A really mixed experience. Atmosphere wise, I really liked the look of it and it far surpassed anything else I have done with them set-wise. I enjoyed some of their puzzles a lot, several things were really unique and a blast to solve. However, several things were broken or worn that it made it difficult to do (no idea whether things were intentional or just not well maintained) along with several skill puzzles. There were things that did not function properly and at one point, my teammate had to reach her hand inside something because the items we needed got stuck
What really took it down was the clue experience. The GM tried to make the clues “piratey” which meant we were waiting several minutes each time we asked. I understand it can take time, but I have never waited so long for one and for every single clue we requested. We were also told that clues would make a sound but they did not in this room or maybe that was another thing not working properly. We had several times where it took a bit to notice we were sent something. Before time even ended he entered, let time run, and walked through every single room to get to us which ate up time. We were waiting for a clue but he decided to waste time to show us rather than sending clues about the puzzle when we asked.
The above really just left my group conflicted and unsatisfied when we really wanted to enjoy the adventure. A lot in the room was so much fun and I wish this was a more positive experience.
Probably their best in terms of set and atmosphere
Customer service
Overall not the best service, this was an example of how staff can affect your experience. We waited at least 2 minutes each time we asked for help, usually more however. I think max 3-4 minutes. At one point, we thought maybe he didn’t realize we all agreed but he yelled back that he just needed more time to type. I think maybe he wasn’t trying to type clues to have ready but also, each clue was “pirate speak.” That may have added additional time to it. It was just super frustrating because, while I understand it may take a little time, we wasted a lot just standing and waiting for a clue.
The GM also kept coming in and out while we were in other areas which was very distracting. He came in when we had 6 minutes left, walked through the entire space while time was running, to give us clues on the puzzle we were working on which also ate up some time because we were waiting for the clue we requested a few minutes before.
Story
The story was a little hard to follow and the ending was climatic/didn’t feel like an ending.
I believe it’s one of their hardest and that is a mix of truly clever puzzles and things that were just stretches or wastes of time. There is also a TON to do so if you had more people, it’s definitely more manageable.
There was a lot of ducking down and needing to be able to maneuver your body, at least for some of the players.
The final area requires EVERYONE to have to duck down to get through and you need to duck under to go back and forth.
Accessibility
The final area requires EVERYONE to have to duck down to get through and you need to duck under to go back and forth.
It’s also incredibly easy to get trapped inside with several areas.
Several areas with tight spaces or where you need to crawl under and sit on the floor to do.
Easy to find location
It can be easy to miss if you haven’t been before.
