How it works

In a mystery game, your task is to solve a specific mystery. A mystery is something strange or unkown - something that have yet to be explained or understood.

At Brightland Maze, a mystery can consist of one or more missions.

A mission is the game itself. The objective is to solve a case or complete a task—such as solving a murder mystery, catching a kidnapper, or locating a bomb on a submarine.

Mysteries that include multiple missions are called a game series. You can choose to play just one mission in a series, but the more missions you complete, the more immersed you become in actual story. Think of it like episodes in a TV series. Read more on game series below.

We have two types of games – those that are entirely digital (online) and those that feature both digital elements and physical components (e.g., printed documents).

If you've ever solved a murder mystery or played an escape room game, you’ll have a pretty good idea of ​​how this works.

To complete your chosen mission, you'll have to hunt for clues, solve tricky challenges, and piece together a sequence of events.

Once you activate the mission, you become part of its story. You'll watch videos, visit websites, read articles, and examine documents. Along the way, you might receive emails or text messages—and who knows, your phone might even ring! 🫢

Tips and tricks
As soon as the mission begins, the clock starts ticking. You can pause the timer at any point.

Throughout the experience, you can choose to receive hints, which aer useful if you get stuck and need a little guidance.

The solution
When you think you’ve solved the mission, you submit a digital "report" to find out if you’ve got it right. If you’ve made a mistake, you can always review your notes and try again. Of course, you could always give up—but who would do that?

Few things are as enjoyable as solving mysteries together with people you like. But sometimes, meeting in person isn’t possible—and that shouldn’t stop you!

When you activate a game, you can invite others to join you online. They'll be able to watch videos, listen to audio files, and visit websites, just like you. You can chat with one another and share clues with one another.

In some games, one of you might even receive a clue that the others haven’t seen. In such cases, it’s essential to communicate and share your findings on your shared bulletin board.

How to activate a mission.

Online missions with an Arena account
- If you have an Arena account, your online missions will appear there once the purchase is complete. Simply click "start mission" to begin the activation process.

Online missions without an Arena account
If you don't have an Arena account, you can either:
- create a free account at Arena. Note: You'll get a free mission when you create an account for the first time.
- If you don't want an account, you can activate the mission using an activation code that is sent to you via email immediately after purchase. Just enter the code into the activation field found on the Arena page.

Physical missions
- If you choose a physical mission, the code will be sent to you by mail along with the mission materials.
- When you're ready to activate the mission, just log on to your Arena account and activate the game from there. If you do not have an account, you can still activate the game via the Arena page.

As soon as you activate a mission, three things will happen.

Registration
First, you need to register a phone number and an email address. During the game, emails, text messages, and calls may be sent to this number and email address.

If you have an Aerna account, you'll be asked whether you want to use your previously registered number and email.

Selecting Devices
After registration, you can add devices to work on, such as computers, tablets, phones, etc.

The device you used when activating the mission will automatically be registered. Here you simply add any additional devices. This can, for example, be useful if you're solving a physical mission and want to give multiple people in the room the ability to navigate through different pages simultaneously.

We recommend having access to a device with a larger screen, such as a tablet or computer. Some clues may be difficult to see on a phone.

💡 You can always add more devices during the game.

Selecting Your Team
Next you'll have the opportunity to invite team members. These individuals can be located anywhere in the world. Upon receiving the invitation, they'll be asked to register and select a device.

When everyone is ready, you'll see a notification on your screen and can begin the mission. All team members will see the introductory video at the same time, and you’re off!

A game series consists of a sequence of missions that together form a larger mystery.

Standalone missions
In some game series, each mission is standalone, meaning you can complete it without having to play the entire series. However, the experience is more enjoyable if you play the series in order—not least because you avoid spoilers.

Interconnected missions
Some game series require the missions to be played in a specific order. This is because decisions made in one mission may affect the following missions. Such game series are clearly marked and require the Game Master (the person who activates the game) to have an Arena account.

Do you know someone who would love to solve a mystery with their friends? Why not gift them a mission—with a phone call?

You choose the mission, as well as the date and time for its delivery. You can decide whether the mission should be delivered via email only, or via email and a phone call.

If you choose the latter, the recipient will receive a recorded call from a high-ranking executive at Golden Detective. The executive will inform them that there is a mission to be solved and that further details have been sent via email.

Note: This applies only to online missions.

How ​​to do it
- Go to the list of all missions,
- select the online mission you wish to gift and add it to your cart.
- At checkout, under "delivery," select "This game is a gift."
- Choose when the game should be delivered, and whether it should be sent via email alone or via both email and a phone call.