Dr. Irov's laboratory

Interesting and engaging atmosphere and puzzles. Need a team to complete, we just made it with 4.

I played this a few months ago. During the briefing, the GM rolled her eyes and sighed because a team already in a room asked for another clue. This did not create a supportive environment for asking for clues and leaves a poor impression on new players, implying that asking for hints is discouraged. Unfortunately, in a place like Puzzled, where the puzzles are often vague or disconnected, hints are necessary. The cluing for this game was minimal, and some puzzles felt impossible to solve without the GM's hints. Iteration would greatly improve the room. Partway through the experience, the radio stopped working, and a teammate had to leave the room and go to reception to replace it. The two-team mode might be interesting since it’s not a head-to-head experience but rather follows the other half of the story — that of the monkeys. Unfortunately, we didn’t see anyone in the other room, so we don’t know what it looked like. The theming was interesting, and some of the puzzles were thematic and enjoyable, but I wouldn’t recommend this game as it is. With a revision of the puzzles to enhance player enjoyment, I believe this game has potential.

A rather challenging room with opportunity to better signpost and diversify the puzzle offerings. Colour is used heavily throughout this game, so this may not be an overly accessible experience. Some interesting multi-step puzzles can be found throughout the experience, and it allows a larger team to split up and work on multiple puzzles immediately before merging into a linear path towards the game’s end. The experience offers an interesting concept by allowing players to engage as the narrative counterpoint to ‘Monkey Run’, with some limited player interactions in game. Ultimately, ‘Dr. Irov’s Laboratory’ toys with the idea more than executing a fully fledged trans-room experience. For a unique head-to-head experience, this may be the room (coupled with ‘Monkey Run’) for you. Helen was a kind host with a vibrant personality.

Creative, interesting and different. Impressed we got out with just 2 people. Hardest part was not getting distracted by the other rooms.

This was soooo difficult! Need a team for this one!