Scooby-Doo™ and the Spooky Castle Adventure

Scooby-Doo™ and the Spooky Castle Adventure

Escapology - Roseville

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Sorcerer's Sanctum

Sorcerer's Sanctum

Omescape - San Jose

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Dark Altar

Dark Altar

Omescape - San Jose

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: E (see bio) I don’t think this is the worst game in the world or anything, but I have issues with almost every puzzle here and the set is extremely boring. Almost all of the puzzles get too complicated and vague. This includes the very controversial finale puzzle, which I personally liked, but I have a weird visual-spatial brain and if you don’t like thinking that way this puzzle is a terrible way to end the game off. My main issue is actually the 1st puzzle, which felt more like an IQ test and not something that should be in an escape room. Also, some puzzle information is made as hard to get as possible but in a way that just feels tedious, not difficult. The set is also extremely vague. It’s so vague that I had to check the description on the website after playing because what it described there didn’t feel almost at all like what was going on in the game. The only thing that goes in favor of this game is a series of neat tech moments. Omescape loves making things move. Unless you’re a completionist, I wouldn’t recommend playing this game unless you really wanted to see some weird overcomplicated puzzles, because they are unique for an escape room these days. I’ll give them that. It’s also really short and has an abrupt ending. Omescape Ranking 1. Robotopia (my 3rd favorite game ever) (gap in quality) 2. Chaos in the Galleria 3. Haruka High (small gap in quality) 4. Kingdom of Cat-astrophy 5. Undercooked 6. Forsaken Temple 7. Apartment Nextdoor 8. Midnight in HK (gap in quality) 9. Witchly Ever After (massive gap in quality) 10. Sorcerer’s Sanctum (gap in quality) 11. Pandemic Zero (big gap in quality) 12. Dark Alter (my 15th least favorite game ever)
Renegade: EP 2 – Rogue in the Rift

Renegade: EP 2 – Rogue in the Rift

Escape! at Margarita Adventures

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: B+ (see bio) A really great expansion of chapter 1 and the strongest of the Renegade chapters. It both fixes the gameplay issues of chapter 1 (and is overall just better in gameplay) while also expanding the set and story in notable ways. It’s an overall great game that’s even better as part of a larger story. (Gameplay Improvements) My main issue with the 1st chapter is it being a runbook game: tying most puzzles to the same manuel. This made it feel really repetitive and also meant it had to be super linear. This and chapter 3 fix both of these issues as the runbook is completely gone (for a good story reason). Technically, there’s still a terminal you keep coming back to for some puzzle information but it’s mostly for inputting codes and never feels as repetitive as the runbook. The runbook being gone also allows the game to abandon its linearity in the 2nd half. It also becomes pretty difficult when it does, though at least one of those puzzles is difficult because of unclear clueing (and clueing from another chapter). Always keep in mind that each chapter takes place in a room filled with most of the information of the other two chapters, meaning that most of the things in the room will be completely useless. This one in particular we found ourselves investigating objects that weren't needed in this chapter, so make sure to go in with that mindset that not everything will be used. Generally, this game did a good job pointing at what to actually use when we’re doing a puzzle, but sometimes it was unclear and we ended up fidgeting with knobs that weren’t even used in the chapter. Both of the later chapters also have an issue of it not being clear when things open, so ask your gamemaster quickly if anything opened if you couldn’t tell. (Set and Story Improvements) But that last thing is mostly an issue because of the expansions made to the set. There’s not many, but they are great. They are especially good from a technological standpoint.The biggest technological feats of Renegade are introduced in this chapter. Already the 1st chapter had hundreds of little buttons, knobs, and dials, but they don’t have anything on what’s shown off in this chapter. It’s also really impressive technologically how many of the buttons and knobs and dials have their functions changed entirely in these later chapters. The story also expands perfectly on the 1st chapter, with actual characterization, plot twists, and a surprising ending. The world of the Renegade feels really fleshed out in all 3 of these chapters. (Overall) Now, I only give each individual chapter a like rating, but altogether I would give the experience of Renegade a heart rating. I really recommend playing all 3 of these back to back in one visit (especially because it will make you less likely to be confused about what objects in the room have already been used in previous chapters, which we were in this chapter because of the months-long gap we had between chapters 1 and 2). While there will be some awkward gaps in your booking (hopefully they can run them near back-to-back, they were able to for us) and it will be pricey, together they do really make each better and create 1 really unique experience.
Renegade: EP 3 – The Reckoning

