People have always liked a good mystery. Clue takes this love of mystery and gives us a family board game that has players scrambling to find the clues and being the first to find out who committed the murder, where, and with what weapon.
Let’s take a deeper look at this classic board game and then look at other board games that will help keep you solving mysteries for many hours.
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What is Clue?
Since 1949, generations of families have gathered around their tables to find out who killed Mr. Boddy of Tudor Mansion. Using powers of deduction and elimination, players move around the mansion with the help of a die.
They use clue cards to help them narrow down the options. The first person to figure out who committed the murder, what room they did it in, and what weapon they used wins. If you guess too early and are wrong, you are eliminated. The game is different every time you play.
Clue sells for approximately eleven dollars. It is rated as being for those eight years or older, but younger kids might enjoy partnering up with older siblings to help learn reasoning and deduction skills.
This game is created for those who want more than a simple game of chance. It takes actual mindpower to win! This game is so popular that there are several different versions, including one for the wee ones in your home.
With such a long history of popularity, it is no wonder many other games have popped up that are similar to Clue. Yet, they all add a unique twist that makes for many hours of investigative fun. Let’s look at some of the most popular games similar to Clue.
1. Awkward Guests
Mr. Walton has been murdered and you need to solve the case. This game is like Clue in that you get clues with cards, move around the mansion, and need to use deductive reasoning in order to solve the crime. It is much more complex than Clue, however, and the recommended age is over twelve years old.
The cards you draw give you the clues you need, just as in Clue. The cards allow you to question other players, trade clue cards, and examine the crime scene. Like Clue, you get a different scenario every time you play.
In fact, this game offers 3600 different ones. Unlike Clue, you can make this game as challenging as you want with the seven different difficulty levels.
2. Mysterium
This mystery game for ages ten and up is very similar to Clue in many ways. Someone was murdered in Warwick Castle and players need to find out who did it, where it occurred, and what weapon they used. The cards that help you determine clues are vision cards.
Also, like Clue, there are many different scenarios, so you have a different game each time you play. Unlike Clue, one person is the ghost and gives out the vision cards, while the rest of the players work together to decipher the visions and solve the crime.
The time to play is about the same length. There are extension packs you can buy for this game, but you need the base game to play.
3. Unsolved Case Files: Jane Doe
This may be the one game on this list that is most unlike Clue, but it is a must to include because it is a step up in complexity and takes you deeper into the investigation process. This game is designed for those 14 and older. You are tasked with solving a cold murder case by examining clues such as forensic reports, police records, and newspaper clippings.
The main mystery is divided into three parts that all have to be solved in order to solve the main mystery of the victim’s identity, who killed her, and how. This is only one of the many Unsolved Case Files games. Like Clue, you need to examine clues and use deductive reasoning to solve the case.
4. Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
This murder mystery game is for players over the age of twelve and can be played by 4-12 players. The game comes with 12 Role cards, 200 Clue cards, 90 Means cards, 32 Scene Tiles, 11 Badge Tokens, and 6 Wooden Bullet Markers.
This makes it a game that has many possible scenarios and can be played numerous times. Players need to use the clues that are given by the person playing the forensic scientist to find out who committed the murder and how it was committed.
5. Kill Doctor Lucky
Kill Doctor Lucky is like Clue in reverse. You play on a board depicting Dr. Lucky’s mansion. Unlike Clue, you aren’t trying to solve a murder.
Instead, you are trying to kill Dr. Lucky. Players are given clue cards and cards that allow them to place traps to stop the other players from killing the doctor first. The goal is to get Dr. Lucky into a room and find the correct weapon to do him in.
Like Clue, you need to assemble clues that will direct you to the room you need to be in and the weapon that is best to use. It also has great replay value. Unlike Clue, there are expansion packs that can increase the replay value.
6. Letters From White Chapel
This game is for players over thirteen and takes a bit longer than Clue, but the gameplay is similar. One player is Jack the Ripper and the rest are detectives. There are random strangers that pepper the playing board, which resembles the village of White Chapel in England.
There are several challenges and the game is separated into timed parts, unlike Clue. The way to win is for Jack the Ripper to kill five random strangers and make it to his lair without being caught by the detectives that are determined to capture him.
7. Alibi
Alibi was designed for players eight years or older. It has been described as Clue on steroids. There is no board with this game but there are many clue cards.
