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Photo above is property of Thekla, Inc. Company: Thekla, Inc. Game: The Witness Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English, and more! Type of Game: Video Escape Game 📱 Genre: Fantasy Date Played: September 24, 2021 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 8/10 Size of Team: 1 Player Price: $39.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 You wake up in a tunnel. You have no idea where you are or how you got there. You just know, you can’t stay there. There is a door in front of you with a line and a ball at one end. The game instructs you to click on the ball to fill the line. As you complete the task, you suddenly see another door. Again a line and a ball. But this time the line is bent at a 90 degree angle. You open this one as well. And then there's a third door. This time, a Maze. And as you solved that one, you finally are outside again. But are you actually free or just trapped on a whole island with similar mechanisms? Video above is property of Thekla, Inc. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 As you can read from “the story” above, the main attraction of this game is not the story, because there is practically no story. You do come across some tapes, but they mostly just reiterate philosophical ideas about the puzzles. But they don’t add to the story, No. The main attraction is the simple mechanic of drawing a line and how far you can push that one mechanism. The truth is, after you leave the “tutorial” area, the whole island is at your disposal. Well, not everything. You will still need to solve puzzles and with each completion, you will gain more access things on the island. But there is no linear progression so just walk around and enjoy the puzzles. Photos above are property of Thekla, Inc. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 As I said above, the whole progression of the game is non-linear. And with each new area you encounter, different kinds of puzzle elements will reveal. Each time, you will start with the simple “draw-a-line” puzzle can be learned by walking around and coming across that element. You have no idea what a blue square means? You might find a puzzle on the island that will explain this to you. You can’t figure out what the black and white dots are? There is probably an area on the island that will make this clear. I made a dumb mistake by looking up a walkthrough because I thought I just didn't get the puzzles. But later I came across an area that explained what those symbols meant. Just have patience and walk around and everything will explain itself. And that is the genius of this game. You don’t get any hints. You'll just need to figure everything out yourself. ** There is even a second kind of puzzle in this game. But I’ll keep it at that, before I spoil anything 😉 Photos above are property of Thekla, Inc. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 This game is a master class in nonverbal post signing. Because at a certain point, the different elements will start to mingle with each other. Especially towards the end where even the perception of how you look at a puzzle will start to matter and what kind of lighting or obstructions are in the way. This is a MUST PLAY for puzzle fanatic. Jonathan Blow (the brain behind this game) was also the mastermind behind Braid. A puzzle game revolved around bending time. I’m surely looking forward as to what he’ll bring next. If he can make such an amazing game with simply just drawing a line, who knows what will come next... (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"!) #JoeriJacobs #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #TheklaInc #USA #Fantasy

Photo above is property of General Interactive Co. Company: General Interactive Co. Game: Chinatown Detective Agency Country: Singapore 🇸🇬 Language: English Type of Game: Video Escape Game 📱 Genre: Detective, Visual Novel Date Played: April 28, 2022 Difficulty (based on 4 players): 4/10 Size of Team: 1 Player Time: Unlimited Price: 22.00 SDG (Steam), $24.99 USD (Switch) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 It’s the Year 2037, the world has changed and the island nation of Singapore has all the more changed - significantly reduced public funding, conglomerates running public services, family-run mega-corporations controlling the masses, the works. Amira Varma, a former officer from the Singapore Police Force, is now a Private Investigator (PI) running the "Chinatown Detective Agency". Receiving her first jobs from different necks of the woods, she soon has to decide which side of the underbelly to assist, and the overarching issue tying all these shadow activities together. Video above is property of General Interactive Co. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 "Chinatown Detective Agency" is a point-n-click investigative video game inspired by the likes of games by "The Learning Company" and "Carmen Sandiego". Upon opening the files, the pixelated environments and characters just bring you back to the 1990's. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers With that said, you are far from the past. Going into the future of Singapore, it soon becomes clear that the country has become a cyberpunk shell of itself. Playing as Amira Darma, you will have everything a PI will need at the click of your mouse - your phone, your map of the train network in Singapore, "HORUS" - an application to book flights, and access to the web. Yes, your internet browser. After your tutorial cases, you can access hints on what to do or where to go next via Mei (a librarian you’ll meet early in the game). Later in the game, choose between three major clients - each with their own antics and share of action. What I really appreciated was the game’s ability to paint a picture of Singapore that both suited the story, and in a way that an average Singaporean would be able to recognise - a train network to almost anywhere in the country, architectural landmarks, and most importantly for me, the unabashed Singaporean accent. The stories behind the cases, in addition, are also enough for the player to go, “I’ve seen this before and I want to dive deeper!” NOTE: the game does have a tendency to lag if you’re playing on Steam. Movement is based on the direction and holding of mouse clicks, so do be aware of possible lag. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 Being a point-n-click game, the puzzles here fall into three main categories - point-n-click, self-contained and timed puzzles, timed puzzles that require quick aiming, or case leads you will need to Google or search the web for. Most of the self-contained puzzles are straightforward to get through, with clear instructions established with tutorial cases. The challenges for each case often come with the need to search for answers on the web - which can happen more than once per case. Answers to these puzzles are often needed to progress the case. Therefore, do note that there will be instances where you bounce back and forth between your web browser and the game. There is at least one puzzle that requires players to have some level of knowledge of ancient numerical formulas, which might have a bit of a stretch - so no harm checking out a walkthrough should you get incredibly stuck with calculations. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Care for a dive into a dystopian cyberpunk Singapore? This point-n-click investigative adventure takes you to the streets through the eyes of the underbelly - the hidden networks that keep certain machines going - as your PI tries to clean things up. However, the game does have minor bugs and glitches during this early period of release, some of which may impede the experience or progress. So while General Interactive Co. is updating with patches and fixes constantly, your mileage may vary if you’re looking for a seamless game experience from start to finish. At least for this period of time after launch. If you’re a nostalgia hunter, this game will bring back memories. (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"!) #JoelynAlexandra #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #GeneralInteractiveCo #ChinatownDetectiveAgency #Singapore #Steam #Switch

