Spooky season is almost here, which means that it’s time to get into the holiday spirit! Nothing says Halloween like ghosts, ghouls, and an untimely demise.
Big G Creative’s Ghosted gives young ghouls that oogie-boogie, ghostly feeling without having to leave the living room. Perfect for kids ages 10 and up, this game is all about figuring out who dunnit.
Kids play as restless spirits who can’t move on until they figure out who caused their death, with what weapon, and why. Unlike other murder mystery games, Ghosted puts a fun and hilarious twist on who the suspects are. Was it Effie Chatterton, the passive-aggressive neighborhood snoop? Or Mr. Redacted, who hasn’t been outside in 37 months because outside is where they get you? Did the suspect kill you with a selfie stick, pickleball paddle, or power washer?
To add to the fun, the motives are all real-life pet peeves. Did you play smooth jazz too loudly? Maybe that one star review you gave at a restaurant did you in! By playing several rounds of Ghosted, it’s up to you to figure out just what terrible thing you did.
The game is very easy to play. Set up is done in two minutes — each player gets an evidence board and a dry-erase marker. After the suspect, weapon, and motive cards have been separated into their respective decks, the deck gets shuffled and each player picks a single card from each pile. These cards will be placed in the Evidence Boards for all other players to see. The remaining cards get shuffled and dealt out to each player, who can look at their own cards but should not show them to other players.
From there, the game moves pretty quickly. The player with the best ghost impression goes first (note: practice your ghostly wail), and the game continues going clockwise. Kids can either roll the die or make a final accusation on every turn. By rolling the die, kids have six choices that help them determine the gritty details of their death. Players can keep track of their information on the included whiteboard, making it easy to wipe off and play another round.
By making a final accusation, these young ghosts lock in their guesses and can either win or lose the game. If they lose, players must reveal the cards in their hands to the other players. The first one to correctly identify their suspect, murder weapon, and motive becomes the “afterlife” of the party.
Ghosted is an awesome game to jazz up family game night or add an eerie element to any party. I particularly love that there are many ways to engage in imaginative storytelling — kids will have fun getting into character, figuring out their ghost’s story, and yelling out their best ghostly moan. Because it packs away so neatly, it’s also the perfect game to take to the park, on a trip, or even on a long car ride. There are endless opportunities to play Ghosted, and kids will keep coming back to figure out their next silly, tragic ending.
