- You like associative guessing games
- You’re looking for a party game with a bit more meat on its bones
- You enjoy cooperative games
- You like co-operative experiences (campaign)
- You consider yourself a creative type
- You’ve ever read and enjoyed an Agatha Christie novel
YOU WON’T LIKE THIS GAME IF…
- You hate Dixit, and/or you hate everybody that likes Dixit
- Murder mysteries aren’t your thing
- You dislike cooperative games
- You feel a strong need to find the best tactical approach to a game strategy
- You get easily frustrated during Pictionary
- Your score in the math portion of the SAT was more than double your score in the English portion
Comments
Thank you for your clear explanations and description of the game!