Mantis
41 escape rooms
This was a fun little escape room that turned out to be more challenging than anticipated. It's on the older side in terms of design and presentation with a classic lock-and-key gameplay. Although it's a pirate-themed one, you are not finding any hidden treasure but quite literally escaping from the area (still in-theme). It's a good one for a beginner but might be quite challenging if the entire group consists of beginners. The limited surprise elements are compensated by the puzzle variety and challenge. The gameplay is not linear as you will be exposed to several puzzles at once. However, you won't be able to solve every one of them simultaneously - so there is some sequencing that is not obvious (part of the challenge). We were a group of two experienced players who felt having a third person would have been handy (we were still able to complete the room with some helpful nudges from the game master). The lighting is low throughout. While there is an in-game lamp, you are free to use the flashlight from your cellphones. Hinting is through a screen and you can let the gamemaster know how proactive you want them to be with the hints. Our gamemaster was friendly and attentive.
Gameplay
Non-linear. Flow can feel stop-and-start because majority of what you need to do is within a singular space.
Atmosphere
Low light. Props were on theme.
Customer service
GM and staff were friendly, helpful and attentive!
Particularly interesting or different
No
Story
Not much of a story. The premise is given to support the theme.
Difficulty
Medium
I would say medium but with just two people, it could feel harder. The puzzle difficult is mixed and sometimes, the challenges can come from figuring out what to do next.
Game tech
Mechanical
Key, number, letter, and directional locks.
Ideal number of players
3
While solvable with 2 players, a group of 3-4 would be ideal. 3 if experienced and 4 if inexperienced.
Scary
Not scary
Was anything broken?
No
Live actors
No
Physically active
Not at all
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Medium
Street parking. If it's a busy hour, may not find parking right in front of the business.