Renegade: EP 3 – The Reckoning

Escape! at Margarita Adventures

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: B+ (see bio) This is a good 3rd chapter that continues all of the gameplay, story, and set improvements chapter 2 makes to chapter 1. However, out of all the chapters of Renegade, it adds the least to the overall experience. It’s a really good game, but it’s not an improvement to the 2nd chapter, it’s sort of just a straight-line from it. (Gameplay) Like chapter 2, it completely gets rid of the runbook from chapter 1, but does have you keep coming back to a few central terminals for puzzle information. This one does a good job not letting that feel too repetitive. And like chapter 2 the game also gets very non-linear in its 2nd half. However, the issue from chapter 2 where it’s really hard to tell when things open is made worse in this game because the room is at its largest here. At one point an entirely new space opened and we didn't notice for multiple minutes. (Set and Story, vague story spoilers in this paragraph) The most notable thing chapter 3 lacks is new major additions to the set. Chapter 1 introduces the bulk of the set, chapter 2 introduces the strongest technical elements, but chapter 3, for the most part, uses the same spaces again but gives you access to them all for almost the whole game. It’s also a nice conclusion to the story, but similarly doesn’t have as much going on as in chapter 2. There isn’t really a singular story moment in the game that makes it stand out (aside from one fun character interaction in the 1st half, though that’s arguably the most derivative “puzzle” in the game). Also, a major plot climax happens way too early, and I wish the finale of the game was spent resolving that climax and not something else. (Overall) These are all small issues, but it does result in a game that feels like just a continuation of chapter 2 and not an evolution. I probably like it more than chapter 1 because of those gameplay improvements, but it’s not as good as chapter 2. While it’s not my favorite chapter, that’s irrelevant as far as how much I recommend it because I simply recommend playing all 3 chapters back to back. While I give each individual chapter a like rating, altogether I would give the experience of Renegade a love rating. I love what this overall experience has done creating a very fleshed-out sci-fi world and putting 3 different games in the same space that reuse bits of tech in the room while doing completely different puzzles. If you won’t have time for all 3, I guess you could skip this one since it adds the least to the trilogy, but I think after seeing how 2 ends you’ll want to see the story through to the end. Just don’t expect too much new from chapter 3 like I did, as those too-high expectations did hurt the game a bit.
Pirate Chest - Lobby Game

