@EscapeEnvelope's reviews on Morty

The Alchemist

Sherlocked

Escape room
IRL

Myself and a few other Escape Game owners travelled from Scotland to The Netherlands to play some of the top games in the world, as well as some of the rising stars. The Alchemist was the final stop on the tour. And what a way to end! Unlike many of the heavy hitters in the Netherlands, Sherlocked is located right in the heart of Amsterdam, a mere 10 minute walk from it's main station. So getting there was a breeze. In most major cities, the big-chain escape room companies dominate; space is at a premium, so grand experiences by ambitious creators move outward to small towns, the countryside, or the suburbs. The Alchemist is finds itself in one of the most prime locations in all of Amsterdam, and yet offers a massive space and experience as well. Truly the best of both worlds! Of all the well-established games we have played over the trip, this one was hands down our favourite. What I truly loved about the Alchemist, was the sheer weight of the room in terms of its atmosphere. Everything was (or felt incredibly) real so as you interacted with the game, you felt immersed in that world. No spoilers, but some of the puzzles were among the coolest we experienced on the trip. When we expected a light and sound show, we got a spectacle. When we expected a simple set of stairs, we go something incredible. When we expected a simple table, we got a mechanical marvel worthy of any film set. The team there have created something truly special and an absolute joy to play from start to finish.

The Dome

Mama Bazooka

Escape room
IRL

Myself and a few other Escape Game owners travelled from Scotland to The Netherlands to play some of the top games in the world, as well as some of the rising stars. The Dome was the third stop on the tour. Like so many games in the country, it is a masterpiece of technical effect, but everything else was quite divisive! ---- MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD ---- As someone who enjoys the ways we interact with the room, there are plenty of novel ideas here. Several times I said "ooh that's good" as I worked on a puzzle. The transitions between rooms were quite jarring, sometimes in a very cool way, sometimes in a confusing way. ---- MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD ---- Let's get into some of the divisive aspects of the game. Number 1, the story. It...was there. Compared to some of the other games, it was quite bare. Not necessarily a bad thing. But it seemed disjointed in places and some major points were just dropped at the end. The gameplay also has the potential to create some serious frustration. The Dome is the only time I have ever seriously considered giving up in a game! However, frustration aside, the ending was incredibly fun and getting to watch highlights of our game is a nice touch. Overall, ranking the game in hindsight, this giant of the industry failed to make the top spot for anyone. It is still worthwhile to pilgrimage here to play, and experience arguably the most famous escape game in the world. But as the emerging generation of games clearly inspired by it begins to grow in stature, The Dome's time at the top looks under serious threat.

Zoltar Spreekt [Zoltar Speaks]

Escape Cafe Hilversum

Escape room
IRL

Myself and a few other Escape Game owners travelled from Scotland to The Netherlands to play some of the top games in the world, as well as some of the rising stars. Zoltar Speaks was the penultimate stop on the tour. As Escape Room builders, we tend to approach games we play from a position of analysis, constantly reviewing what the game is presenting and how it all ties together. Once in a while, a game comes along that reminds us to truly have fun. And Zoltar did this in spades. Ranking the game in hindsight, it made it to the top spot for 2 out of the 5 players, and the other three players put it in 2nd place (myself included). Beating out games that ranked 50+ places higher than it on the TERPECA rankings. The spoilers ahead will discuss some core aspects of the game. And I believe wholeheartedly that this game inspired so much glee, so much joy, that players who are in any way serious about the best this industry has to offer should be closing Morty, and opening up a travel site that will get you to Hilversum to play this. ---- SPOILERS AHEAD ---- Ok, you were warned. Seriously... Stop reading. This game is amazing and should be experienced. Alright! The flow of the game is a series of escalations that increase the fun and tension. Starting in a traditional style escape room, it sets a tone. It lured us into a false sense of expectation. We were playing it saying "yes this room has great decor but what was everyone going on about?" So when we moved to room two, we realised this was not your typical game. Now unsure of where the game would go, we ended up in a much more open space, but still felt more like a traditional escape room. But then, we got to the final escalation. Suddenly, the game becomes a heist... But a heist in the way that every Escape Room that has "heist" in the name wants to be. We arranged a plan. Two members would distract the actual guard, while the rest of us snuck into an area and did our own thing. We agreed that once my stage of the plan was complete, I would make a bird call so the others knew to drop the distraction. The plan started off perfect. But after finishing my role, I watched the other members from a safe distance act out their incredible distraction with the actor, a heavily armoured guard armed with a large scimitar. Realising I had not made a bird call, I suddenly blurted it out and the guard immediately turned around and started running in my direction. What ensued was the most chaotic, funniest, Scooby-Doo-esque reenactment, as a guard chased us around a sultan's palace while we tried to revive a rebellion. Pure theatre. Immense fun and what we all agreed on was perhaps the most fun we've had in a game. We build games with live actors, and Zoltar Speaks showed us the new gold standard.

