We’re huge fans of Osmo around my house. The kids love to play their innovative games, and I love that they seamlessly marry tangible, hands-on play with screen time. So when I saw their new game just announced today, Detective Agency, is a Carmen Sandiego-style adventure mystery, the 10-year-old in me kind of geeked out.
I’ve confessed my love for Carmen Sandiego when we found a cooking app game with that adventure streak in it, and when we found the actual retro game to play at Classic Reload. But, of course, with this new game Osmo has put their innovative spin on the travel-spy theme.
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The story begins in Osmo Town, where your child will be given an assignment to help track down a lost or stolen item. But from there, they’ll “travel” to real world cities like Cairo, Sydney, New York, Paris and more.
Each of these destinations has been crafted to represent the actual culture you’d find there, thanks to consultation from residents from those cities.
The hands-on part of the game, as Osmo always has, is a fold out map with a magnifying glass. Kids scan the map with the glass to find clues that unlock the next chapter in the game.
To be honest, most of Osmo’s games have been wonderful for my younger kids, maxing out around age 10. But I have a feeling that even though this game is pitched for kids age 5-9 (and the art is definitely cartoony and young), my 13-year-old could easily get roped into a few rounds of this with his younger siblings. And, for that matter, I might too.
You can find Osmo’s new Detective Agency game at your local toy stores, the PlayOsmo website or our affiliate Amazon for $39.99.