Pirate Chest - Lobby Game

Exit Strategy Games

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Wrecked

Wrecked

Masterpiece Escapes

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: A (see bio) Another game master on our trip described this game as “surprising”, and that really does describe this game well. On paper, it’s a pretty standard escape room following the common killer theme, but everything about the way this killer story is told (and of course the actual puzzles) is different from any other game I’ve played. This game is really strong in set and especially audio design. The 1st half already has an uncommon junkyard setting, but there’s also an additional layer to that setting that I’ve never seen before in an Escape Room, at least in the way this game did it. The 2nd half then takes you to a different part of the junkyard (through a door I really wasn’t expecting, which barely ever happens to me after playing a lot of Escape Rooms), and this place feels really different from where you would normally go at this point in a killer Escape Room. And both the ominous setting in the 1st half and the (mostly) suspenseful setting in the 2nd half are enhanced by the stellar audio design. There was one singular space of the game where I don’t think I’ve ever felt more compelled by just the background music loop. There is a lot of interesting lore about this game as well but most of it is not conveyed well, if at all, in the game itself. Instead the gamemaster has to explain it afterwards, which leads to it not having the impact it’s really trying to have. If you’re really interested in one aspect of the room’s description (don’t want to spoil which one) it may land better for you. Overall while there is story progression through the set, this game really isn’t story-based. And then there’s the amazing gameplay. We talked with an owner here and he said something that really stuck with me. If someone’s played a lot of Escape Rooms, the majority of puzzles are going to feel like just puzzles to them, because ultimately most Escape Rooms take basic puzzle ideas from each other. After playing a lot of rooms I remember most puzzles for the theme of the puzzle, rather than the actual puzzle itself. You can put the same puzzle in 100 different scenarios, but it’s still the same puzzle and the puzzle itself won’t be as memorable the 2nd time you do it. But here, I distinctly remember at least 50% of the puzzle content for the puzzle content. So many of the puzzles here either do something that I’ve never seen anywhere else, or more likely add something to a common puzzle type that really makes figuring it out feel special. This especially goes for the finale, which already has a neat theme, but most of the puzzles do something completely unseen before to embrace that theme. (Also this game has some of the best signposting I've seen in a game, this whole company does actually.) This game is really surprising in everything it does. The atmosphere, something that was already pretty rare in concept, never does anything in a “normal” way. The lore, while not really well-shown by the room, is still really thought-provoking and something they did not need to add but did anyway. And many of the puzzles stayed in my mind purely for gameplay, something extremely rare. Every Escape Room fan (this game’s pretty hard by the way, I would not recommend this for very new players) in Charlotte should play this. If you’re more into theatrical games (this includes me) it’s probably not going to work as well for you as the other big companies in the area or even Bagman here, but you’ll still greatly enjoy it. If you straight-up don’t like theatrical games and prefer more classic escape rooms, this might end up being your favorite in the area, or even one of your favorites ever. Masterpiece Ranking 1. Bagman 2. Wrecked 3. Coral Kingdom 4. Deadwood Saloon 5. Metro Mayhem 6. Missing 7. Breakfast All Day
Ghastly Escapes - Ch. 1 The Bag Man