Photo above is property of Top Right Corner Company: Top Right Corner Game: The Mystery Atlas: A VR Puzzle Game Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: VR Game 📱 Genre: Mystery, Noir Date Played: June 3, 2022 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 6/10 Size of Team: 1 Player Time: Approx. 2.5 Hrs. Price: $14.99 * Requires one of the following virtual reality headsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, or Valve Index. 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 The Atlas is a historic theater with a dark secret. Years ago, the owner Oliver Westin, was murdered and thereafter the theatre fell into disrepair. As the new manager, your first job is to explore the theatre and locate the murder weapon, which was never recovered. Along the way, you discover the motive behind the murder and learn more about the backstories of the principal players in the drama. Video above is property of Top Right Corner 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Visually, this is a beautiful game, very much capturing the look and feel of a classic mid-20th century theater. The music also fits the noir genre. The sense of scale worked well in that open areas really gave a sense of space around me and smaller ones were claustrophobic in a good way. There are a variety of decorations and the larger ones are quite impressive. Photos above are property of Top Right Corner 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 I played "The Atlas Mystery: A VR Puzzle Game" on the Oculus Quest 2. Moving was by standard slow-walking or short distance teleport. Sometimes, object interaction was a bit awkward - I found myself picking things up with one hand and then transferring them to my other hand so I could use them properly. There's a backpack for storing items that you can bring with you as you explore the theater. I get queasy from about 1-in-4 VR games and found myself needing to take breaks, even though I wanted to keep exploring. There are some adjustments to adjust the speed and such but they didn't seem to make a big difference. The game has some classic escape room elements, where you are exploring spaces, discovering items and clues, and figuring out how to combine items or information to progress. The fact that it is virtual, allows you to explore larger spaces and interact with objects at scales or in ways that might not be practical in real life. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles ranged from standard number locks to large-scale physical manipulations, all incorporated into the atmospheric decor. There were a number of items with which I could interact with that didn’t seem to serve any purpose in progressing the game, but may have been there more as mini-games for entertainment. I didn't find any easter eggs that could be unlocked by using them unconventionally, which seems like an opportunity for further development. The lack of a hint system also led to some periods of being stuck. While the puzzles themselves were well-grounded in the theater setting, I didn't necessarily find them to be integrated into the story itself or serve to move the story forward. It felt like they ran in parallel - solve a puzzle and learn some information before moving on. I would've loved for the story pieces to be more tightly tied to the solves. It was a bit anticlimactic at times; I think more could be done to signal key happenings after solving the bigger puzzles in particular. The larger scale physical manipulation puzzles that leaned heavily on the decor were by far my favorite components of this game! They provided that familiar sensation of working towards a solution, with each step giving a satisfying mini-payoff. Photos above are properties of Top Right Corner 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 This is a fun experience that lasts for about 2-3 hours. Fans of hunting for objects and manipulating the environment will likely find this more satisfying than hard-core complex puzzle hounds; there were a few times when I was overthinking the solution, looking for more information in the collateral when it wasn't needed. The world of VR Puzzle experiences is still evolving and while "The Atlas Mystery" didn't provide quite the sense of satisfaction that I'd hoped for in the conclusion, it definitely provided a beautiful and engrossing environment with more than enough 'wow, cool!' moments along the way to make it worth exploring on a dark and stormy night. (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 Top Right Corner for providing us with a sample of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #DaveBristol #AtHomeGames #VRGames #OculusQuest2 #Mystery #Noir #PuzzleRoom #TopRightCorner #USA

Photo above is property of Eleven Puzzles Company: Eleven Puzzles Game: Parallel Lab Country: Poland 🇵🇱 Language: English Type of Game: Video Game 🖱 Genre: Detective, Visual Novel, Cooperative Date Played: December 8, 2022 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6/10 Size of Team: 2 Players (from 2 different devices) Time: Approximately 45-60 Mins. Price: Free 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Returning home, Detectives “Old Dog” Steve and Ally find an unexpected delivery. In their offices sit a locked suitcase and a taunting note from an old friend - The Cryptic Killer. Knowing the damage this killer is capable of, Old Dog and Ally quickly team up to end the terror of this perpetrator once and for all. Video above is property of Eleven Puzzles 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 "Unsolved Case" follows the aesthetic and storytelling from Eleven’s earlier counterparts - Cryptic Killer and Parallel Lab. The cut scenes are reminiscent of pulp fiction comics, while the clean lines and solid colors did minimal to distract players from the static scenes, which is a plus in my book. Despite the stillness of each scene, the clickable puzzles and stages within the game made it easier to focus on the task at hand. This also left little room for straying, especially when it came to matching important puzzle symbols to aspects of each scene. And this game really is an exercise in cooperation. Like Eleven’s previous games, you would need a minimum of two players with two different devices. The game will not proceed if there is only one device logged into the game. And like an actual investigation, communication is key - players have to choose either Old Dog’s or Ally’s routes, and can only see materials or information through their eyes. Do note - please ensure that your network is stable while you play this game on Steam. Our gameplay ended up cut short when my teammate got disconnected halfway through the game and we had to start over. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 I thoroughly enjoyed the style of puzzling this game offered. It truly engages all players and keeps you moving through the game together. This is not a divide-and-conquer style kind of game, rather, you need to be in constant communication with your partner(s) as you explore the room. You might have a keypad with periodic table symbols and your partner has a lab note about them or you might have one half a page and they have the other. I found that the puzzles weren't hard - the challenge comes from building communication between your group. I would say this kind of puzzling is excellent for groups looking to truly collaborate. Photos above are property of Eleven Puzzles 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Overall, "Parallel Lab" has an excellent theme and style that draws on classic retro-style animation and encourages a level of collaboration while still giving each player something to do, which can be hard to navigate in the online realm of puzzling. Eleven Puzzles does it quite seamlessly! This game takes a little longer than the average escape room - our group took about an hour and nine minutes, so you definitely get your money’s worth! The ending suggests more is to come and I am definitely on board to see where Old Dog and Ally’s adventure takes them to next! Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of their game: (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) #JoelynAlexandra #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #PointNClick #Cooperative #ElevenPuzzles #Detective #Poland

