Autor-Archive: escapethereview

History Mystery: Secrets of the Tunnels

Norwich, Dec 2019

Most of the reviews I’ve written of games by History Mystery could start in a similar way, by saying: „this is the first game I’ve played inside…“. With Secrets of the Tunnels, that sentence ends with „…an underground medieval street“. This is a … (more)

Unlock!: Arsène Lupin and the Great White Diamond

Room-in-a-box, Jan 2020

Arsène Lupin is another totem of French culture almost completely unknown to me, but who seems to be a mysterious but gallant master thief. In Unlock!’s game you are not the legendary criminal himself but a group of street urchins to whom Lupin has s… (more)

Unlock!: The Noside Show

Room-in-a-box, Jan 2020

While each Unlock! game is a stand-alone story, fully half the boxed sets have included an episode featuring the closest thing the series has to a recurring villain. The Noside Show is the third of these, and its cartoonish style of illustration and … (more)

Escapologic: Robin of Lockskey

Nottingham, Nov 2019

I narrowly missed out on the chance to play Lockskey the first time round, when it briefly opened and then closed again due to problems with the underground location (since when it’s been completely revamped, so I believe is safe to play even if you … (more)

Make Your Escape: Utopia

Derby, Nov 2019

Utopia is the sister game to Dystopia, its complement and its inverse. Where Dystopia’s decor is urban decay, Utopia is all sleekly gleaming computer panels; where Dystopia’s puzzles tend more to the physical, Utopia’s use touch-panels and screens an… (more)

Make Your Escape: Dystopia

Derby, Nov 2019

Arriving at Make Your Escape for our booking, we were welcomed in by a sardonic overall-wearing janitor from a dystopian future. It’s always a nice touch when a game’s host is in character from the outset, and he maintained the persona throughout the… (more)

Unlock!: In Pursuit of the White Rabbit

Room-in-a-box, Aug 2019

If there’s a theme to Unlock!’s Heroic Adventures box, it’s superb potential that just doesn’t quite come together. White Rabbit is clearly intended as the flagship game in the box, with an extended 90 min play time and the maximum difficulty rating,… (more)

Unlock!: Sherlock Holmes – The Scarlet Thread of Murder

Room-in-a-box, Aug 2019

The Scarlet Thread of Murder is an ambitious concept for a game – perhaps too much so for its own good. Unlock!’s Sherlock game does well at capturing a genuine feeling of investigating a murder mystery, but the result makes for a game that can leave… (more)

Unlock!: Insert Coin

Room-in-a-box, Aug 2019

As a matter of policy, Unlock! box sets seem to each contain one game that’s more tailored for younger players, in both theming and difficulty level; in the Heroic set, that game is Insert Coin.

It’s themed for retro 80s arcade gaming, and that’s re… (more)

Komnata Quest: Doctor Frankenstein

London, Dec 2019

Well known in the U.S., Komnata made it to London last year and has been steadily opening games since. Doctor Frankenstein is one of two games at their initial location on Drury Lane, and is a theme that’s impossible to describe without repeated use … (more)