The Crimsons Recipe

Escaperoom Schijndel

Escape room
IRL

Myself and a few other Escape Game owners travelled from Scotland to The Netherlands to play some of the top games in the world, as well as some of the rising stars. The Crimson's Recipe was the second stop on the tour. It was mentioned to us by a few enthusiasts as a rising star. Intrigued we made the short trip from our base in Utrecht to see what the fuss was about. This game has clearly been inspired by the other heavy hitters in the country and tried to raise the bar. Which it has done in spades. Ranking the games on that trip in hindsight. This made the top spot for 3 of the 5 players in our team, myself included. This game has everything: a set that is massive, yet so intimately detailed, a story that is executed perfectly, puzzles that are satisfying, and a level of immersion that I had never experienced before. ----- MILD SPOILERS AHEAD ------- Personally I love the interactions with a game, how those interactions are disguised as puzzles, and how they draw you into the world. There were few number or word padlocks because it wouldn't have made sense for the world. But what we did interact with felt real and felt part of the world. It is here my only criticism falls. One puzzle contained what looked suspiciously like AI generated art, which, if true, was very disappointing. So much love clearly went into every inch of that set, so this particular asset stood out with a sore thumb. But so many of the interactions were excellent I have to give it a pass. (If the owner reads this, please let me know if I'm wrong, and if I'm right please change this because it's like a piece of gum stuck on a Rembrandt.) ----- MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD ------- Two things I want to discuss here. And while these are not critical to the actual game itself, they will definitely kill some of the magic for those who have not played, so read only if you are willing to spoil something wonderful for yourself! The first is the entry. The game begins from the moment you come in, and is so good that myself and my friend who runs one of the most immersive experiences in the UK, was completely thrown off. So authentic was the experience that even he did not recognise the performance! Second was the final moments of the story. Throughout, a narrative had been built, only for it to be flipped at the death. In a previous game, there was a moment where we were all huddled under a desk and I thought it was a fun way to make us feel like one of the characters. It was not. But in this game, we really did feel like we were stepping into the shows of the character (the sneaking section was incredible). But that final moment was presented not as an audio cue, but as environmental storytelling that is hard to miss, but could be for those not paying attention. When I realised what had happened. I turned to my friend with my hands on my head and said "I know what actually happened" and I was genuinely devastated. This is perhaps the most emotional I've ever been in a game. The Crimson's Recipe is not a "rising star" it is the new beacon that will define the next generation of rooms.

Molly's Game

Untold Stories Experiences [prev. Down the Hatch]

Escape room
IRL

Myself and a few other Escape Game owners travelled from Scotland to The Netherlands to play some of the top games in the world, as well as some of the rising stars. Molly's Game was our first stop on the tour. The main thing to say about this game is that it is a technical and set design masterclass. The things that are achieved in the game are incredible, and it looks incredible. Knowing it was designed by a single person over 7 years only adds weight to that. Ranking those games at the end of the trip, this was not my favourite. There were a few things I personally didn't like regarding the story and some of the puzzles, but games like this I realise are more about the spectacle, the emotion, and the grandeur of allowing you to be in a space like that. As the oldest game we played on the trip we would come to realise that so many newer games have taken inspiration from Molly's Game because it set the standard. This has pushed the industry in The Netherlands, Europe, and even the world further and we can only salute this titan of the industry for its contribution. Newer games are building on what Molly's Game achieved because it showed them what was possible. Inevitably it will be usurped as one of the best games in the world, but should always be remembered and experienced for what it did for this industry as a whole.

The Locktopus

Knockout Escape Rooms

Escape room
IRL

74 puzzles. 8 puzzle trails. 60 minutes. 1 BEAUTIFUL set. Just bursting with creativity, fun, and passion for building something different. Definitely NOT for beginners because it is so overwhelming, and although there are constant dopamine hits from solving puzzles, you really have to come to terms with the reality that you won't solve everything. The game simply isn't meant to be played that way. But man oh man, the set is beautiful, the tech is incredibly impressive, but the depth of the room in terms of puzzles is what made me seriously consider this as one of my top 2. Almost everything has multiple uses (like 4 puzzles in some cases) which in Escape Room terms is not a common thing. So I found a lot of joy in the idea of breaking my ingrained strategies for playing an escape room. I know so many times you say "I wish I could play that again" but this is actually a case where I genuinely could play that again because I missed so much. I'll absolutely take a cameo appearance on their leaderboard. P.S. loved the achievements, they were an excellent touch!