Photo above is property of Eleven Puzzles Company: Eleven Puzzles Game: Unboxing the Cryptic Killer Country: Poland 🇵🇱 Language: English Type of Game: Video Game 🖱 Genre: Detective, Visual Novel, Cooperative Date Played: May 2, 2023 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7/10 Size of Team: 2 Players (from 2 different devices) Time: Approximately 1-2 Hrs. (Our team completed in 1:28.43) Price: $5.99 USD (available to purchase & download - Steam) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 In this two-player co-operative game, you take on the identities of two international police force agents, Stefan "Old Dog" Kowalski and Ally Abernathy who are on the hunt for a mysterious serial killer. Years have passed since the killer went missing and the case went cold, but now the killer is back and seems to be targeting you! Can you hunt him down, or will you be caught in his trap? Video above is property of Eleven Puzzles 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 This is a point-n-click adventure which has been created around the perspective of the two characters. To play, you need a minimum of two computers, one representing Ally and the other Old Dog. If you are more than two computers then you all decide, prior to the game beginning who will play from which characters POV. Each screen will see different information and it is through constant communication with one another that you will exchange details and ideas to solve codes and riddles. To make the game easier you could sit side-by-side and thus see one another’s screens, but the idea is to sit separate and focus on teamwork and communication. One thing I would have liked to have seen more of is the ability to move and explore more freely and not follow such a redefined route. The graphics look great, gritty but cartoony, and the game flows easily… Photos above are property of Eleven Puzzles 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles are quite varied, offering logic, code breaking, and some audio. We felt that they offered more engagement and were created with more imagination with other point-n-click games we have played. The two player perspective added an extra layer of depth to the puzzles and really enforced the need for clear communication. Photos above are property of Eleven Puzzles 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 For fans of point-n-click adventures, "Unboxing the Cryptic Killer" is surely going to be a hit, particularly with couples who, perhaps, want something fun (and inexpensive) to do for date night. I am a huge escape room addict and don’t often play such games, as I prefer to be in a room solving such puzzles in person, but for much of the time playing this the same emotions were being evoked, so this is a game I would certainly recommend. Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of their game: (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank Eleven Puzzles for providing us with a sample of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #RyanDriver #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #PointNClick #Cooperative #ElevenPuzzles #Detective #Poland

Photo above is property of Color Gray Games Company: Color Gray Games Game: The Case of the Golden Idol Country: Latvia 🇱🇻 Language: English Type of Game: PC Video Game 💻 Genre: Mystery, Detective Date Played: January 3, 2023 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6/10 Time: Approximately 4-6 Hrs. to complete Price: $17.99 USD (available for purchase & download - Steam) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 "The Case of the Golden Idol" is a murder mystery detective game set in the historical period of 18th century neoclassical England, a time of high dramas and intrigues, of virtues, vices, and the calamitous consequences that are wrought by the ruthless pursuit of power and social standing at all costs. This not too distant past is a fitting choice of setting, for although it appears to be a simpler time when contrasted with our own, this only serves to render the "human, all too human..." quality of its story all the more starkly. In the game you play as a unnamed detective attempting to solve a series of murders spanning over a forty year period, by investigating a series of crime scenes staged as static post mortem friezes, each populated by a rogues gallery of suspects - some innocent, some not - from the lower and upper classes of society alike. Each scene and its characters are interconnected in an overarching plot that surrounds the pursuit, possession, and use of the titular Golden Idol, a magic relic that grants its owner untold arcane powers. Through the game you will uncover a panoply of interesting personas and scenes, stories of betrayal, conspiracies, occult secret societies, political intrigues, and love affairs, all tied together by the stories grand moral allegory on the tragic pursuit of the golden idols' tempting and corrupting powers. Video above is property of Color Gray Games 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 The game is designed as a point-n-click adventure, where you analyze a series of murder scenes, jumping around and within the map, to discover narrative clues and collect relevant terms that relate to the murder weapon, the character, the location, the action, the motivations, etc., which you then use to plug into and complete a pre-formed murder mad lib or puzzle that answers who did what, with what, and why. The game principle innovation is to organize the murders scenes and their investigation around a exploring/thinking screens split which the player can readily switch between, and whose aspects reflect into each other. It works really well to both present the map and its clues while simultaneously organizing the players' investigative activities. It also gives the players an objective and direction without compromising the non-linearity of the map and its secrets. This makes the game intuitive and easy to jump into, and the whole process of discovery and deduction are organized so that the action of investigation flows quite naturally, and the player can focus all their attention on solving the mystery as opposed to figuring out how to play the game. In practice, you start with a discovery phase where you explore the map and collect terms, build up a narrative picture, and then delineate and solve the individual puzzles, gradually working to bring the scene to life so as to solve the riddle at the heart of the once opaque scene. It's exciting, and as you piece it all together there's always more than meets the eye and many unexpected twists and turns along the way. There's enough variety of possibilities in the clues that you can't brute force an answer, but the game will indicate when you've gotten close to a solution, which helps a lot when stuck in one of those moments where you feel you're at a loss. I give kudos to the designers because the whole mechanic is very well designed and thought out, and sets a new standard for how mystery games should be conceptualized. As for the aesthetic, it's one of the first things that caught my eye about the game, and it is unavoidable and striking, done in color in a nostalgic pixel art style, that is both bizarre and fascinating, and that communicates the grotesque nature of the game and its story. The music too is quite fitting to its theme, being propulsive, atmospheric, and does a good job of putting the player in the investigative mood and frame of mind. Photos above are property of Color Gray Games 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles themselves are impressively crafted and interwoven with the