The Lost Cabinet

This is a tabletop experience, but it has the feel of a good escape room — there are puzzles, of course, but there are also secrets to find and even somewhat of a scavenger hunt element as you will frequently find necessary objects in surprising places. As I am sure many folks have noted, the cabinet itself is reminiscent of “The Room” games brought to life. The craftwork is top-notch and every place it might be possible to cram in another compartment, they found a way to do just that. Technically a prequel to “The Alchemist” but given the logistics of coordinating to play this (unless you are in town the day before an REA tour arrives, ha) it surely isn’t a must-play for story purposes, but it does hint at what is to come. We had a great time with this experience and would certainly recommend it. The only rough spot was a couple of compartments being sticky to open: the box is unique, and it got its start being taken to people’s homes, so it has accumulated a bit of wear and tear. But this is easily remedied by just asking your host if you should do the thing you want to do, just with a bit more force, and the answer is likely to be yes. :) Highly recommended.

Oh my goodness, The Lost Cabinet was so incredibly ambitious — literally a dream come true both in terms of gameplay and especially in cabinetry and mechanical design.

A beautifully constructed mysterious box to be slowly opened and secrets revealed. Different than your typical escape room (no set) but fun puzzles and impressive craftsmanship. A sort of ‘appetizer’ before The Alchemist (linked story). Our group of three really enjoyed it. 2-3 puzzlers max.