The Reading Witch

Deadlocked Escape Rooms

Escape room
IRL

The Reading Witch team has hands down crafted one of the best experiences in the industry. Balancing puzzles with live elements to create a perfect flow that ranged from on-edge, to genuinely terrifying. Honestly, deconstructing it a day later just reveals how everything was such a hit. From the second that front door opened to the second it closed 2 hours later, we were immersed. The setup is brilliant in the way they weave the standard escape room rules into the experience so you don't really feel like you are getting a brief for an escape room but are being prepped for a genuine experience. And that experience had some absolutely stunning moments. The puzzles are quite varied so everyone on our team had several moments to shine, plenty of eureka moments, and a range of difficulties to control the flow of the game. A must play for anyone who is seeking the best the industry has to offer. --- MILD SPOILERS BELOW From a game design perspective the space they have, has been so well utilised you can imagine the time and effort that went into the writing stages, but the execution from their performances makes the whole thing seamless. Moving between rooms relatively often keeps things fresh and returning to a previous room always offers up a fresh dose of anxiety. As a horror game it forgoes the glut of cheap jumpscares in favour of playing on legitimate fears, or building dread that sometimes descends into a deafening silence to an immediate crescendo of absolute terror. That terror comes from the interactions with the Reading Witch herself. But I find the most impressive though is that on two occasions they break the traditional tropes of these kinds of experiences which really deepened the immersion in a way that keeps you on edge until you physically are outside the premises. I want to talk about those two things, but will do so vaguely in the next section. If you have not played the game. Stop reading here. Go play it, and only then return. --- SPOILERS AHEAD The first trope they destroyed was literally breaking down a barrier. Things in escape rooms are meant to be used again and again. So the destruction of a physical object comes as a real shock. A barrier is, usually, to keep you separate from something. So when that literal barrier was broken, the dread deepened massively because now, nothing is sacred and you feel like you can be pursued on a whole new level. The second was the ending, in the sense it doesn't end the way, you expect. I won't say how, but because of that play on expectations, you don't really know if it really is over until you are out of the building. Even your final interaction with the team is still very much tied to the game giving you this sense that you are always still "in" the experience and can't trust anything. The team have made a very bold choice with The Reading Witch, and I can only hope the love it receives from players like myself can translate into financial success. In a market growing with cash-grabbing chains, these are the kind of games we absolutely need to champion.

The Anatomist

Escape The Past

Escape room
IRL

The Anatomist has been on my wishlist for years now. It did not disappoint. The rooms are beautiful, the puzzles are excellent and all thematically relevant, there were reveals and secrets and "aha" moments abound! It's a classic escape room but has aged incredibly well. I was disappointed we escaped in 34 minutes because I wanted more time in it's immaculate setting.

The Deacon's Cabinet

Escape The Past

Escape room
IRL

A few people I'd spoken to in the lead up to my "Escape the Past" double feature suggested Deacon's Cabinet was the weaker game compared to the anatomist. But I am here to set the record straight. They are wrong. It is a spectacular game. Our GM set the scene that was theatrical and engrossing. The room itself was incredibly themed. But the Cabinet. My god the cabinet. As someone who designs and builds escape rooms the cabinet is a marvel. Practical, artisanal, and above all, fun. MILD SPOILERS AHEAD: Thrill seekers may see a single room as a downside. But that room kept me and 5 others busy constantly for 55 or so minutes. A lot of the focus is on the cabinet, but the room is more layered than you initially expect. We got stuck a few times, and each time we overcame it with a collective effort. A gripe could be made with one or two puzzles having a touch of subjectivity, but on this occasion it did not detail our flow. And there was a moment that made me actually yell with joy. It has shot straight into my top 10.

𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 �𓅝𓃄 �𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿 𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 𓂨𓅝𓃄 𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿

The Asylum [prev.Haunted Hospital]

Xcape Room / X-Escape Room Glasgow

Escape room
IRL

𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 �𓅝𓃄 �𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿 𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 𓂨𓅝𓃄 𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