I think my reasons for enjoying this escape room as much as I did was 80% the room itself and 20% my game master, but that is not to discount the room by any means. This room's elaborate design that doesn't skip any details, combined with the (unintentionally?) cheap and creaky floors made this one of the most immersive escape rooms I've ever played. We (myself and one other) probably would've gotten out had it not been for us spending the first 10 minutes hiding in the corner because we were so scared! That can be attested to William, our game master, who made sure to explain that grown men had peed their pants in the room and the lock didn't work because someone broke it trying to sprint out of the room. Although it wasn't very scary in retrospect, the paranoia in the moment combined with the excellent design made this a room I'll be playing again just to see how some of my friends react! Out of 19 escape rooms I've played as of the time of writing, this one ranks 2nd.
The puzzles ran very smoothly and cohesively, with everything working perfectly and adding to the atmosphere. Although I am confused about one of the puzzles and what it was supposed to do, there are no complaints for me as an escape room employee myself.
As you could guess by my review, William is my favorite game master I've ever had! He truly made the experience a full step up.
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
Of the 19 escape rooms I have played at the time of writing, this is the only one that I feel was deliberately made to be scary. I know this is commonplace and predictable, but there aren't many where I'm from. That made it very unique and felt unlike any escape room I've ever played.
The plot was definitely memorable, but the horror element does do this room a lot of favors in terms of plot and overall experience. That said, I did love how the plot elevated the game and some of the technology drove it even further.
I don't know if I would consider even the easiest escape rooms (except maybe those made for kids) non-challenging. That said, most of the puzzles were fairly simple when taking the scary factor out of the picture. When I go back and play again I will obviously find it much easier than before. There was one notable exception that I found to be tricky in a "hiding in plain sight" type of way, but even then it wasn't too bad once I figured it out.
This room is kinda in the middle - while there was a lot of lock and key - especially in the beginning and end - there were a lot of really cool sensors and technical elements as well throughout the game.
This can be said for all escape rooms in my opinion. While they're definitely doable with 2 or 3, I think 4 is the magic number and anything else is on the verge of too much.
Although it felt like the highest tier while in the room, looking back on it it really wasn't that bad. Some props and effects do keep this in the third tier "scary" though.
It really depends on how much of a scaredy cat you are, if you will. Some younger or more jumpy audiences will probably hate this room as it's immersion makes the player feel very uneasy if it's not your cup of tea. As a game master myself, I wouldn't recommend any escape room for anyone below 12 or 13, but this one must be approached with caution.
Like I said before, there was one puzzle that I'm not certain how it worked, but I have a decent guess and I don't believe it was broken by any means.
Physically active
Somewhat
I think every escape room is to a degree. This one didn't require anything excessive, but I don't know if any room is considered "not at all."
Accessibility
The room does require both listening to audio clues, seeing in a dark room, and I believe there is a step up to get from one part of the game to another. That said, I think mostly everyone could enjoy this room.
