Return to Thebes

To start, we came into this room (having read only Morty and Google reviews) with moderate expectations. Honestly, it would've been nice to start with a little background information from the GM (because the story felt especially crucial to this room) but we were simply just told to enter the room. The story is, instead, told by placards (which were sometimes important, sometimes irrelevant) laid around the room. This (a) at moments took us out of the immersion [compared to other rooms where the narrative is more interwoven] and (b) made it difficult to decipher which puzzle to work on next -- there was no clear flow throughout this room. Some of the puzzles were creative (often quite high-tech), others lacked direction. We were surprised with how many rooms were inside this escape game, but having to go back in between different rooms (without any direction) got pretty confusing. This room included some cutscenes to try explore the lore around the story behind the room, but instead was counterintuitive as the video felt like it lacked effort or production quality. When we finished this room, we were greeted by the GM (although it did take him some time to get there!) who simply told us to take a photo and guesstimated our time to be ~45 minutes but "it also could be a bit less," despite us leaving the venue, checking our phones and seeing we were there for around 45 minutes from when we entered the venue, including our waiting time. This is frustrating given there was no timer for us to keep track and this venue appears to keep leaderboard times. What made this additionally frustrating was even when asked for a more precise time, he did not give one. This brings the point that the GM seemed bored and uninterested. He was friendly for sure, but didn't seem to be adequately following our game. That being said, it is not a bad escape room to fill an evening. We would say that considering all the above, this experience would be best for someone who hasn't done many escape rooms or does not often engage in them, as comparatively we were let down, despite the room itself being okay. p.s., we'd take the Google reviews with a grain of salt as if you complete a 5 star review they give you a free drink

Return to Thebes is like a classic Egyptian themed room but on steroids. There were quite a lot of puzzles to complete which meant we were kept engaged throughout our whole experience. A really nicely designed set with basically everything having some sort of use, the amount of items was almost overwhelming. A really fun final challenge sets this room apart from other rooms of the same theming, we left feeling quite chuffed. Story was a bit confusing and would love maybe a lore drop prior as opposed to just signs strewn throughout the room. I also found the flow a little confusing in parts, unsure how to progress with some luck not going our way on a couple of puzzles. Again a good staple room but for me could be a bit more polished.

Return to Thebes is the same room that was previously featured at The One Room Escape in Glen Waverley but has since moved venue and condensed down to a smaller space. Despite this the game still flowed and had plenty to like about it. Much more high-tech than your average escape room as there were enough sensors, lasers and sfx to keep us engaged the whole time. Another difficult room with a minimum 4 player requirement, some solves did require small leaps in logic and hectic attention to detail but overall nothing that made the experience non-sensical. Story was hard to follow but it’s ancient Egypt, it’s a confusing time, sue me. 6.3/10 🔏🧩