Not sure if it’s because I’d just finished all the Niagara Escapement rooms (phenomenal) but this one was just so incredibly underwhelming, frustrating, and almost the antithesis of everything I had enjoyed with NA. Here we go!
The first half of the game is extremely dark, and in a way I can tell they’re trying to make you eat up time from not noticing things. It just feels like a time sink. They ended up giving us a hint for something we absolutely never would have noticed.
Also, the hint system: you can’t ask for em! They have to give them to you. Again, I feel like this is tied to the overall gameplay where so much is a time sink and hints would move you along too quickly.
Red herrings: This is the first time I’ve encountered these in an escape room and I really disliked them. They also have quite a big space so it felt like they were just trying to fill the area.
Man, what else! The puzzles were just meh, with a lot of props that just felt random! I think there was exactly one puzzle I thought was interesting and also a reveal I liked, but that was it. There really wasn’t any cohesive story or theme (it was just mildly serial killer-y) which made the solves feel way less satisfying.
One positive is the customer service was great. Our GM was super nice and gave us 4 extra minutes to finish.
This is their oldest game so it’s possible the rest are way better, or maybe I’m just feeling like critic after experiencing the glory of Niagara Escapement. Either way: it’s a no from me, dawg…
