K
KaitiesKrew
104 escape rooms
The set design on this room is OUTSTANDING, as are all of the rooms at Memphis Escape Rooms (both locations). It is so well done that it takes a couple of seconds to get past admiring the environment and get on to the puzzle. However, the execution was not quite as good. Full disclosure, we missed pulling a clue out of a container that significantly slowed us down at the start with a puzzle that should have been straightforward. With that said, our two major critiques were with the horrible lighting in this room, and our inability to appropriately synchronize with our Game Master. Related to the poor lighting, we'd seen this observation on other reviews and in hindsight should have asked for some type of additional lighting (2x 50+ year-olds on the team). One lock is black, is on an item in the shadows, and the letters are relatively rubbed off. While there are lanterns around the set we couldn't find one that we could move. It took our 20-something to enter in the right code and she had an extremely hard time. Related to our GM, while we're sure she meant well, she ended up frustrating us during a good portion of the game. Because we missed pulling a clue out of a container (we weren't informed of this until after we'd escaped) she eventually just gave us the answer to the puzzle, seemingly as part of a canned "clue" system, but now we had items we were holding on to and not sure which we still needed and which had already been used to solve the puzzle whose solution we'd been given. This resulted in confusion for most of the rest of the game. And, once those clues started, they just kept coming and coming, especially at times we didn't need them, which required us to return to where we could see the time/clue screen, to receive clues we didn't need and which didn't help. We got stuck on another puzzle (limited capability to solve it with the tools available, you'll "see") and kept getting clues to parts we'd already solved. Not knowing what we were being offered we wanted to honor the "ding" and the clues but they eventually just became a distraction. In the end, we escaped with just over 10 minutes which made all of the unsolicited clues seem too untimely since we still finished with ~17% of our time remaining. Looking back, had we received a clue that said something like "look inside the container that you pulled the 'thing' out of to find the instructions that you missed" and then just let us go would have made the game much less frustrating and more enjoyable. It is well-designed, and challenging, but the insufficient lighting and our GM's intervention made it less enjoyable. We still recommend trying this more difficult room.
Gameplay
Please see our comments in the review. Looking back, it definitely could be seen to have flowed well. There are some challenging puzzles.
Atmosphere
Incredible set design throughout the room! Completely immersive and very impressive.
Customer service
We believe our GM was doing their best, since every other experience at MER has been excellent. She may have been victim to a canned set of clues the precluded her from giving us a helpful clue that addressed our specific shortfall. In the case described above, telling us that we'd missed pulling the required directions from an item would have put us on a much more enjoyable path. Later, when we were receiving unrequested clues about a puzzle that said put "A" in the first position, and put "B" in the second position when we were working on the 5th or 6th positions only forced us away from the puzzle to go look at the screen to tell us what we'd already solved. Again, from the progression of the clues it looked like they may be canned, it would have been helpful to receive more specific clues that the system prevented her from giving us. We'll chalk this up to a rough day/experience all around.
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
The set design alone made it extremely interesting. We've done pirate ship games before but never with this level of detail. Outstanding!
Story
Every puzzle was part of the story and supported our attempts to escape.
Difficulty
Hard
It's difficult to determine if the puzzles themselves were difficult or if it was the environment (with the limited lighting and active GM) that made it as difficult as it was. However, we felt challenged throughout the game, and the puzzles seemed hard relative to other games we've played.
Game tech
Mechanical
Mostly mechanical with some very impressive tech. Incredible design and puzzles.
Ideal number of players
4
We played with three but easily could have used a fourth. With the GM jumping in so quickly (and finishing with 10+ minutes remaining) it is difficult to assess if another player would have helped or if left to ourselves we would have figured things out. We didn't feel like we were stuck on any puzzles once we determined how to solve them, and most of the game seemed linear, but another player could have been beneficial.
Scary
Scary
Most of the game is just dark, but not spooky or creepy. HOWEVER, there is one effect that resulted in an ear-splitting scream from one of our players in an echoey part of the room (toward the end) that was definitely unexpected.
Minimum age
10
It's a pirate adventure so that requires some level of increased maturity. The puzzles were a little more difficult to solve, and there is some safety concern with younger children moving around the pirate ship. My normal default, based on puzzle difficulty and the theme, is 8 but both factors drive it slightly higher. It doesn't seem like the room to take a birthday party of 8-year-old young ladies to.
Was anything broken?
No
Very well designed and very well put together.
Live actors
No
Physically active
Very
Steep ladders, unstable floors, some tight spaces, and low ceilings. All of this is part of the outstanding set design.
Accessibility
Not very accessible. Climbing required in tight spaces. Very dark. Some clues up higher (just reading all of the time/clues screen required being on the steps).
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Medium
Downtown Memphis was not too busy on this Saturday afternoon, but we have had a challenge finding parking on other occasions. We found free parking on the street a couple of blocks away near the Post Office.
Safety
Yes
Yes, but excellent question. This is the first game I've played in a long time where I thought back to the waiver I'd just signed. It is safe, well designed and sturdily built, and our GM did warn us at the beginning about the stairs and tight spaces. Keeping this in mind while playing the game should keep everyone safe.
