Cici Cao
Apr 16, 20214 min
Updated: 7 days ago
Photos provided by Trapped Puzzle Rooms
Company: Trapped Puzzle Rooms
Games: Spirit Train
Country: USA πΊπΈ
Language: English
Type of Game: Audio Escape Room π
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy
Date Played: 3/30/2021
Difficulty (based on 5 players): 6/10
Size of Team: 3-8 Players
Time: 2 Hours
Price: $28/pp
You've been given another boring job assignment. As you patiently waited in the train station, something magical happened and all of a sudden, you've been transported to a spirit world. Will you be able to find your way home?
Like the rest of the audio escape games at Trapped Puzzle Rooms, this one was also hosted on Discord. We were lucky to get Mark as our GM as he's the creator of this experience. Mark started our journey by sending us a beautiful crafted artwork of a crowded train station over Discord. The work in this game were all done by none other than the very talented Gabe. As we described to Mark what we want to look at, explore on and utilize, more cinematic scenes would reveal themselves.
Since there are no boundaries as to what you are able to do in an audio escape game, being more creative will make the game more interesting and fun for everyone. If your "solution" is acceptable by the GM, he/she will then open up the next chapter until the team has successfully complete the adventure.
There's an added "companion" that we haven't seen in other audio games yet, an autobot named "Rythm". I really enjoyed the soundtracks that they paired up with this game. It bought out that mythical feel of a spirit world.
This game is heavy on the narrative and not really focused on the puzzle elements. You'll probably notice throughout the game that most of the "puzzles" were merely observation based which you'll be able to solve the solutions through the drawings that you were presented with or the information from the narrative. Some solutions were meant to be whimsical rather than logical. If you are looking for puzzle heavy games, I would suggest trying their regular audio escape games.
The narrative of this game was created to not only deliver witty jokes to make the players laugh but also to give them something deeper to ponder about after the game. From the start of the game until the end, it was as if we were watching a documentary on the main character. With the detailed and vivid graphics and the interaction with numerous mythical creatures, it really bought this magical world to life. The puzzles became secondary for me during this game. I would invite anyone who enjoys fantasy to embark on this breathtaking spiritual odyssey.
RJ G.
Pros
Β Art direction and world building are fantastic
Β Our GM was fun and engaging
Β Puzzles require outside the box thinking
Β
Β Cons
Β Lack of "traditional" puzzles
Β Character interactions weren't very meaningful
Β
Β Spirit Train is an online audio game that is very much tabletop RPG inspired. The world is described through the spoken narrative and supplemented with beautiful Ghibli style images. Instead of traditional puzzles, this game opts instead for lateral thinking style challenges that require the solvers to make creative use of the items and world around them to progress. Since the entire game flows through the GM their can be some struggle for the steering wheel. Even with our party of 5 we had some contention. I would recommend groups of 2-4 for any of Trapped Escape Room's games.
Β
I would highly recommend this game for players familiar with D&D style experiences. This game isn't for everyone though, and I can see less experienced folks being confused or frustrated with the lack of physical things to interact with.
_____________________________________________________________
Jacqueline G.
I didnβt enjoy this escape room as much because it just felt like listening to a story more than trying to solve anything (my frustration with not being heard also didnβt help lol). I almost felt like I was taking a listening comprehension test more than βescapingβ something. Only some parts felt solvable. I liked the feel of the town where they just kind of throwing us with 100 different things and see what we come up with. That was neat. The story itself was like a fable with a moral and felt a bit cheesy. I did think the guy hosting was exceptional at his job and had we had someone boring or less talented it would have been a huge fail, however, he made the story engulfing. That being said the GMs characters were top notch I only wish some of them could stick around to be interacted with more.
______________________________________________________________
Andrew K.
Spirit Train is a spectacular experience that I can't recommend enough. This audio narrative takes you and your crew on a whimsical journey through the spirit world. There are wonderful characters you get to meet along the way, and a few mysteries to solve. The sandbox nature of the experience allows your character to try a variety of solutions to the puzzle, and creativity and silliness are encouraged. The custom artwork is absolutely beautiful, and you'll appreciate the homages to other whimsical fantasy stories. The whole experience was wonderful, well-produced, and you could see a lot of heart in it. I admittedly had my doubts about an audio experience, but I strongly recommend this experience.
(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)
Disclosure: We thank Trapped Puzzle Rooms for comping our tickets for this game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.