Myself and a few other Escape Game owners travelled from Scotland to The Netherlands to play some of the top games in the world, as well as some of the rising stars.
The Dome was the third stop on the tour.
Like so many games in the country, it is a masterpiece of technical effect, but everything else was quite divisive!
---- MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD ----
As someone who enjoys the ways we interact with the room, there are plenty of novel ideas here. Several times I said "ooh that's good" as I worked on a puzzle. The transitions between rooms were quite jarring, sometimes in a very cool way, sometimes in a confusing way.
---- MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD ----
Let's get into some of the divisive aspects of the game. Number 1, the story. It...was there. Compared to some of the other games, it was quite bare. Not necessarily a bad thing. But it seemed disjointed in places and some major points were just dropped at the end.
The gameplay also has the potential to create some serious frustration. The Dome is the only time I have ever seriously considered giving up in a game! However, frustration aside, the ending was incredibly fun and getting to watch highlights of our game is a nice touch.
Overall, ranking the game in hindsight, this giant of the industry failed to make the top spot for anyone. It is still worthwhile to pilgrimage here to play, and experience arguably the most famous escape game in the world. But as the emerging generation of games clearly inspired by it begins to grow in stature, The Dome's time at the top looks under serious threat.
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
