How it plays
A 75 × 110 cm black-and-white seek-and-find picture shows Crime City; the same people turn up at different times in different places. The 16 cases are stacks of cards in separate envelopes. One person acts as the inspector and reads out the tasks (for example, to find the bar), and everyone searches together for the matching scene. If the coordinates given and the picture on the back of the card confirm the find, the next task follows, until the case has been reconstructed. A magnifying glass is included.
What it can help develop
The focus is on visual search and selective attention: finding a scene in the bustle and telling similar figures apart by their hats or clothing. Logical reasoning comes in too: anyone who follows a person scene by scene reconstructs cause and effect, and a hunch only counts once a scene proves it. The features of the figures and sometimes several open tasks put demands on working memory. Once the inspector knows the answer after a failed attempt, they may only give a small hint: an exercise in impulse control.
Especially suitable for
- Children from age 10 who love seek-and-find pictures
- Family evenings spent investigating together
- Patient observers who like crime stories
Less suitable for
- Sensitive children: many cases are about murder
- Repeated play: solved cases stay solved
Our verdict
MicroMacro: Crime City is a worthwhile choice for families and groups of friends from age 10 who enjoy investigating together. The rules are minimal, the drawings are full of humor and suspense builds at the table. In 2021, it won the Spiel des Jahres. Its limitations are tiny details, the large amount of space needed, little appeal when replaying and murder cases that are not suitable for all children.
Getting started
- Start with the introductory case, called “Der Zylinder” (the top hat) in the German edition: it shows the principle and is one of the cases without murder, violence or sexual content.
- Always back up answers with coordinates and a scene.
- Make sure you have bright light, a large table and the magnifying glass provided.
In detail
Variants and player count
According to the rules, the current German edition includes a board, 120 case cards, 16 envelopes and a magnifying glass; the board measures 75 × 110 cm. One person reads out the case cards as the inspector and joins in the puzzling. The solution is always a specific scene, which the inspector checks using the coordinates and the picture on the back of the card. The rules mark the cases with three content symbols. “Der Zylinder” (the top hat) and “Der Banküberfall” (the bank robbery) carry the first (no murder, violence or sexuality), six cases the third (more explicit themes, play them yourself first).
What reviewers say
The jury named MicroMacro: Crime City Spiel des Jahres 2021 and highlighted the minimal rules, the crackling tension at the table and the tongue-in-cheek drawings with their love of detail. In 2021, it also won the French As d’Or in the Jeu de l’Année Tout Public category and took second place in the Deutscher Spiele Preis, the public vote. InFranken.de praises the fact that there are practically no rules. However, InFranken.de criticizes the small-scale illustration, which becomes tiring over time, the amount of space needed and the lack of replay value once all the cases have been played. What’s Eric Playing highlights that answers have to be proven precisely using the coordinates and that very small details require the magnifying glass.
How it compares
Bomb Busters (from age 14, 2 to 5 people, about 30 minutes) has the skill areas cooperation as well as logic and planning. MicroMacro: Crime City (from age 10, 1 to 4 people, about 15 to 45 minutes) has these too. In Bomb Busters, the puzzling is done with numbers, and nobody may talk about their own wires. Children who find it hard to keep quiet about their own wires are less well served by Bomb Busters. Pandemic (from age 8, 2 to 4 people, about 45 minutes) shares the team coordination, but above all calls for planning ahead and weighing up risks. Pandemic is suitable as an introduction to more demanding cooperative games. In MicroMacro: Crime City, by contrast, everyone searches together for scenes in the seek-and-find picture, practicing visual search and logical deduction, but solved cases stay solved, which limits repeated play.
Sources
- MicroMacro: Crime City rules (PDF, in German)
- Hutter Trade: MicroMacro: Crime City (distributor, in German)
- Spiel des Jahres: MicroMacro: Crime City (jury, in German)
- Scifi-Universe: As d’Or 2021 (in French)
- Meeples Corner: Deutscher Spiele Preis 2021
- Pegasus Spiele: news item from December 2021
- inFranken.de: hands-on review (in German)
- What’s Eric Playing: review
Frequently asked questions
What age is MicroMacro: Crime City suitable for?
MicroMacro: Crime City is recommended from age 10. Children who patiently follow small figures through the crowd and can cope with murder cases are ready; some cases are less suitable for sensitive children.
How long does a game take and how many people can play?
A game takes about 15 to 45 minutes. The game is for 1 to 4 people, so it can also be played alone, and players never play against each other. Everyone searches together, and one person takes on the role of the inspector and reads out the tasks.
What skills can MicroMacro: Crime City help develop?
It can help develop cooperation and perception as well as logic and planning. For example, players search together for a scene in the bustle, and a hunch only counts when a picture confirms it.
Can MicroMacro: Crime City be played more than once?
Only to a limited extent: solved cases stay solved, and one review sees no replay value left once all the cases have been played. In total, the game includes 16 cases.
