The good news is that none of these games is a wrong choice. They were all made by the same team in The Netherlands, with the same care for the materials, the puzzles and the storytelling.
So the question isn't which is best. It's which one fits the evening you're hoping to have.
One thing worth saying up front: each of the three games tells a complete story on its own.
The Vandermist Dossier and The Medusa Report are connected. The same person sits at the centre of both cases, but you can play them in any order, and you don't need one to enjoy the other.
The Dream Journal is a different kind of object, and we'll explain why in a moment.
 The Vandermist Dossier
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 The Medusa Report
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 Dream Journal
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 Ultimate Bundle
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| What it is | A 1979 missing persons cold case | A 1974 Cold War spy file | A hand-bound puzzle journal with an AR companion app | Both flagship case files in one box |
| The vibe | A slow, character-driven investigation in a 1970s Dutch town | A faster spy thriller with progressive reveals | A quieter, atmospheric solo experience | The full arc, in chronological order |
| Players | 1 to 5 | 1 to 5 | 1 to 3 | 1 to 5 per game |
| Age | 14+ | 14+ | 12+ | 14+ |
| Time to solve | 60 to 120 minutes | 60 to 120 minutes | 45 to 90 minutes | Around 5 hours total across two evenings |
| Difficulty | Approachable for first-timers, with depth for experienced puzzlers | Approachable, with progressive challenges | Light and atmospheric | Approachable across both |
| Setting | A small Dutch town, late 1970s | USSR and Western Europe, mid-1970s | A surreal dream world | Both worlds |
| Format | A boxed dossier of physical evidence | A boxed file of physical evidence | A soft-cover journal with AR | Two boxed dossiers |
| Tech needed | None | None | iPhone (for the AR) | None for the boxed games |
| Price | €69,70 | €69,70 | €15,00 | €125,46(saves €13,94) |
| See Vandermist | See Medusa | See Dream Journal | Get the Bundle |
...you want our most-played case and the one we recommend to first-timers. A 1979 cold case, slow and character-driven: an eighteen-year-old goes missing in a small Dutch town, and the file you're holding is what nobody else could put together.
The materials are aged to feel like the real thing, and the puzzles reward patience and conversation more than speed.
...the words 'Cold War' and 'classified file' appeal to you more than 'missing persons cold case.' It's chapter two of the trilogy, but a complete story on its own: a 1974 spy file with codes, ciphers and a recently declassified intelligence report at the centre.
The same care as Vandermist, with a faster pace and a different kind of tension.
...you'd rather not commit to a full case file just yet. A puzzle journal with an AR companion app, smaller in scale and shorter to solve. Made for a quiet evening alone or with one or two others. iPhone needed for the AR.
Still torn between Vandermist and Medusa? The answer might be both. The Bundle has both case files in one box and saves you €13.94 over buying them separately. Some couples play them on consecutive weekends. Some space them out across a month.
Either way, you get the full arc, and there are a few connections you'll only spot when you have both files in front of you at once.
No, both games tell complete stories on their own. Most players start with Vandermist because it's the original case and a slightly gentler entry point, but if Medusa's Cold War setting appeals more, you can start there. The connection between them is real but it doesn't depend on play order.
The Dream Journal is the lightest in difficulty, made for one quiet evening. Among the case files, The Vandermist Dossier is the one we recommend most often to first-timers. Both are fully approachable for anyone who's never played a tabletop mystery before.
Yes, all three. Vandermist and Medusa are designed to scale from one player up to five, and many people play them solo. The Dream Journal is built for solo or very small groups (up to three), and works beautifully as a one-evening solo experience.
Vandermist and Medusa each take 60 to 120 minutes, depending on group size and how deep you want to go. Most pairs split them across two evenings. The Dream Journal is shorter, around 60 to 90 minutes in one sitting.
Yes, made by the same team. We've been making escape rooms in Amsterdam for over ten years, and the Home Mysteries are our way of bringing that level of craft and storytelling into a box you can play on your kitchen table.
Vandermist and Medusa need nothing digital, just the box and good light. The Dream Journal has an AR companion app (iPhone only for now) that brings hidden elements to life on the page. The journal works without the app, but the full experience is built around it.
Mostly, yes. The Vandermist Dossier and the Dream Journal don't have any puzzles that depend on distinguishing colors.
The Medusa Report has one color-dependent puzzle. If you're colorblind and considering Medusa, get in touch before you order and we'll talk you through it so you can decide.
Once you've solved a case, you know the answer, so the experience changes the second time around. That said, all three games are fully resettable, which makes them easy to lend to a friend. Many players treat the box as a beautiful object first and a solved case second, and keep it on the shelf.
