漆黒の悟り [Shadow Zen]Studio Escape Daikoku-choEscape roomIRLWhat a treat! We had high expectations for this room, and the Studio Escape team knocked it out of the park. The set production, sound, lighting, and storyline were phenomenal. Edd was our GM and brought so much energy and care to our experience, and we loved all of the details and backstory behind the making of this game. We especially loved the clever interactions involved with the various game elements. The puzzles flowed extremely well and had the perfect level of difficulty and wonder. We could tell this production was truly a labor of love and is highly highly recommended for all who visit Osaka!
Escape from the Red RoomREAL ESCAPE GAME CROSSING AsakusaEscape roomIRLThis was our first experience at a Tokyo escape room, and boy, we had to reset our expectations. Having been used to the more immersive and narratively-based escape rooms in the West, this game was very different and extremely puzzle-centric. The room is quite simple, but the primary game mechanic was really impressive! Once you figure out how the room works, the rest is a race against time. We ultimately did not succeed, owing to an overly-difficult final puzzle. However, we liked the novelty of the room enough to give it a positive assessment!
Escape from The Runaway TrainTokyo Mystery CircusEscape roomIRLThis was the second of our back-to-back 9-room experiences. The game started off strong, with a quick easy introductory puzzle while in the presence of our bubbly train director. Things changed immediately after we proceeded to the next train car. Puzzles were very technical and required stretches of logic that really ate up our time. The later rooms were better, but unfortunately, the final train car was much more difficult and required recalling a lot of details from the prior rooms, which were oftentimes obscure and not obvious. We did not enjoy the ending but felt that the rest of the rooms were done well enough for us to give it a thumbs up.
Escape from The Witch's House in the WoodsTokyo Mystery CircusEscape roomIRLThis is the first time we experienced the 9 rooms format, and overall, we enjoyed the novelty of it. Our group of four were assigned unique roles and wands, each with its own special attribute. This created a fun teamwork dynamic, where individuals had to complete unique tasks when appropriate. Each of the 9 rooms was very well decorated, and many were quite cute and amusing. We enjoyed the mix of tactile puzzles along with the digital elements. The ending had more to be desired, as we had trouble completing all of the tasks within the allocated time. The hint system was not as intuitive as hoped for, so we struggled in the end. We enjoyed the experience but felt that they didn't quite stick the landing. Good for small groups and non-Japanese players.
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