Ghastly Escapes - Ch. 1 The Bag Man

Masterpiece Escapes

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: A+ (see bio) A really great actor-centric horror game with some flaws. It’s far from the strongest I’ve played of this genre, but it’s still very much worth playing. (Setting) The first thing that stands out about this game is the premise. I have been waiting for a meta Escape Room set inside of an Escape Room company, and while some of the game only loosely delivers on that, there was one area of the game that didn’t disappoint on the meta-ness of it. The set is also huge, and is going to be even huger as it’s expanded in the game’s planned sequels. But its decoration is pretty sparse (partially because the theme of the game is a lower-budget escape room company, but even then it felt so weakly decorated that I forgot that’s where we were supposed to be for some of the game). (The Scares) While the theme and the massive set is cool, what you’re here for is the Bagman. The set is built in a way that makes him an omni-present threat that can appear from anywhere. He is really imposing. However, the scare scenes with him, while intense, never (at least for us) got even close to stepping over boundaries. IMPORTANT NOTE TO THOSE ON THE FENCE ABOUT PLAYING THIS GAME BECAUSE OF HORROR: While he can touch you, it’s never forceful in any way (I remember it being really light) and always just to guide you. There’s also a very clear way that his scare scenes play out and instructions the game gives you that would make it near impossible for you to injure yourself trying to get away or something. You can also opt-out of being touched, but unless you’re very sensitive to touch or have very severe claustrophobia, I would recommend just playing the game normally because being chosen adds a lot of the game’s memorableness and they’re not too terrifying. There are two major downsides to these scare scenes that I felt took away from the horror (the rest of this paragraph has minor spoilers). The first is that because of how specific these scenes have to play out, a character has to stay with you throughout the game to make sure they play out that way. Otherwise, it feels really unnecessary and even confusing that they’re there, in fact for me it breaks the isolation and lowered the game's impact for me. The second is that while these scare scenes being formulaic make it so you’re very safe, it also means they get very predictable and therefore less scary as the game goes on. By the end the Bagman feels more like a minor inconvenience than an actual threat. (The Story) What I most liked about the game was how it builds up its universe, because while the threat of Bagman becomes less intense as the game continues, the story becomes much more intense. It is a lot of reading, which is normally a big turn-off, but it worked for me here. You’re only reading periodically and only a couple sentences at a time. These lore drops are also timed really well so that you’re always really invested and wanting to read more, never feeling like it’s taking away from everything else. It’s a simple story, but it’s a neat concept, and with a really well-timed post-game reveal, it sets up even stronger sequels to the game. (Gameplay) I will also mention that the puzzles here are pretty good. They’re definitely the game’s lowest priority, as with any experience-based horror room, but the tolerable intensity of the scare scenes mean that the game can focus a lot more on gameplay. There’s nothing that stands out, but they’re definitely not filler either as they are in many other horror games. This game does have way worse signposting (making it clear what puzzles go with what locks) than the rest of the company, which is only notable because of how good this company is at that otherwise (maybe it’s part of the “low-budget Escape Room company” theme). (Overall) This game is a lot more than the sum of its parts. While I am pointing out a lot of holes in the experience afterwards, the experience in the moment feels perfect. If you love experience-based rooms (especially horror) and don’t mind reading out a small amount of lore, I recommend this game to all slightly-experienced players (because the meta-theme barely works if you’re new). Even if you’re newer to horror, this game never felt too scary to me and would be decent as a starting point. And this game will only become more essential to play as this universe hopefully gets built upon in its sequels. From what I’ve heard this game is just an introduction to the universe and the future chapters will fully take advantage of it. 1. Bagman 2. Wrecked 3. Coral Kingdom 4. Deadwood Saloon 5. Metro Mayhem 6. Missing 7. Breakfast All Day
Breakfast All Day

Breakfast All Day

Masterpiece Escapes

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Missing

Missing

Masterpiece Escapes

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: B (see bio) This is a decent enough serial killer cabin game (though only the 2nd, possibly 3rd or 4th best serial/cereal killer game from this company). Most of the game really doesn’t do anything very special with such a common theme. There’s some annoyingly repetitive audio things that try to immerse in the world, but they if anything take you out a bit. The only highlight of the 1st 2/3s of the game is one hilarious detail that I'm really happy a puzzle requires you to read through. It’s great. The game does pick-up to an extent in the finale. Your overall goal in it is really compelling, like, just seeing what you have to do is entertaining, even if the actual gameplay still amounts to a bunch of just decent-enough puzzles. There’s some interesting lore here too, but like the other darker games from Masterpiece, the lore is only explained by the gamemaster and isn’t shown well during the game itself. It’s decent, but Wrecked does everything this game does but a lot better. In fact, I like every full game at Masterpiece better than this, meaning I find it hard to recommend it unless you really like serial killer cabin themes, you haven’t done way too many killer cabin escape rooms already, or you’re trying to complete this entire facility. It really isn’t anything special, other than that oddly compelling finale or that really funny detail in the middle. (This game is above average, I sound pessimistic in this review because it didn’t impress me the way the other games here did) Masterpiece Ranking 1. Bagman 2. Wrecked 3. Coral Kingdom 4. Deadwood Saloon 5. Metro Mayhem 6. Missing 7. Breakfast All Day
The Coral Kingdom Aquarium

