MagnificoEscaparium - LavalEscape roomIRLMagnifico is a masterpiece. It transcends expectations in every way. The production value is off the charts; it truly feels like stepping into another world—not a room that's been crafted to look like another world. It tells a complete story using actors who deliver nuanced and believable performances. The puzzles are challenging, clever, and seamlessly woven into the narrative. For those who think they don't like escape rooms, Magnifico is an escape room in the same way that a 30-second, black-and-white, silent film from the early 1900s and a 3D, full-color, digital IMAX film are both movies. It is delightful and beautiful and fun and exciting and magical. Playing it was an experience I will pack away in my trunk of best lifetime memories. Magnifico would have earned a perfect score, but for some fairly extensive physical demands. Much of the game offers places to sit down, but there is no way to play without climbing stairs. A well-earned final grade. A+
La Cathédrale Oubliée [The Forgotten Cathedral]Escaparium - LavalEscape roomIRLAn opportunity to explore the ruins of a mysterious cathedral with a disturbing history. Who doesn’t want to do that? The narrative for this game is brilliantly woven into Escaparium’s facility, and the art direction is outstanding. Gameplay is pretty linear but requires quite a bit of teamwork at times. GM interaction is integrated into the environment, and the game is extremely immersive. This game requires a high amount of physicality, but it does have places to sit down. The sound mixing could also be improved; difficulty hearing voices over the music detracted from the overall experience. High scores in production value, immersion, and novelty are offset by the game’s physical demands and sound mixing issues. Final grade. B
Armoire à Vendre [Wardrobe for Sale]Escaparium - LavalEscape roomIRLLovely game with a complete story, distinct characters, and high-quality, immersive sets. GM interaction is fun and integrated into the environment. Puzzles for the most part are engaging; there are a lot of set pieces to interact with early on, allowing teams to split up and tackle different challenges. Gameplay becomes more linear later, which leaves members of a larger team without anything to do. Signposting in general could also be improved to guide players to next steps and reduce frustration. The game requires low physicality, but there are no good places to sit down. The sound mixing (or maybe it was the hardware?) could also be improved to ensure that everyone can hear and understand everything. In spite of some minor gameplay frustrations, this game still earns a high final grade thanks to high scores in production value, novelty, immersion, and story. Final grade. A
Box One By Neil Patrick HarrisTheory11 OnlineEscape roomTabletopWow. Just wow. It would be difficult to express in words just how brilliant this experience is. From the moment I opened the box, I was engaged, curious, surprised, and thoroughly delighted. The puzzles are challenging, but not so difficult that they stop being fun. The quality of all the assets that make up the game is outstanding. The sense of accomplishment upon completing the game is incredible. Five stars and beyond for NPH and the team at Theory 11. This is truly a masterpiece. I really hope they continue to collaborate on experiences like this. If you haven't already ordered Box One, stop what you're doing right now and just go get it. It's so worth it.
A Pirate's CurseEscapology - LeawoodEscape roomIRLLovely facility and fantastic customer service. Clean, attractive, spacious lobby. Polished video production, immersive art direction, well-maintained sets and props. We enjoyed Pirate's Curse, although gameplay is linear, so we found our team of seven players was too large. Puzzles in Pirate's Curse aren't extremely challenging, but there is some variety in style, and they are nicely crafted. Physical demands are minimal; one player must crawl, but not everyone must do so. There is no place to sit down. Our biggest frustration was that the combination locks have tiny numbers on them that are very hard to see in low lighting and are very difficult to manipulate and get set correctly. Final grade. B
Bernie Bloc [Bernie Block]Escaparium - LavalEscape roomIRLFor experienced escape room players, Bernie Block is likely to be too easy, but the game would be a terrific introduction to escape rooms for children. The story is simple, the set is cute (although a little worn), and the puzzles aren’t too challenging. The game has no stairs or other physical challenges, and there is a place to sit down. Final grade. B
![La Cathédrale Oubliée [The Forgotten Cathedral]](https://res.cloudinary.com/mortyapp/image/upload/c_limit,w_260/f_auto/v1/store/s/2c2890dd-87b6-4712-8136-8403e436ec72.jpg)
![Armoire à Vendre [Wardrobe for Sale]](https://res.cloudinary.com/mortyapp/image/upload/c_limit,w_260/f_auto/v1/store/s/02541450-7205-4371-935f-ae98c672dcbb.jpeg)
![Bernie Bloc [Bernie Block]](https://res.cloudinary.com/mortyapp/image/upload/c_limit,w_260/f_auto/v1/store/s/16c27c0f-0175-46db-9f71-6b8f22b33b87.jpg)