一座城

As this is a commercial boxed game, many Chinese reviews exist; you might want to check them out too.

Played at: AK推理社
4 players (2 female, 2 male)

《一座城》is a rare four-person case — but not a light option. It feels as substantial as larger cases and takes perhaps 5 hours. This is in part due to its cooperative procedural (刑侦) gameplay: players can only gain evidence by figuring out exactly where to go, and may have to return to previous locations as the case develops.

Though the approach is open-ended, the seeding of clues results in a fairly linear structure, which can result in bottlenecks; my group often felt as if we were relying on the DM to prompt us (might just have been us, though some Chinese reviews also share this sense of needing to be pushed along).

Yet perhaps feeling frustrated and lost is part of the experience: there are no great detectives here, just ordinary people trying their best.《一座城》is known for its social realism and all-too-apt thematic concerns (立意), and it is these — more than the case-solving itself — which players may find themselves thinking about long after the game is over.

In its sombre depiction of societal issues, 《一座城》is reminiscent of《鲸落》. While perhaps not as polished or immediately engaging as the latter, 《一座城》is still a worthwhile case for players who are willing to get invested.

Try if you like: An emphasis on societal issues and philosophical themes; a police-procedural approach with open-ended evidence searching; human drama; 《鲸落》.

Not recommended for: Players who don’t immerse themselves in their characters or the narrative; players who don’t want a heavy/grim case.