Chernobyl

Lots to do and a lot of different spaces. Always had a good idea of which puzzle we were on.

Some different types of puzzles we have not seen before

Fit with the story very well

Our hosts were very nice. However there is an issue with the intercom/camera thing which makes it very difficult to hear/understand what they are saying to you if you have a question or need a hint.

Not broken, but one item used for a puzzle was out of ink

Not handicap accessible - room is upstairs

Broken prop led to us being stuck at the end and it took the staff several minutes to come in and correct the issue.

Staff was fine at first, but was disappointed with interactions in the end. No real acknowledgement of an issue we had with the game, no offer to take our picture. They said goodbye on our way out the door only after we did.

Game was fine, puzzles were all linear and made sense, we asked for hints twice and in both cases they were things we overlooked.

Interesting story, not one I’ve seen before but similarly organized to other rooms.

Easy if you have experience with rooms and know what to look for in puzzles, medium if you’re newer to escape room puzzles.

2-3

After exploring the room early in the game I had an issue with a prop because a button was broken. My partner asked the cameras about it and we got no response. It turned out later on we needed it for another clue and it took several minutes for the staff to realize, and then enter the room to assist.

Stairs in the space to access room (handicap access may have been there but I didn’t see it), lots of reading and listening required to solve clues.

Puzzles were linear, one use items only, no distractors. Initial puzzle used a physical lock to lock participants in a darkened closet without a secondary emergency egress point or a way for the player to buzz themselves out without staff assistance - highly questionable. There was an emergency help button to contact staff but no way for the player to get themselves out. Also, one of the props needed to solve the puzzle could be lost and irretrievable.

Like being stuck in your elderly Aunt Mabel’s attic. Room had previously been a single occupancy house (not a commercial warehouse or strip mall) so it very much had the feel of an old, converted house. With a few notable exceptions, props were essentially repurposed flea market furniture. Many things, like cabinets and drawers, were firmly secured. Other items were flimsy or not adequately prepared for heavy use… pieces could unintentionally come off or props accidentally be rendered nonfunctional. In one case, a prop was literally held together with duct tape. Some pictures, art, and other themed paraphernalia present; but not quite enough to immerse.

Pleasant at first. Clear expectations for what to expect regarding out-of-bounds gameplay. When requested, clues were presented in “dungeon master” style puzzle-speak, which while not thematically linked was still neat. During play, a prop broke, making progress impossible. The tech problem was not discovered by the GM for several minutes, who let us struggle unnecessarily to find clues that were literally unavailable. When discovered, GMs were forced to enter the room to fix, but we were given extra time to compensate. The length of time it took for the broken prop to be discovered/noticed was very disappointing

Some neat ideas, but nothing revolutionary. Mostly repackaging of typical design. Heavy focus on “search-and-find” over deep or logic puzzling. Admittedly, the game started in a way that was… uh, certainly different and not in a good way.

There were thematic elements that carried throughout rather consistently. No overarching meta-puzzle or need to understand the narrative in order to escape:

Puzzles were fewer compared to other 60 minute games. A few were reasonably complex. Any non “search-and-find” puzzles were solved in under 5 minutes.

Mid

2-4

14

There were major prop problems and potential hazards (sharp objects)

Not at all accessible. Required listening, visuals, fluency in English.