🏝️ Hidden Games: Vacation on the Island — an investigation that escapes the box
⭐ 20/10
Players: 1–6+
Play time: ~90–150 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Game type: Deduction / Cooperative / Narrative
Mechanics: document analysis, deduction, puzzle-solving, interaction with the “real world”
🎯 What is this game about?
Wczasy na wyspie is not a classic board game.
It’s a full-scale criminal investigation, where the boundary between game and reality starts to blur — in a pleasantly unsettling way.
Players step into the roles of investigative police officers. You’re handed a thick stack of documents, reports, photos, and notes — and it’s entirely up to you whether you can draw careful, intelligent conclusions from them. Sometimes logical. Sometimes completely non-obvious. Sometimes requiring very unconventional thinking.
You’re given a clear mission:
A missing mayor
A lost real estate developer
A murdered police officer
Commissioner Kwiatkowski needs your help.
🧠 What does gameplay look like?
You open the box — and the investigation begins.
Your task is to:
read and analyze documents,
take notes (seriously — you’ll need them),
connect facts and clues,
return to information that initially seemed irrelevant,
log into systems,
send emails,
call real phone numbers,
check GPS data and details that are absolutely not handed to you on a silver platter.
The game makes one thing very clear:
don’t rush, and don’t assume your first answer is the right one.
Hints are available, but only if you’re truly stuck — and even then, the game warns you that using them may slightly rob you of the joy of discovery. It’s a very fair, very respectful approach to deduction.
🌿 Why does this game work so well?
– Deduction, taken seriously
There’s no hand-holding here. You have to read carefully, think logically — and question your own assumptions.
– The game goes beyond the box
Logging into portals, emails, phone calls — this isn’t a gimmick. It’s a core part of the experience and one of the series’ biggest strengths.
– Fantastic solo and in a large group
Solo play offers deep immersion and focus. In a group, you get debates, disagreements, and collective “wait… hold on” moments. Both formats work beautifully.
– It’s not easy — and that’s a good thing
This game demands time, attention, and patience. The payoff is fully proportional to the effort.
– Clever and surprisingly funny solutions
Some answers are brilliantly hidden. Some feel obvious — until they’re not. And some moments are both logical and genuinely funny. I love that.
☕ My impressions
I love this format. Wczasy na wyspie is already my second case from the Hidden Games series, and both have been non-obvious, engaging, and very well designed. This is a game that requires a calm head and time — but it rewards you with real satisfaction.
Perfect for a long evening when you want to truly think, not just “take a turn.”
When it’s over, you’re left with that exact feeling:
okay… that was really good.
✨🧀🍞 Cheesy Joke Corner 😄
Hidden Games is perfect if you write crime stories in your head but are currently short on a good plot. You solve a fictional murder, connect clues, and test the most absurd theories — which means you safely commit crimes on paper only. 📄🕵️♀️ For inspiration. For relaxation. For those “favorite” characters who happen to feel a bit too realistic 😉
🎯 Final score: 20/10
Engaging. Intelligent. Deeply absorbing. A detective game that truly makes you think — and stays with you long after it’s over.