plot, and originate in an organic fashion from out of the narrative elements of the game. They are designed through a classic synthesis of the two elements which make up every good mystery: discovery and deduction. One part challenges the player to test their empirical intuition by having them search the scene and identify and understand the significance of the clues that are presented before them; the other tests their powers of logical and deduction, by having them think through the evidence and find the unifying concept or key that will unlock the whole enigma. Players must think through the map, its characters, their motivations, clues, the mysterious power of the idol, the unfolding narrative, and many other elements, which must all be understood in their own significance, and brought together and comprehended to unlock the mystery of the scenes. There are often twists and little quirks that are hidden and gradually disclosed as you peel back the layers of the narrative, and upon which the whole scene can suddenly turn, offering up new revelations. In playing the game it's apparent just how much creators really tried hard to ensure that it wasn't just the same old puzzles being stamped onto each scene, but to make sure they were cleverly bound up with the act of uncovering each murders unique storyline. The fill in the blank and term collecting mechanics ensure that there is enough direction in the game, all while facilitating the thrill and challenge of the open-ended nature of a non-linear puzzle. Overall the puzzles are challenging and novel in ways that would impress even a seasoned puzzle connoisseur. Photos above are property of Color Gray Games 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Personally I loved the game and found it to be a rare treat. It was masterfully done, having universal appeal for puzzle lovers of all kinds.The game was challenging without being obtuse, easy to jump into but still complex, and all the while fascinating in both its aesthetic style and story. Its principal design innovation - the discovery and fill in the blank mechanic - was an enabling factor instead of a limiting one, as the mechanics in puzzle games can so often be. This allowed the player to focus on the fun elements of the game with a minimum of fiddling and frustration. The gameplay was more than just solving a series of routine puzzles, but was centered around the kind of narrative that sucks you in and which challenges you to immerse yourself in its world and details, one that poses deep questions requiring penetrating thought, rewarding players with those wonderful revelatory moments that are the ecstasy of mystery lovers. I would highly recommend it. So my advice is to pick this game up on a dark and stormy night, alone or with a buddy, and be prepared to set yourself upon a great adventure. (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"!) #AndrewWoods #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #PCGames #Mystery #Detective #ColorGrayGames #Latvia

Photo above is property of Color Gray Games Company: Color Gray Games Game: Golden Idol Mysteries: The Spider of Lanka Country: Latvia 🇱🇻 Language: English Type of Game: PC Video Game 💻 Genre: Mystery, Detective Date Played: May 7, 2023 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7/10 Time: Approximately 1.5-2 Hrs. to complete Price: $22.78 USD (available for purchase & download - Steam) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 It's more Golden Idol. All that Golden Idol needs is more Golden Idol. Admittedly, a lot more Golden Idol would be ideal." The Spider of Lanka serves as a kind prologue to the Case of the Golden Idol, addressing the unsolved question of the mysterious origin story behind the introduction of the game's titular item, by taking you halfway across the world to a year before the beginning of the original game, to the place it all started. This time you will be transported to the far east to the fictional kingdom of Lanka, an ancient civilization, both exotic and strange, resting on the colonial frontier. The seven seas company - a thinly veiled allusion to the real Dutch East Indian company - is up to their old tricks and looking to expand their trading base, and so it has sent a group of agents on a diplomatic pilgrimage to try and curry political favor from the Lankian nobility, by hook or by crook. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a mysterious character known only as the Spider of Lanka weaves his web of intrigue, manipulating the local nobility in a plot to extract just what magical power they have secreted away. Video above is property of Color Gray Games 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Retaining much of the same beloved elements and mechanics of the first one. In it you still study a frieze of an event to find clues, while collecting names and nouns to fill in ever more complex and exciting murder mad-libs. It is less a revolutionary leap over the original than a condensed distillation of its essence, giving you three medium sized scenarios that feature the best elements from the original game. Innovative puzzle structures, mysteries within mysteries, a believable and intriguing political narrative, all come together and connected by an overarching conspiracy, leaving the player guessing until the final denouement. No one could fault them for giving the people more of what they want, and of resting on this tried and true formula. I feel like they did try to outdo themselves this round, to almost complete success. The locale is such a perfect setting for the adventure, they had me hooked from the very first teaser images, and its strangeness and exoticism is the perfect subject for its weird and unique art style. It does answer one more pivotal question in the series: what is the origin of the magical Golden idol, and by what machinations was it stolen and brought to Europe to initiate the shocking saga that unfolded in the first game. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 I feel like they really tried to innovate within the frame of the structure they had created for themselves, retaining the best of what they came up with in the last game, while also trying to push the envelope as much as the structure allowed. The mysteries had depth, they had new logic structures, the map was a web of disparate clues you had to fit together, all smartly layered, with always more than meets the eye, and mysteries within mysteries. Its amazing how they can pack a narrative with so many twists into a simple static frame, but that's how well the puzzles are designed. It also makes you wonder how far they can push the discovery/thinking mechanic, as well as the puzzles structures, and whether they are on the verge of exhausting the medium. They introduced some novel puzzles, but it wasn't as much a quantum leap as it was a doubling down on what really worked in the first game. I feel like next time round they are going to have to expand the mechanic or they risk serving us something we love, but that we've already had before. If I had to critique the game I would say the first scenario maybe unfolds a little too quickly once you get the ball rolling, but it has a really really great form and premise that naturally lends itself to deduction. The second scenario is stylistically the apogee of the classic Golden idol puzzle, having a kind of interweaving plot with many layers and twists, and is probably the best of the three. The last scenario employs a puzzle of a controversial sort that is similar to the one featured at the end of the original, whereby - without spoiling anything - the player must piece together through a kind of recollected summation the overarching plot and mystery of the game, identifying the spider and its connection to the plot and other characters, illustrated through a kind of mysterious symbolic tableau allegory which you must use in conjunction with the usual fill in the blank narrative. This makes total sense on the one hand, challenging the player to give a thorough rendition of what went down, but