Players have a chance to work alone or earn clue points by helping others. Like Clue, you need to solve a murder.
The difference in this game is that you need to search deeper and come up with who was killed, when they died, where they were killed, how they were killed, and why they were killed. You need at least three players to play this game that will stretch your deductive reasoning skills to their limit.
8. Mystery of the Abbey
Mystery of the Abbey has you searching for clues in a monastery full of monks in the 13th century. As you travel throughout the rooms, you can ask other players for clues on the cards they have in their hands. They can either answer or not.
Special events occur in certain rooms, such as passing all your cards to the person on your left. Like Clue, this game is for players eight and up. You solve the mystery by getting clues on cards and using deductive reasoning.
This game has more special events than Clue and it also involves the ability to question other players, unlike Clue. Like Clue, however, there is the ability to play many times with different scenarios.
9. A Touch of Evil
In A Touch of Evil, players take on the role of heroes that are hunting down a horrible monster that is terrorizing the town depicted on the gameboard. Drawing cards, the players move around the gameboard collecting weapons and clues that will lead them to the lair of the monster. With each clue, they gain strength that will help them defeat the monster once they find it.
This game can be played cooperatively or you can play it like Clue and fight against your opponents to gather the greatest number of clues and defeat the monster. Like Clue, there are many versions of this game, which increases the number of times you can play. It is also designed for 2-8 players over the age of 12.
10. Betrayal at House on the Hill
In this game, you aren’t looking for a murderer but a traitor. Like Clue, game elements include clue cards and dice that help you navigate the board. Unlike Clue, you are given tiles to build the board as you play.
Once it’s built, players must escape the mansion. In each undiscovered room, there is a hidden symbol that will indicate when the haunting will occur. When this happens, cards indicate what will happen to a player.
He may be helped or hindered in his quest to escape without being killed. The game ends when the traitor is discovered. Like Clue, this game is for 2-8 players and is designed for players over the age of twelve.
11. 1313 Dead End Drive
This is another game for those eight years or older. In this game, Aunt Agatha has died. You aren’t looking for a murderer but are instead trying to find out which of twelve people will inherit her entire fortune. The board depicting the mansion is much more elaborate than that of Clue. It is 3-d, complete with a fireplace and stairs.
Throughout the estate, many traps are set up that can kill the players one by one. The idea is to be the one who escapes the mansion and finds their character card depicted in the portrait outside.
12. Suspicion
Suspicion comes with ten guest movers, one game board, 28 action cards, 12 answer cards, 10 invitation cards, two dice, 45 gem tiles, one deduction pad, six pencils, and instructions. It is designed for players over the age of ten. The premise of the game is that everyone is a jewel thief, and only one player gets out of the mansion alive, with the most jewels.
As each player dies, the jewels are added to those of the next player on the list. The trick is to gather gems while performing actions that will eliminate the other players. You need to use powers of deduction to find out where each trap is and find out how to lure other players into the traps.
13. Spy Alley
This deductive reasoning game for players over eight has each player taking on the role of a spy from a different country. As you navigate the board, you are given the chance to earn elements that give a clue to which country you are spying for. It is the task of the other players to eliminate all the spies by guessing their country of origin and eliminating that player.
This game is for those in the same age category as Clue and it makes use of deductive reasoning skills. Unlike Clue, it also enables players to get a glimpse into symbols of other countries.
14. 221B Baker Street, Deluxe Edition
Do you think you are as smart as Sherlock Holmes? In this game, players take on the role of Sherlock Holmes and try to solve one of 75 different mysteries. You use clue cards to navigate the streets of London, searching for more clues.
When you think you have found enough clues to solve the case, you head back to your home base, 221B Baker Street, and see if you are correct. Like Clue, you have to use dice to navigate the board and discover clues that will help you solve a mystery. The game is also for the same age group of ten years and up. Unlike Clue, there are 75 different mysteries to solve.
15. Rear Window
This game is based on an Alfred Hitchcock story and is designed for those over the age of thirteen. In this game, you have to first discover whether or not a crime has been committed, and then you have the chance to solve it. One player is given the role of Director and carefully gives out clues that the other players need to decipher.
You need to use your power of deduction to find patterns and deduce whether one of your opponents has been a victim of a crime or not. This takes the deductive reasoning of Clue and adds the twist of having to determine where a crime may have taken place and what the crime is.
