The Artefact

*Edit* Double Review - Currently being investigated. See original: Reviewed Mar 22, 2024 | Experienced May 18, 2024

Probably the zaniest and most fun room we’ve done! The GM go above and beyond and Nikki did an incredible job. We were blown away with the AI companion element and the logic of the room was impeccable. Five + stars

We did the Artifact room with Craz and it was so much fun! Craz was really funny and engaging and made for a great experience. The puzzles were really well thought out and worked with the storyline as well, which was a great detail :) We will definitely be back!

The Artefact was so much fun! The GM experience at Next Level Escape really sets the bar for GM interactions and the way they utilise this communication to propel the group forward is a delight. Rosie, our GM, made the experience a delight. The story was exciting, thematic, funny and engaging — it was SO much fun. A top five experience for sure. It was an experience that didn’t take itself too seriously, which led to such memorable moments. I wish I could play it again!

The Artefact was the second room our team of four tackled that night, and the 187 Escape Artists were still buzzing from our recent completion of End of the Road. After grabbing a satisfying meal at Stacked (just around the corner), we were fueled up and ready to dive in. Our Gamesmaster, Stuart, took on the persona of the cheeky AI Bot HAL, leading us on our next adventure. We started off a bit sluggish—I blame the hearty dinner we indulged in—but around 10-15 minutes in, we found our momentum and began making significant progress. While the room initially felt a bit bottlenecked, once we hit our stride, we surged ahead and finished with a strong flourish, escaping with about 16 minutes left on the clock. As always, the Gamesmaster played a crucial role in our experience, and in The Artefact, Stuart was no exception. We had a blast, sharing moments of pure hilarity as we danced, sang, celebrated, and laughed together. The theming was top-notch, and the puzzles posed a satisfying challenge, even for a semi-experienced team. The high-tech elements in this particular theme at Next Level were executed brilliantly, but they also cleverly incorporated some low-tech puzzles that seamlessly fit the theme. Next Level consistently delivers immersive and well-designed experiences, and we're already looking forward to our next visit to this exceptional establishment.

Going into this one I wasn’t sure what to expect when it came to the proactivity and involvement of the Game Master but I ended up loving how it was implemented into the game. The Artefact is much better suited to large groups due to its difficulty, but even with 2 players I found it to be the perfect balance of clever, crazy and hilarious. Such a unique and entertaining experience. Our GM and omnipotent AI Mykha was amazing and had A-tier bants.

Very fun take on an evil AI, in the style of HAL or GLaDOS. Different experience that was fun and made us laugh