Hello everyone!

Today I’m talking about Tracks: Siren Bay, a unique sound-based detective game that caught my attention with its innovative mechanics.

Tracks: Siren Bay is a cooperative mystery game where you solve cases by listening to audio tracks and following suspects through a city map. It’s an interesting twist on traditional detective games, though it has some limitations.

Game Overview

Tracks: Siren Bay is a 1–6 player game from 2022 with a playtime of 25–45 minutes for ages 12+. It was designed by Juan Rodriguez and Christian Rubiella, illustrated by Pierô, and published by KYF Edition (French version).

Theme

You play as freshly graduated police officers nicknamed “The Rockies.” Your first assignment is the Siren Bay Police Department. Upon arrival, Captain Mia Sanchez welcomes you and explains your role. Siren Bay is a quiet city with few issues, but you’ll need to track criminals using an old security system.

Your office is filled with security camera screens and an audio system. Due to humidity, only 4 cameras work simultaneously. This is where you’ll track criminals by listening to sound excerpts and checking camera footage when needed. Welcome to Siren Bay.

Game Components

Inside the box you’ll find a large map of Siren Bay, a deck of cards representing security cameras, 15 cases to solve, the rulebook, and a QR code to download the companion app.

The app is mandatory to play. The game is only published in a few languages, and English is not included.

How to Win

There’s no traditional win or lose condition. The goal is to solve cases by correctly answering questions about the criminals’ locations and activities.

Gameplay

Select a case from the 15 available — starting with Case 1 is recommended. Once you’ve selected the case in the app, start the audio track. During the first listening, you cannot rewind or advance the track. You need to listen carefully to identify the path followed by the suspects, kidnappers, drug dealers, and other criminals, using only the sounds you hear.

The map provides visual clues: parks, churches, football stadiums, schools, and more. Some sounds are difficult to identify on their own. When needed, you can use security camera cards to check specific corners of the city. Is there a coffee shop on that corner? A baby crying? These cameras help clarify ambiguous sounds.

However, you can only have 4 security cameras active at the same time. If you need to check another location, you must turn off one of the 4 cameras already in use. This limitation adds strategic thinking to which cameras you keep active and when to switch them.

At the end of the first listening, you’ll answer a question, usually “Where can we find the suspects?” You then select locations on the app’s map to send police units. If you’re correct, you solve the case or unlock additional questions. If wrong, you can make additional attempts. You can listen to the track as many times as needed before giving your answer.

My Experience

What attracted me initially was solving mysteries using sound. It’s like a Sherlock Holmes game, but you follow an audio track instead of written clues.

I’ve played 6 cases so far and enjoyed them all. I didn’t solve every case on my first try — the difficulty varies significantly. In some cases, I had to listen to the soundtrack a dozen times before spotting the correct path. It was challenging but fun, and I’m curious about what the remaining 9 cases have in store.

Sound Quality

The sound quality is really good, which is essential for a game built entirely around audio clues.

Variety in Scenarios

One scenario required heavy reliance on security cameras to identify sounds: a coffee shop, a street band, a barking dog, a crying baby, an ice cream truck’s music. It was amusing to discover that suspects don’t always travel by car (easier to follow due to turn signals) — sometimes they use bicycles!

The scenarios I’ve tested are quite variable with increasing difficulty, which keeps things interesting.

Comparison with Other Detective Games

When compared to Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, Sherlock is better with more complicated and intricate cases. The mysteries in Sherlock Holmes are more interesting overall. Even so, Tracks: Siren Bay has its own appeal thanks to its unique sound-based mechanism and its accessibility as a family game.

Language Dependency

The game is not heavily language-dependent, but you still need to understand some French (or whichever language version you have) to catch certain clues, like door numbers, “turn right” or “turn left” directions, or bits of conversation. In my case, the game is in French, and as a French speaker, this wasn’t a problem.

Player Count

The game is really enjoyable solo. I haven’t tested it at higher player counts yet, but I imagine it would be fun. Everyone perceives sounds differently and has different sensitivities, which could lead to interesting discussions and collaborative problem-solving.

App Dependency – My Main Concern

The app dependency is the main reason for not giving a higher rating. I enjoyed the game, but I don’t like being dependent on technology for board games. I would have preferred if the audio could be downloadable or provided via a dedicated audio pen. Similarly, the case questions and solutions could have been provided in cards or a booklet format.

If the app becomes unavailable or unsupported in the future, the game becomes completely unplayable. This is a significant concern for long-term ownership.

Replayability

After solving all 15 cases, the game has no replay value unless you forget the solutions. Once you know where the criminals are, there’s no mystery left to solve.

Final Thoughts

Rating: 7 out of 10

I really enjoyed playing Tracks: Siren Bay and trying to solve its mysteries. Using sound tracks is quite interesting and different from typical detective games. It’s accessible enough to be a family game and offers a unique experience.

However, the mandatory app dependency and limited replayability are significant drawbacks that prevent me from rating it higher.

I’d recommend Tracks: Siren Bay to people who enjoy solving mysteries, want to try new mechanics, and don’t mind app-dependent games. It’s particularly good as a family game or for players new to detective games.

Your Turn

Have you played Tracks: Siren Bay? What did you think of the sound-based mechanics? How many cases have you solved?

Related Links:

• BoardGameGeek
• KYF Edition

Videos:

• Les Meeples – Tendances & Avis Jeux de Société – Great review of the game in French with playthrough