on the other it feels like reiterating what you maybe already know, without the third scenario in itself adding much of its own, and leaving us a bit underwhelmed. That being said I can still remember us feverishly working through the plot at the end and trying to tie it all together so maybe it wasn't like it was simply given to us, nor were we deprived of the satisfaction of figuring it all out, but that we were just so desperate for more. Photos above are property of Color Gray Games 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 It's simple, if you loved the first game then you should absolutely get this DLC. It's short though - you could possibly finish it in under an hour and a half - but the worst thing you could really say about it is that it's more of the same of the same great game. In other ways it's quite novel, and a really impressive expansion of the original game. Again, from this simple and ingenious mechanic that they have set such a great precedent for the next generation of puzzle games, and everyone is hoping that their next production is an epic second act that can rival the greatness of the first. My one thought going forward is whether they have pretty much done all you can within this discovery/thinking structure, and whether they will still be able to come up with innovative puzzles in their next installments, but I'm sure they will surprise us all once again. My nagging criticism is that the fill in the blank "thinking board" structure within the game itself, sometimes becomes less a matter of discovery and more a matter of collecting terms and then deducing the solution from the outline of what was already given to you. Meaning at times you can kind of gloss over puzzles and bypass the real work of studying the clues and making connections was already given away by the structure of the thinking board, especially regarding the final scenario in this case. It isn't wholly like that but that is one drawback which they will have to try and minimize. Possibly I could see them going meta, and somehow give over the creation of the thinking board to the player in some way, and not just the collecting and filing of it in. There's a lot of direction they could go, and they are at a crossroads of sorts. Now is the time to innovate, which requires them to rethink the mechanic so as to revolutionize it; a formidable but exciting challenge that will require all the genius that inspired their first game, and then some. (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"!) #AndrewWoods #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #PCGames #Mystery #Detective #ColorGrayGames #Latvia

Photo above is property of mc2games Company: mc2games Game: Regular Factory Country: Spain 🇪🇸 Language: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German Type of Game: Video Escape Game 📱 Genre: Mystery Date Played: April 22, 2022 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7.5/10 Size of Team: 1 Player Time: Unlimited (Approx. 90-120 mins.) Price: $9.99 (Steam) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 It's just a regular day at the factory. Your boss has advised you to get the assembly line back up and running again. As you begin to search around, your curiosity gets the best of you and you decide to investigate what this factory is really manufacturing... Video above is property of mc2games 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ As soon as you start the game, you are inside an empty, yet mysterious factory. The graphics were stunning and really well detailed. The color scheme of the green and white walls with the orange machinery really added to the mysterious vibe of the room. Almost like you knew there was a lot more to your surroundings than just a "Regular Factory". On the surface, the factory appears to be abandoned until you start to dig deeper and uncover a darker mystery. Photos above are property of mc2games 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 At the moment, "Regular Factory" is available on Steam for PC only. Once you download the game, you will have buttons available to start a new game, load an existing game, options menu, credits, and exit. This game is entirely played in first-person and you're able to maneuver using your mouse for directional and standard WASD controls for traveling. Although the graphics are extremely detailed, there are no red herrings in this game. If you need to zoom in on an object, it will show a circle for you to click and if it's a puzzle that you need to interact with, it'll show a jigsaw piece for you to click. For the most part, moving around was fairly simple and interacting with items was easy. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The first stage definitely gets you to familiarize yourself with mc2games' style of play. As you progress, the puzzles get a little bit more difficult but you're able to adapt quickly. All the puzzles implemented in this game correlated with the story and the atmosphere. Although there isn't too much searching involved, you need to be aware of your surroundings and detect clues. Each puzzle has one hint available that will nudge you in the right direction. I highly recommended using it if you're stumped for a long period of time. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "Regular Factory" is the fourth and newest game released by mc2games. You can purchase the bundle pack on Steam for $35.96 which also includes "Palindrome Syndrome", "Tested On Humans" and "Between Time". This game had me invested from the beginning. The storyline was vague, yet intriguing which is exactly what I felt when I first started playing the game. The first stage on the factory floor with the assembly line allows you to familiarize yourself with the controls and mc2games style of play. The storyline for "Regular Factory" is the perfect game for any movie-lover! It pulls you and leaves you wanting to know more. Without giving away any spoilers, the ending definitely caught me by surprise and was perfectly delivered. It was truly chilling and unforgettable! (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 mc2games for providing us with a sample of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #BrandonChow #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #mc2games #RegularFactory #Spain #Steam

Photo above is property of mc2games Company: mc2games Game: Wizardry School: Escape Room Country: Spain 🇪🇸 Language: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German Type of Game: Video Escape Game 📱 Genre: Fantasy Date Played: June 18, 2023 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 7/10 Size of Team: 1 Player Time: Unlimited (Approx. 90-120 mins.) Price: $10.99 (Steam) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Headmaster Hawthorn of your Wizardry school is calling for your help. He senses that the Lord of Darkness is coming and needs you to recover the Philosopher's Stone but is there a traitor in the midst? Video above is property of mc2games 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 This game is available through Steam and plays as a first-person video game. Using the keyboard and mouse to navigate the area, I could wander around the room, looking for clues and items to interact with. One thing that I really liked was that only items I could interact with showed a marker when I approached it. This was helpful because I was never confused if anything was part of a puzzle or if I needed to be thorough and click everything. The graphics were sleek and well done and the controls were simple to learn. The game had some quality sound effects that fit into the game wonderfully. This made for some great interaction as I placed down stone tablets and spun brass dials as well as some ambiance music that flowed with the game. Photos above are property of mc2games 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The feel of the puzzles matched that of an escape room. There was a mix of everything including matching, math, logic and more. I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of