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mechafractal
3 escape rooms
Didn’t like being split into two sub groups. Might not have done it if I knew that. Everything else that was bad was our fault for not playing the game well. We didn’t fall out though and we have in every other room, so that’s a big plus.
Gameplay
Got stuck in the cells for too long. 3 sequential puzzle there and your group is split in two with each half only having half of each puzzle. So if you get stuck on one of those there aren’t many brains in the same place to get you unstuck. After that it flowed well and plenty of concurrent puzzles for people to work on.
Atmosphere
Set design was good, appropriate props, novel puzzles. A LOT of locks but the solution for each was varied. It was also bright which makes things a lot easier than many very dark rooms played before.
Customer service
Generally very welcoming. The only downside was being told we took too long to escape the cells. He could have kept that to himself. We only had one adult per cell and one of the children was 8. It would have been better to keep quiet about what we did wrong and praise us for getting out in less than an hour.
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
Never been in a room where your group is split and you have to verbally pass information blind between people to solve puzzles.
Story
The plot made a lot more sense than most.
Difficulty
Hard
Being split into two sub groups in the cells makes it hard. If your group was big enough for that to not be an issue, your group would be too big for the rest to be easy.
Game tech
Mechanical
Mental puzzles and physical locks etc.
Ideal number of players
4
4 or 5 adults. Make sure there is one experienced escape room player per cell when you’re split up. Talk a lot at the start, make sure everyone is engaged and be methodical.
Scary
Not scary
Not at all scary. Very suitable to take my 8 year old to.
Minimum age
8
My 8 year old enjoyed it but only just. I’d say that’s probably the minimum.
Was anything broken?
No
Just the comms system for speaking to the game master was lacking one out of the cells. Kept having to go back to the cells to hear what he was saying.
Live actors
No
Physically active
Not at all
Accessibility
Stairs to the room with handrails. Leaving the room is through a hole but you can skip that and go back out through the main front door once you’re successful. There are places to sit while in the rooms.
Easy to find location
Yes
Easy to walk to from the main shopping centre. Looks out of the way but it really isn’t when you check walking directions on Google maps. Also has a car park.
Parking
Easy
Easy to access car park
