There are many mysteries afoot, and you’re our only hope, Detectives. While your senders may be crafty, we’re sure your wit is quick enough to solve it all. Put your thinking caps on and get ready for a big brain buster in this petite package!

What Is It?

Both games are postcard puzzles from The Enigma Emporium. Only 5 postcards come in each envelope, so players must search every inch of those for clues, and use outside devices (phones/computers) to do research and gather additional information. They have a little bit of an escape room vibe to them, mixed with a Sherlockian story feel as well.

Who Is It For?

Both are great games for those who love puzzle solving; you definitely need to be able to think outside the box at times. Additionally, you have to be comfortable using technology during gaming for these. I would recommend it to ages 13+ as some of the puzzles are tricky/more advanced. Realistically you can play with any number of players, but I’d recommend it to 1-4 players. That size is ideal since there aren’t a lot of materials in the game to share.

Components + Quality

5 postcards in each, of the quality you’d expect from a postcard. Everything you need to read/find/look for on the cards is clear. The envelopes were a little sticky, so the flap ripped a little when I opened it, but that wasn’t a big deal.

For the PROS and CONS, I have noted ones specific to Parabola with (P) and ones specific to The Copycat Files with (CCF). Those without a notation apply to both games.

PROS

  • Great games for virtual play over video call if you have multiple people with copies or someone can scan them and send them to others. It works really well!
  • Wide variety of puzzles – something for everyone
  • Inexpensive, but provides hours of game!
  • Immersive story experience
  • (CCF) Had some of my favorite puzzles; everything had a really nice flow to it as well
  • (P) A bunch of online interaction in this one, which was neat

CONS

  • Sometimes unsure of where to start or go next, and don’t always want to get hints for fear of spoiling things if you’re not in the right place
  • (P) Some puzzles/answers felt like a bit of a stretch or confusing in some way; alongside that, since “instructions” are vague, to keep with the story, we were sometimes unsure how to proceed and get our next “goal” so to speak
  • (CCF) This one’s ending felt incomplete; there was no in-game way of verifying the answers we got, so we didn’t get a feeling of accomplishment

Final Thoughts

Overall, if you’re really into detailed story and puzzle solving, and you like simplistic materials that have a lot held within them, this is for you! Even though they play similarly mechanically, the puzzles in each were unique, and they had a very different flow to their stories. Additionally, I preferred the puzzles in The Copycat Files, but I enjoyed the wrap-up of Parabola quite a bit.

My Final Ratings:
Overall Games – 6.5/10 on both
Aesthetics – 6/10
Replayability – 3/10 – Can easily be replayed if you take notes not on the cards, but you’ll have to wait until you forget the solutions!
Difficulty – 5/10 – Some puzzles are harder than others for sure, so I’ll split the difference by leaving it in the middle here

Additional Information:
Designer – Logan Giannini
Artist – Logan Giannini
Publisher – The Enigma Emporium
MSRP – $15.00 (each)
Parabola BGG
The Copycat Files BGG
Website

*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*

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