Down The Hatch: Molly’s Game

In terms of reputation to live up to, it’s hard to beat being the current TERPECA #1. Hype can damage enjoyment of a game, and in any case there is always huge variation between individuals as to which games they like best, so it’s always best to go into such highly rated rooms with expectations firmly under control. But still: there is good reason Molly’s Game is famous.

The game description gives only a teaser of what the story is, which is a sign either of a room where the storyline matters very little or of one where it’s absolutely central. Needless to say, Molly’s Game is the latter type. From the name and imagery you might expect a scary experience, and that’s not wrong – but this isn’t really a horror room and does not involve live actors. Even so, it’s one of the more effective rooms I can remember at creating an unnerving atmosphere without using actors.

You can expect a fairly linear game, proceeding through one scene after another, each with puzzles that are relatively few in number but which usually require some work to resolve. I found myself increasingly lost within the space they’ve created, disoriented in a good way. This is a game that impresses from the beginning and then doubles down, then again, and again.

All criticisms should be taken in the context that this is a spectacular game, amongst the most impressive I’ve played anywhere; but with that proviso, some aspects of Molly’s Game didn’t entirely work for me. One of these was the story, which is odd given how intensely story-driven the design is, to the point where it’s full of clever self-referential Easter eggs. But the actual plot stuck me as overwrought to the point where I couldn’t really take it seriously. I’d have loved this experience to have a hefty emotional kick to it, and I think it’s supposed to, but for me that fizzled too often into unintentional comedy.

I’d quibble about a few details of the puzzles too. I thought an early one fell short of the extremely high standards I’d apply to this calibre of game; another midway through was based on something that is normally avoided for what I’d say are good reasons. And several puzzles involved collating and cross-referencing information in a way that felt a little laborious, at least when used in similar ways across multiple puzzles – though perhaps that was just because we were playing as a two, since those would have been well suited to a large group working cooperatively.

Obviously, none of that changes that bottom line, which is that this is an escape room that you should make strenuous efforts to play. If you haven’t played top-TERPECA world class games before, it will redefine what you thought an escape room could be, and if you have then it’s still likely to place amongst the best of them. No game can consistently be every player’s all time favourite; but this is still among the most objectively impressive escape room constructions you can find anywhere.