puzzles that were encountered in the 6 rooms. Make sure to have paper and pen in hand to take notes throughout the game. All the puzzles were language free which allows for playability by many. There were a handful of puzzles that were color centric and as someone who is slightly color blind, I did have to use outside resources to solve these ones. As I progressed through the rooms, I also noticed that the puzzles ramped up in difficulty which was a nice touch. Photos above are property of mc2games 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "Wizardry School: Escape Room" was a beautifully designed and well thought out game. There were a lot of small details from the effects, music and voiceovers that took this game to the next level. The story may seem familiar to some, but the puzzles were top tier that mimicked some of the more fun escape rooms I have played in real life and even then, would be difficult to replicate in real life. My only disappointment was that I could not play with more people. Any fans of Harry Potter, alchemy or Dungeon’s and Dragons would love this game. For the time and enjoyment you get for this price point, this game is an absolute must! (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 mc2games for providing us with a sample of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #MatthewLui #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #mc2games #WizardrySchool #Fantasy #Magic #Spain #Steam

Photo above is property of Infinite Whys Company: Infinite Whys Game: Whispers in the West - "The Portrait" and "The Break-In" Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English, German, Japanese, Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Spain) Type of Game: Video Escape Game 📱 Genre: Detective Date Played: August 1, 2023 Difficulty (based on 4 players): 7/10 Size of Team: 2-4 Players Time: 60 Mins. (Average) Price: $6.00 USD for the game and 1 core mission, $25.00 USD for the game and all 6 missions 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 The small frontier town of Brimstone is once again in need of your help. Somebody has broken into the Brimstone Bank and stolen what looks like to be a mere handful of petty cash. Now why would they risk getting caught for just that? All you have is a handful of confounding facts, confusing evidence, and contradictory statements from the town's colorful cast of characters. What really happened here, what motives were at play, and who stood to gain? Grab your posse and get to the work, use your unique abilities along with your powers of deduction to collectively decipher this well spun scenario. The clocks ticking, if we don't have an answer by the third day, we may never have one. Video above is property of Infinite Whys 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Howdy partner, somehow I've gotten myself into another cowboy themed game review, but I'm much obliged. Co-op mystery games are a rare but special breed, and Whispers in the West has done the beloved genre justice. It's a point and click side scrolling mystery game, set in a small town on the frontiers of the Old west. A place populated by bandits, drunks, charlatans, sinners, heathens and god fearing people alike, and a few honest people. Up to four players can play simultaneously, choosing one of four unique characters with unique special abilities that have the potential to unlock their own special information about the case. You witness the scenario, strategically coordinate your questioning of NPCs, use a system of presenting objects and other NPCs to elicit more information from NPCs, pin and share information, use your special abilities to uncover your own special bit of information, and scream theories at each other while chaotically running around the map in hopes of an answer before the very short clock runs out. The interactive phase of the game - as opposed to the straight deductive phase, given to you in intervals between days when you are given unlimited time to deliberate - is a fun mess of information collection and thinking on the fly, and is really the meat of the game. It is a matter of coordinating your investigative party alongside the narrative unfolding by your deductions and interactions, and if you've ever dealt with people before, you know how wonderfully enraging this can be. But that's the fun of coop games, trying to make it work. Time is limited (although you can set the time to unlimited), and the principle puzzle within the information gathering game is to use the bare information which with you are presented with through the scenario to direct your investigation in a way that utilizes the "presentation system" to connect the right person or object to the right NCP so as to elicit a new response and with it new information. If I present my sheriff's badge to the timid drifter he may feel compelled to give me new information he was otherwise reluctant to share with others, or if I ask the banker about the blacksmith he might reveal that the man is in fact heavily in debt. This system has the virtue of being active and easy to get into, so that everyone is free to pursue their own lines of questioning, but it is also hard in a fun way in that the mysteries are complex enough that it challenges the players to effectively coordinate their information gathering and deductive. The goal and the means are straightforward, but because of the time limit you generally cannot brute force your way to the right information, and so you will be frantically sharing and weaving your individual threads together in a way that is very nerve wracking but exciting. The unique powers highlight the diffusion of information and the need to communicate, which again accentuates the most fun aspect of the game: trying to get everyone to be on the same page. Honestly, the mechanic is well thought out and sets a standard for how a cooperative mystery games should be designed. Photos above are property of Infinite Whys 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 You are presented with a scenario, but even through the process of information gathering, you will never be given a smoking gun per se. The presentation mechanic is the principle puzzle within the game, of connecting relevant persons and objects to persons for whom these objects might have a significance, and so potentially elicit a revelatory response. You are uncovering the web of connections which will eventually lead you - through proper deduction - to the one and only possible answer. Usually there is a bit of subtle direction included, meaning you can kind of read the characters and gain an idea of whether they are lying or not, which adds a bit of depth to the process of questioning. The scenarios themselves and the puzzles - well at least the scenarios I played - were really well thought out multi-layered, and offered a clever set of facts and narrative developments that were satisfying to work through. They were also very plausible without being obvious, which is all important to how a mystery is judged in the end. Photos above are property of Infinite Whys 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 The games a blast, it's really a great format, it's well written, and it's only limited by the strength of the individual scenarios. I hope they keep supporting it, and add new mechanics and characters. The presentation mechanic, though shallow in ways, is relatively deep enough to make the core mechanic both challenging and rewarding, and the cases are well thought out enough to be deductively interesting. And the coop - many loving relationships will be tested as you try and work through these ones. But what's life without a little strife, life is confusion, communication, and this throws you right in the middle of that chaos. My biggest gripe with the game is the pricing, and the length of the missions, which if you split the cost it is reasonable - and i should mention only one of you needs to have the full game or mission for each of you to play it - but it feels like they got a little too smart for their own good with the pricing. They make the game cheap to buy and try the first scenario, which you would think then they would have a post buying the game bundle for those that liked it, but not so, if you don't buy the whole thing outright then adding scenarios looks to be quite expensive. It feels like a short sighted monetization scheme to squeeze players, and that also contradicts the logic of its introductory offer. But I digress! I present to you humble mystery gamer my own deduction: Coop mystery games are few and far between, this one is really well done and a lot of fun to play with friends and foe alike, so go out and try it. (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 Infinite Whys for providing us with a sample of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #AndrewWoods #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #InfiniteWhys #Detective #Multiplayer #UK #Steam

