Gaya

While Gaya is billed as a hall game, the creators mean something different than what we tentatively assumed (based on the US and Japan) - they mean that the game is basically in one room and that puzzles, not spectacle, is the focus. That's not to say there's nothing going on - the set is thematic and spooky, and there's a full set that's great to look at and interact with. As one might expect from a puzzle-focused room, the puzzles were pretty good, made sense, and felt a little more interesting than typical escape room puzzles. It was sometimes unclear what could be worked on, but this wasn't really a huge issue. I'm torn about whether to give this game a like or a love, but I think I want a little more of a sense of adventure in my escape rooms (after all, puzzlehunts are a thing, and a purely puzzle focused escape room is unlikely to compete). The GM mentioned they're working on a sequel which should be larger, which sounds like it's what I want - Gaya did a good job whetting my appetite for more.

Excellent. A new must-do game. It is not on an epic-scale, but these puzzles were awesome, and it's a great spooky environment! Can't wait for the second installment! We played mystery mode at the request of a team member - but I highly recommend playing the full experience. The actor walked through what would've happened, and I'm sad I missed it (it's not intense).