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323 escape rooms
As a disclaimer, I don't love horror games (I don't hate them, I just don't seek them out). Having said that, I thought Chernobyl did a very good job at creating a tense atmosphere, delivering on that tension, and challenging us to deal with it. Puzzles were fine, though like many horror games, they're not the focus. Like many horror games, Chernobyl is dimly lit, though it didn't bother me as much as in some other games. I liked getting to watch a highlight video after the game, as it gave us the opportunity to relive key moments. It also gave a better appreciation of what the actor was doing.
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Story
Difficulty
Easy
Ideal number of players
2
4 enthusiasts were good, though the game is pretty linear and there were a number of times some of us didn't have much to do. 2-3 would have been fine. The ending sequence is designed for 4, but smaller groups can make it work.
Scary
Scary
Was anything broken?
Yes
During the end sequence, a key item that we were looking for was unusably damaged when found. We were unsure if we needed to find the rest of it, but realized the thing it went to was actually just unlocked. After the game, the actor told us that he discovered it had been broken just as we were getting to the finale, so made sure the object was unlocked. Good last minute thinking on his part! After the game we realized we might not have supposed to been able to untape a poster (the English translation had been taped on top of the original Dutch) - if we weren't supposed to be able to move it, that puzzle would have added a communication layer. Unclear if this was intentional (so therefore broken) or not (so therefore working as intended).
Live actors
Yes
Like many actor-driven horror games, the actor is critical for the experience. Our actor was fantastic, I was impressed by their physicality.
Physically active
Somewhat
One section requires some nimbleness from at least one player
Accessibility
One section of the game requires the entire group to crouch/crawl for varying distances. The entire group will have to climb multiple flights of stairs.
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Easy
