Manchester, Mar 2024
Escape Hunt doesn’t always have a great reputation; the games of theirs that I’ve played have been a mixed bag. That shouldn’t put you off trying Eye of the Sun God. It’s probably the best of theirs I’ve played at any of the chain’s branches, and is genuinely worth going out of your way for.
That’s partly because of the pretty decor, though that’s often a strong point for Escape Hunt games. But they’ve done a fine job of evoking a lost temple sort of environment here.
More importantly, the puzzles generally make sense, and the best of them are clever and innovative even by jaded enthusiast standards.
Be warned that one specific puzzle could taint your enjoyment here. It’s the sort that some people know how to solve, and most do not, and if all your team are in the latter category then you’ll be relying on luck or a gamemaster override to get past it. It’s also time-consuming and hard for more than one person at a time to work on it. The relevance to the theme is pretty shallow and the game would be better if it were swapped out for something else.
The other weakness of Sun God is that it could do with more content – experienced teams will likely rattle through with time to spare, if not tripped up too much by the aforementioned puzzle.
Even so, this is a temple exploration game that’s worth your time, due to some clever ideas combined with atmospheric set dressing; if you’ve been put off Escape Hunt previously, this might be a good reason to give them another go. 