The Coral Kingdom Aquarium

Masterpiece Escapes

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: B+ (bordering on A) (see bio) I love the world that this game and Metro Mayhem (the game it’s a sequel to) creates. It’s this over-the-top superhero/supervillian city where every inch is filled with as much off-kilter humor as possible. Any time they can slip in a funny detail they do. The highlight here is the 1st half. I was not expecting the level of character interaction you get in this section and the really weird take on the aquarium theme it has. I did not realize what this game would be going into it and I love it. The 2nd half is less interesting with the aquarium theme, but every puzzle still perfectly fits into the world. And the finale takes you into a really surprising area. There’s an odd physical thing you do here that only exists because of a design constraint according to the owner, so be sure to ask about it because it’s really funny (this will probably be gone once this company moves to a new location later this year). I can’t say anymore about this game without spoiling anything, so all I’ll say is this is my favorite game on Morty that I give a like rating to. It’s teetering really close to a love rating, maybe I’ll change it later. It’s not a very high-budget, high-ambition game, it just does everything that it has so perfectly. I recommend anyone of any experience level (especially people who love absurdist comedy) at this facility to play both Metro Mayhem and this in that order (I didn’t play them in that order, and it still works but I think Metro Mayhem might play better before this one). Masterpiece Ranking 1. Bagman 2. Wrecked 3. Coral Kingdom 4. Deadwood Saloon 5. Metro Mayhem 6. Missing 7. Breakfast All Day
The Deadwood Saloon

The Deadwood Saloon

Masterpiece Escapes

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Metro Mayhem

Metro Mayhem

Masterpiece Escapes

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Quest For The Temple of Light

Quest For The Temple of Light

The Keepers of Balance

  • 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

Defenders of the Sunken Realm

Defenders of the Sunken Realm

The Keepers of Balance

  • 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

System Overlord: Dawn of the Machine

System Overlord: Dawn of the Machine

The Keepers of Balance

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: B+ (see bio) This was a surprising disappointment from Keepers of Balance. And I wouldn’t say this is a bad, mediocre, or even just good game. It’s actually pretty great. But it is nowhere near as good as the other two currently existing games at this company. The other two are both beautiful experiences that are based around set, story, and not puzzles. This game for the most part tries to be a puzzle-centric game with some story at the beginning and end. But while it is a puzzle-centric game, the puzzles here aren’t that notable and I even find the other 2 game’s puzzles more notable than it because of how they interact with the set. They also progressively got worse as this game went on, with the last act having really boring gameplay. But they took center-stage over the set here because the set (minus a slightly interesting beginning) felt really minimalist here. I would describe Keepers of Balance’s other offerings as turning the best theme park queues into an escape room. This one I would describe as turning the most boring theme park queues into an escape room. It’s still really well detailed, but the environment it depicts is boring. And boring sets are not what I wanted out of a company built on professional set design (former Disney/Universal people). As for the story-based sections, I really like the introduction and 1st act of the game. I especially liked the reveal that starts the game and the door-opening that ends the 1st act. The ending meanwhile is my least favorite part of the game. There’s some really uninteresting developments in the story, weird dead space, and a big finale that the whole game is building towards that fell really flat to me. The reveal was only cheesily impressive and the actual gameplay was extremely trial and error and uninteresting. And then after that the game very unceremoniously ends, which was the biggest letdown from their other two games. Minus this 3rd act that I really didn’t like, this game still has good puzzles, a really well done set, and more story moments than most average games. It’s still an above-average experience, but it felt lesser than all of the other experience-based rooms in the area (the rest of Keepers of Balance, Doors of Divergence, Nocturne, Masterpiece’s best rooms, Escape Artist Greenville’s premium games). Assuming you like these types of rooms, I still recommend doing this one, especially if you live in the area. But if you’re on a trip to this area this is the 1st game from the major companies that you cut. I think this game is good, but not what I wanted from this company, and I hope they play more into their strengths in the future.
Nevermore

