Who These Home Mysteries are Really for

When Francine, our co-director, thinks of the people who fall head over heels for Home Mysteries, she pictures a very specific kind of player:

“People that are basically in the overlap of escape room people and board gamers.”

You know the type: the ones who bring a notebook on holidays, who get a small thrill from solving things, who enjoy being completely absorbed in a story. But also people who like to feel comfortable, settling in with friends, lighting a candle, brewing tea, and letting a mystery slowly unravel around them.

“It can be very comfortable and cozy to solve a mystery together.”, pictures Francine.

There are many mystery games in the world, and we love the ones that are deeply tactile, emotionally grounded, and crafted to feel real. So of course that’s what we aim for ourselves as well.

Mystery as a Gift of Good Time

You can play a Home Mystery alone or with up to four players, making them wonderfully personal, or wonderfully social. Either way, the experience feels intimate and intentional.

Francine describes it pensively:

“You give someone the gift of a good time. And I think that is a beautiful experience.”

Part of that magic comes from the materials themselves. These aren’t just props; they’re little artifacts from another life. Everything feels cared for, considered, and touched by human hands.

“Even opening up the box and touching the very high-quality materials… you can feel the love and care that went into it.”, explains Francine.

A Home Mystery doesn’t just sit on a shelf. It creates an evening you’ll remember.

How Our Ready-Made Mystery Games Work

Sherlocked’s rooms are known for their realism, and the Home Mysteries are built with that same philosophy. The narrative, the objects, the puzzles: everything must feel like it belongs in the world of the character who “sent” it to you.

We like to blur the line between reality and fiction, we want to make it thinner. The story should just flow logically and naturally, one thing leading to another.

There are no artificial gates, no envelopes stamped open later. Instead, you follow the evidence naturally, as any real investigator would. A note scribbled on a bar napkin. A house key with more than one purpose. A recipe that tells you more than it first appears.

These little authentic moments build the feeling that yes, you really did solve something!

The Behind the Scenes Story for the Trilogy

Sherlocked’s Home Mysteries grew from a collaboration of storytellers who love crafting worlds you can step into, even from your living room. 

At the heart of the project is DIORAMA, the studio known for creating “stories to explore”: tiny, tactile worlds filled with detail, secrets, and small surprises. Their games feel alive because every object has intention, every puzzle has a natural place in the narrative, and every detail invites discovery.

DIORAMA was founded in 2016 by Ruud Kool, who had already spent nearly a decade as a professional game designer. As the game designer, co-author, and graphic designer of all Vandermist games, Ruud shaped the backbone of the trilogy: the pacing, the puzzle logic, and the subtle storytelling you sense beneath every clue.

Sherlocked, with Francine and Victor guiding the creative direction, brought its own flavour to the collaboration: emotion, atmosphere, and a deep respect for the player’s intelligence. As Francine shared:

“There’s a beautiful balance between story and puzzles and materials that fits really, really well with Sherlocked and with the rest of what we do.”

That balance is the heartbeat of the trilogy.

Additional layers were shaped by co-writer and editor Manda Whitney, who helped refine the story’s voice and emotional clarity, and by Tristan Hupe-Guimarães, who assisted in the design of the original Dutch version of The Medusa Report. 

And behind every moment that feels smooth, surprising, or intuitive lies the work of countless playtesters, people whose curiosity and confusion helped sand the rough edges.

Together, Sherlocked and DIORAMA built a mystery world small enough to fit in your hands but large enough to get lost in, a handcrafted collaboration of puzzle makers, storytellers, designers, and dreamers.

What We Hope Players Feel

Above everything, our goal is your emotional implication in the story. That’s what makes it real after all, right?

We want you to care about the people in the story. To feel responsible for what you discover. To feel proud when the pieces finally click.

Francine puts it simply:

“I want them to feel like they really just solved the case.”

And maybe also:

“To feel like there’s more mystery in the world than they previously thought.”

Because your world (your living room, your table, your quiet evening) expands when you play. It becomes the setting of a story you helped bring to life.

Step Into the Mystery

Whether you’re giving them as a gift or diving in yourself, our Home Mysteries offer an evening of curiosity, creativity, and connection. They’re made to be shared, touched, talked over, puzzled through, and remembered.

Open the box. Follow the clues. Let the world unfold around you. Get your Home Mysteries now!

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Quick Summary

• Sherlocked’s Home Mysteries are immersive at-home detective games designed to be solved around your table, alone or with up to four players.
• They’re crafted with realistic materials, natural puzzle flow, and emotionally grounded storytelling inspired by Sherlocked’s escape room philosophy.
• Ideal for players who love both escape rooms and board games, and enjoy cozy, narrative-driven evenings with friends or loved ones.
• These games make meaningful, heartfelt gifts; every piece in the box feels intentional, high-quality, and touched by human hands.
• Created in collaboration with DIORAMA, known for building “stories to explore”: tiny worlds filled with clues, details, and surprises.
• The trilogy balances story, puzzles, and atmosphere, inviting players to feel like they truly solved a real case.
• Our goal: to leave players feeling proud, curious, and a little more enchanted with the world around them.