Photo above is property of Pine Studio Company: Pine Studio Game: Escape Simulator Country: Croatia 🇭🇷 Language: English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Portugese, Turkish, Italian Type of Game: Video Escape Game 📱 Genre: Mystery Date Played: October 5, 2023 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 5/10 Size of Team:  Unlimited (Recommended 2-3 ppl) Time: Unlimited Price: $14.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Escape Simulator has many mini escape rooms with various themes that people often see in escape rooms, such as space, Egyptian, or a treasure island. The theme of each game is different, but the main objective is escaping from the room. Most of them don’t have much detailed story. Escape Simulator also contains the tools to develop an escape room. You can build your escape room. You can play the escape rooms created by game builders in the Escape Simulator community. Their escape rooms have unique stories, themes, and puzzles. Video above is property of Pine Studio 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ I love the design and graphics of the entire game. The decor of each room is different depending on the theme, but all look attractive and intriguing. When my avatar enters a room, I always have a moment to say, “Wow!” just like when I step into an escape room. I enjoy playing games with my own cute avatar that I can decorate. Photos above are property of Pine Studio 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 The console of the game is Steam. You must install Steam on your computer, and you can purchase the game on Steam. You can control your avatar to play an escape room in Escape Simulator. Your avatar can explore the room, pick up things, zoom up the things to get information, or put things in certain places to solve puzzles. The tutorial game is available to learn how to control the avatar. If you play with your friends remotely, your friends must have Escape Simulator on their computers. One of your team members can create and send an invitation code to play the game together in the same game room. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The types of puzzles can be different depending on the game. As for the game created by Pine Studio, the puzzles are usually something like what you encounter in escape rooms. Because an avatar can explore a room freely and do many tasks to solve puzzles, Escape Simulator captures the essence of an actual escape room, unlike point-n-click puzzle games. Although the game has various language options, the puzzles developed by Pine Studio are more physical puzzles that require logical thinking using items or information found in the room rather than word puzzles or pencil puzzles. Inside the game room, there is a hint button to receive step-by-step hints if you need them. The puzzles created by the builders in the community can be varied. Photos above are property of Pine Studio 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "Escape Simulator" is an escape game platform that contains many exciting escape rooms with various themes on Steam. By controlling your avatar, you can experience a game like an escape room you play in real life. It is accessible to unique games at home anytime you desire. Pine Studio often updates content. Plenty of games developed by Pine Studio and the room builders in the community are available. There is a list of popular games monthly or annually selected in the community section of Escape Simulator. I recommend playing those popular games once you finish the standard rooms by Pine Studio. Or you can have fun creating your unique escape rooms using Escape Simulator! (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"!) #ChikakoOmura #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #PineStudio #Steam #Mystery #Croatia

Location: Livermore, California, USA Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 📝  ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: Sherlock Holmes 📅 DATE PLAYED: April 21, 2019 🎬 GENRE: Detective 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 7.5/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: Up to 10 ppl 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE:  $32.00/ pp (public)/ private - inquire for price ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Public/ Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers This is our first escape room ever played in California. The location feels a bit suburban, but the great thing about that is there’s plenty of parking! And if you ever get hungry before or after the game, apparently the sandwich shop next door, Jake’s Café (per our game master) is really good! We were greeted with a warm welcome into the lobby area where there’s plenty of seating and lockers to secure your belongings. Today, we are trying their "Sherlock Holmes" room. We're always intrigued by this type of theme as solving mysteries is what we were born to do. When you enter the room, the first thing you feel is being transported to the Sherlock Holmes era. The storyline was for us to find the murderer that killed one of the Baker 5 gang members. The décor feels very 1800's. The dim lighting in the room definitely set the tone but for players who has difficulty with reading in dim lights, we did find it a bit difficult to see some of the clues at times. There’s not much high tech incorporated into this room but for puzzle lovers you’ll definitely enjoy some of the wittiness used in the puzzle designs. The puzzles were quite linear, and it wasn’t until all the way at the end that we got a bit stumped by the final clue. That’s mainly because we tend to over-think things and make it harder than it is (what’s the fun in solving things too fast and not getting that last second rush to get out of the room, right?). One final thing, we would say (without giving away too much) would be that this room felt like it still has a good amount of potential to add a bit more “surprises”. Finally, we did have the privilege to also see the other two games they had at the location: Pirate Adventure and Bank Heist. They both looked very intriguing and we hope to have an opportunity to try those when we come back to Livermore, CA next time! Until next time, Sherlock – Out. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers (If you do decide to try this room, please remember to let them know that "ESCAPETHEROOMers" sent you!) Disclosure: We thank Limitless Escape Games for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #LimitlessEscapeGames #Detective #California #USA