Nevermore

Nocturne Adventures

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: A+ (see bio) A beautifully presented, theatrical, but mostly standard escape room that is really good in every aspect. The puzzles and set design are both great… and I really don’t have much more to say about either. They are really good but just not that memorable. (Signposting) There are a couple really memorable things though. First of all, this game has the best signposting I’ve seen in a game. This game ties puzzles and locked objects together perfectly. It’s a minor thing but done perfectly here. (Story Interludes) By far the most memorable moments are the story interludes, specifically some later interactions with a character. The set looks nice normally, but these interludes add some new layers of tech to the set that are really impressive, especially when the character is around. Even when the character’s not there there’s a really cool figure, one of the only of its kind I’ve seen in an Escape Room. Now I wasn’t a huge fan of the story itself as it felt a bit vaguely told and didn’t make sense to me. I absorbed the room more as just an homage to Poe with a loose story, but the ending made it clear that there was a deeper meaning I wasn’t getting. I do have a low attention span with stories like these, so it’s likely a me issue, but a lot of these story scenes are mostly just audio and I wish there was always some kind of visual representation of the story. That’s why any of the scenes with the character are the highlight. They’re really well-performed and visually represent the mood of the story (that I still don’t really understand). The character scenes become even more impressive after learning how this company is run. That’s because there is only one couple running this company as this company is in their basement. We had possibly the best post-game conversation we’ve ever had with them and ended up talking for a full hour. From that conversation, we learned how elaborately this game is run. Both of them have very specific roles they have to do over and over again every time this game is ran. But I say that these parts of the game are most memorable because I found everything else just kind of unmemorable. I’ve played a lot of theatrical, actor-infused games, and this is just another very polished one. I guess it’s mostly because of really raised expectations, mostly from its Terpeca placement. I set expectations for something really big and expansive, but of course it’s not that because it’s in a house (and is in fact the smaller game they have here). But that’s what makes this company special: it’s a beautifully polished, intimate, theatrical game in a house. As long as you go in with those expectations, this is an amazing game in every aspect and I think any players of any experience level in the area should go out to Hickory to play it (especially if they’re more of a Poe fan than I am).
Madness: 1917

Madness: 1917

Doors of Divergence

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: S (see bio) A phenomenal experience that becomes even more phenomenal if you play it a 2nd time. The game by itself is a great split-group game, but it’s only the side attraction for multiple dramatic, plot twist-filled stories. I played it twice, and they were the two best performances I have seen in an escape room. (Gameplay) The gameplay by itself would probably be my favorite split-group game I’ve done (and also the most challenging). You are split up for almost the full game (more than double the length of any other split group section I’ve done), yet every split puzzle is something I have not exactly seen anywhere else. They really smartly find information that would be pretty difficult to verbally convey to someone else and make you communicate that blindly between sides. I will mention that, while it never feels unfair, these things can be so difficult to convey to each other that this game can become a bit of a self-guided group therapy session. We were yelling at each other by the end of a couple of the puzzles. Also, while I did appreciate this type of difficulty, in the late game some of the difficulty came from the puzzles being way, way too lengthy (though these were only in one of the two “divergences” we went on (as in, only in one of our two playthroughs). The other one’s final puzzles were fine). I’ve almost never seen another really story-heavy game like this also really focus on puzzle memorability and difficulty. Don’t completely rule out this game just because you only care about puzzles. (Performance and Immersion) But you’re not here for the puzzles, you’re here for the performance. Because while I think there is a fair amount of escape room here, it earns the title of “show” more than any other room I’ve played. The 1st time I played this, this was already the most in-depth performance I’ve seen in an escape room, in any interactive space actually. The game is filled with multiple actors presenting story beat after story beat, odd tasked-based interactions with them, multiple plot twists, and even isolated moments with certain members of the team based on what divergence you’re on. And it does all of this in a remarkably small space. While I am someone who likes gradually unlocking more spaces as I progress through a room, I didn’t mind that there were basically none of those here as I was too invested in unlocking more of the story. The only minor drawback to the immersion I can think of is that this new location for DoD is in a warehouse space with no ceiling for the individual rooms. This means you can hear Heresy if it’s being played as well as whatever is going on in the lobby (and believe me there will be something going on in the lobby). This was more of an issue in Heresy though, because it never really dragged me out of the immersion in Madness as the communication-based gameplay and the actors drew my attention so well (and were so loud) that I could ignore it. This is the absolute best performance I’ve seen in an Escape Room for such a complex story. (2nd Playthrough) But there isn’t just one of these stories, to my knowledge there are 4 of them in this game, one continuing from each of the 4 endings of Heresy. I got to play 2 of these “divergences”, and they felt extremely different from each other. It’s still the same skeleton of a game. Now that I think about it, both had nearly the same story progression and interactions in concept (minus one section that was completely different in the 2nd divergence), but everything about these moments are entirely different and they don’t feel repetitive at all in the moment (minus maybe some deja vu). Also, despite the limited physical space not changing at all between the two versions, most of the puzzles were notably different by making simple swaps to some of the props. There was obviously much more deja vu than a normal room, but it still felt worthwhile to do the gameplay again. (Overall) It’s really expensive to play this twice, as if you’re doing the full paradox cycle both times you also need to play Heresy twice. You are paying for 4 premium escape rooms per-person. But I really recommend doing this if you want to see how different this same game can be multiple times over. If the concept of Doors of Divergence sounds even slightly interesting to you, I highly recommend going through the full cycle on one day, and then doing the whole thing again on another day. All of the work done to make this game a thing is phenomenal. A phenomenal performance from the actors and phenomenal work from the designers that managed to make something like this work. This is my singular favorite game even remotely close to this area, and I am amazed that I have only seen 2/4 divergences that this amazing game has to offer (and I’m terrified that their maybe-upcoming 3rd game may have double that number of divergences).
Heresy: 1897

