Review: Alice is Missing

Alice Briarwood is a high school junior is missing. You are Alice's friends and acquaintances trying to unravel what has happened to Alice. The only catch is that this game is played silently over text or with the roll20 module online. Alice is Missing is a immersive RPG designed by Spenser Starke(Icarus, Kids on Brooms).

Alice is Missing a a very unique and a really interesting game. The game is played silently and the players communicate via text. The game comes in a couple of playable formats, there is a physical version and a Roll20 version. Alice is Missing is all about the mood and to help that out there is a timer/soundtrack provided to help set the mood. After playing Alice is Missing the mood sat with me for quite some time. It was unexpected and welcoming.

3-5 players gather around a dimly lit room with their phones ready to dive into the story of where Alice is. The game is all about suspense and mood. The game lends itself to building high suspense and bringing all the players deep into the story. We played on the Roll20 version of the game and it did not take away from the game other than us figuring out how to use the interface, this was a us problem not a problem with the roll20 build. The game kept us all intrigued for the entire time.

The game is all about suspense and mood.

One of the players will be the facilitator and there is no real Game master in this RPG game. The facilitator only helps everyone set up the game, build the boundaries, and get the game going. After that the facilitator is just one of the players trying to figure out the mystery. They have no more information or spoilers. Players will develop some background stories for the places and people in the game before the timer starts.

During the game there are prompts that come up every 10 minutes or so during 90 minute play time. There is a timer available from Hunters Entertainment that will track the time for you and provide the background music (do let the music play it adds a lot to the experience). The music and the art of this game are all beautiful. The game will inspire the players to really dive into the characters. The characters are semi-premade, you will get a random character card and a random drive card. once you combine the two you will be able to flush out your character's details.

"There should be another category for this type of game"

Players will go through the different locations looking for Alice with one rule that players can never be in the same location at the same time. As suspect cards are revealed through out the game players will zero in on why Alice is missing and where she might be. If you ever need inspiration you may always use the search cards to add some extra flavor. We did not need these when we played as we kept the narrative going at a great clip. Once the time expires each player will send one last text and then as a group the players work through the debrief card to wrap it all up.

The Alice is Missing gives you all the tools to make this game an amazing experience. When we were playing it we had no idea what to expect and by the end of the game we were more than impressed. One of our game group Chris said "There should be another category for this type of game". Alice is missing will stick with you long after you finish playing. This is the sign of something special. If you have not had a chance of playing Alice is Missing I would recommend you make the time to do so.

Players: 3-5

Year Published: 2020

Recommended Ages: 16+

Time to Play: 90 Minutes