Location: San Jose, California, USA Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 📝  ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: Wonderland 📅 DATE PLAYED: April 21, 2019 🎬 GENRE: Fantasy 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 7.5/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: Up to 8 ppl 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE:  $29.00/ pp ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Public 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Symbology was our second stop on our CA escape room adventure. This location is one block away from the San Jose Japantown. We were lucky to find parking right downstairs as it seems like weekdays it’s a lot busier and would be more difficult to find parking nearby. There’s a large sign that will direct you to Symbology located upstairs and down the hallway as you pass by the bathrooms. So feel free to use that before being locked up for an hour! If you still can’t find them, find the ice cream shop right downstairs called "JT Express" for awesome brain “unfreezers” prior to your game (according to the game master). Right when we entered, the game master greeted us with a warm welcome and we checked in on yelp to get our free soda/water so make sure you do that if you need that extra “energy boost” prior to the game as it definitely helped us. Love to open locks? Well you found the “locks galore” room! When you enter the room, you are inside of a psychiatrist's office and you must escape through the wonderland world in order to prove that you are not insane before the psychologist returns! This room was Symbology's first room that they built themselves and there’s an actual love story behind it as the owners got married after! With that said, there isn't much high tech in this room but the puzzles were well thought-out. We felt that some puzzles were clearly from a "his and hers" point of view, even with some color-theme coordination in the room too. This made it very fun since we were also a couple playing the room. We did get stumped at the beginning a bit and due to our usual stubbornness, we didn’t use the hints until a bit later which kind of cut our finish time a bit tight at the end. Once we got the first clue and started moving, the puzzles were all quite linear and clear. Good thing the Math master (Cici of course) is in this room or else Brandon probably would've been stuck in wonderland forever. But Brandon did become handy later with some “wordy” puzzles (he made me add this). One last thing we like to comment on, is that since this is a game that has lasted awhile now from the beginning of Symbology, the condition of the room does need some updating and I’m sure the owners are aware of this and are in the works of either a new room or refurbishing this one. Overall, we really did enjoy this room and can’t wait to see the what their other room - "The Vault" and what the future of Symbology brings! Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers ** UPDATE - We regret to inform you that "Symbology Escape Rooms" has closed its doors. Disclosure: We thank Symbology Escape Rooms for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #Symbology #Fantasy #California #USA

Location: San Francisco, California, USA Photo above is property of Startup Escape 📝  ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: Startup Escape 📅 DATE PLAYED: April 21, 2019 🎬 GENRE: Puzzles 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 8.5/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: Up to 12 ppl 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE:  $198.00 (2-6 ppl) - price increases by size ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: No Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Startup Escape has a storefront location and you’ll have to get lucky with street parking. This location currently only has this one game (of the same name) and it’s definitely more suitable for large groups. The concept of this start up game is very refreshing as we have not played something like this before. The room setting is very loft-like and spacious and very much like your everyday office. I can see it being very fitting for a team bonding type of corporate outing. The mission was to solve each department’s issue so that you can successfully launch a startup business. Because the room was quite large, with two players there were too many areas to divide and conquer. You can easily get lost on what to do first and which clue leads to which problems to solve. Perhaps, an easier version can be provided with a team of less players (like color-coding the puzzles with the locks or something). Although outside knowledge is not necessary, you will definitely have an advantage if you are familiar with a few tech programs and devices. We struggled with a particular puzzle due to the fact that we’re not really familiar on how to use the device to solve it with the clue given. It was really “easy” in terms of solution once it was shown to us at the end. We really appreciate the owner taking the time to run through the game for us since he’s usually not the game master and there were also a few things that was not ran properly due to the tech issues. With that said, we can see the potential of it being very “cool” if it was running at 100% but that’s the good and bad thing about a room revolving a lot of tech. If something doesn’t work, it hinders the game flow a bit. I love to see what the owners will come up with in the future with their use of technology on other themed rooms as we feel that this may be a bit more specific in terms of the targeted audience. For us, coming out of the room we felt like we were still in the “stone ages” (even though we thought we were quite tech savvy already) and need to become more tech advanced as I’m sure the escape room’s future is moving towards that. Photos above are property of Startup Escape * UPDATE - We regret to inform that "Startup Escape" has closed. Disclosure: We thank Startup Escape for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #StartupEscape #Puzzles #California #USA

Location: San Francisco, California, USA Photo above is property of Madame Tussauds 📝  ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: Alcatraz: The Breakout 📅 DATE PLAYED: April 22, 2019 🎬 GENRE: Prison Break 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 6.5/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: Up to 8 ppl 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE: $125.00 (Private) ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers This Madame Tussauds is located at a very nice location in Fisherman’s Wharf. Between the wax museum, the dungeon attraction next door, and this escape room, you can definitely make a day out of it. Make sure to check out their ticket package deals! We went on a Monday and it seemed like there was a good amount of parking early in the morning on the streets. We are big fans of Madame Tussauds and have been to several in different areas of the world but never been to an escape room inside and we were very excited to see how it was done! Of course, they were able to utilize their specialty (wax) for stage setting for the escape room. Our game master was also very much in character right away as the warden of the jail cell. We were of course very bad prisoners trying to escape Alcatraz! This game requires a min of 4 people normally but good thing we had plenty of coffee that day and was able to escape with plenty of time left. We felt pretty immersed with the cell design as right away we were transported and locked up in individual cells. This escape game definitely needs teamwork and without giving away too much, you will definitely feel the urgency to work towards escaping the cell as time goes by. There weren’t that many puzzles we felt that had to be solved so for expert players this may be on the easier side with four players but if you like the immersive feel of escaping a prison cell, it would definitely be worth trying out. Overall, the game had a nice flow and stuck with the story throughout. We are excited to see what other new concepts Madame Tussauds would come out with as we know there’s a lot of potential in terms of what can be done along with the wax creations as well in terms of the “reality” feel of the wax characters and the set designs. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers ***We regret to inform this game is no longer available for booking but check out other experiences on their website*** (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 Madame Tussauds for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #MadameTussauds #PrisonBreak #California #USA