Heresy: 1897

Doors of Divergence

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Tier: A+ (see bio) On a single playthrough I find this game to be a really good but not special experience-based room. If you’ve played any other good actor-heavy game with an emphasis on story, especially a cult-themed game, it’ll still be really good but won’t be anything especially new for you. It’s on a second playthrough that this game becomes really notable. I know it’s a lot of money, but if you’re playing this and its sequel Madness in Charlotte, play them twice. Go through both on one day, and then do them again on another day. Madness also works better on its second playthrough, but Heresy in particular needs that 2nd playthrough to fully experience it. (The 1st Playthrough) Generally I find the game’s puzzles and even its story to be just all around decent. The puzzles are very average escape room puzzles. It’s a story-heavy room, however I didn’t find it particularly interesting, probably because of its pretty vague cult-y dark magic theme. That’s never an interesting topic to me because everything is so fantastical and other-worldly that I end up not understanding anything and therefore care little about what’s happening. The same issue of not understanding anything also applies with the character you meet. Our actress gave an absolutely amazing performance, however, her character wasn’t that much of a standout in my mind because the character is, just like the story, pretty vague. I wish we got to know a bit more about her throughout the game. A lot of effects and moments of the game also aren’t as immersive as they really wanted them to be, and this is mostly because of this game not having a ceiling. It’s in a warehouse space and from this game in particular you can easily hear what’s going on in Madness. Overall it’s still really good and if you haven’t played another game like it you’ll love it, but if you have, it’s just not too special. (The 2nd Playthrough) But this game becomes special if you play it a second time. There are two major paths in this game, and they are completely different. Every single puzzle, the details of each story beat, even some of the spaces are entirely different. It’s still the same skeleton of a game with the same order of events happening, but the details of each event is different. It feels like an alternate timeline directly parallel to the first. This game is really good, but it’s amazing if you play it twice. It’s expensive, but if you’re able to play the game twice, I would recommend this game if you really like theatrical escape rooms. Even if you’re more puzzled-focused, there’s still a lot of great gameplay and not a lot of required character interaction. Go play it and then the far superior Madness afterwards.
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