LCK EVERESCAPE FULL
LCK EVERESCAPE SERIES

More to the point, even for successful escapers, the last memory of the game is boredom as one person completes the action and the others watch on. It should *never* be apparent to you that you can’t complete an escape room until the final few seconds because, instead of ending on an exciting finale, the game falls flat. That was pretty dull in the circumstances but, if we’d got there with two minutes remaining, it would have been infuriating. We’d got to this point with twenty or so minutes remaining but then took around five minutes to complete a very tedious action that allowed us to get our means of escape. That was until you’d pretty much solved it and had to complete the final step. The finale, while still not amazingly original, was certainly the high point of the room, with a fun physical puzzle. Add to that a puzzle type that was used twice in quick succession (and looked like there might even have been a third incarnation that had been partially removed) and you get a feeling of distinct lack of originality. Annoyingly, there was a fair amount of searching to be done, and part of it involved small pieces of paper, which meant you were always paranoid that you’d missed something. Again, they were gettable but tough and, for me, they lacked direction. I’ve often said that it’s a difficult balance but, if you want me to enjoy a room of that type, then you’d best make sure the puzzles are top quality. The problem is that it’s not the most inviting place to search or spend time in. The apartment was a reasonable attempt at what a Communist-era habitat might look like after it had been abandoned and then left to rot for thirty years. The backstory and the room are slightly contradictory but, at its heart, it’s a simple escape-the-room scenario. It’s set in an apartment that was hastily vacated when the disaster happened. Sadly, the game didn’t really deliver that. Chernobyl conjured up images of something mysterious and dangerous with a hint of science. Chernobyl (3 stars)Įxpectations are never a good thing but, to be honest, I didn’t really have any for this game, because I didn’t know what to expect. If you’re looking for something a bit different and particularly if you’re a searcher then this might be worth a look. I was pleased to find there was a way of measuring progress towards the end of the room and, while it wasn’t the most exciting finish, there was at least a clear mission beyond the usual “find a key to escape”.

LCK EVERESCAPE FULL

As an enthusiast, something unusual is enough for me, but for most people I’d say that it’s probably not worth the experience for that alone.Īside from that centrepiece, the room felt grubby and full of red herrings, which is never a pleasing prospect, especially in a tough game, because it means you’ll be rifling through all those items repeatedly. The puzzles weren’t very exciting except for the centrepiece to the game.Īnd what a centrepiece it was! I’m glad I played the game, even if it was frustrating at times, because it was a cool idea which generated a nice set of puzzles. We got some puzzles that felt a stretch to me and needed a clue on one which was very gettable, but I can imagine some teams reaching the end without any help which, I guess, is the goal for an escape room. Very few of the puzzles were easy, and several required quite detailed searching. That was a repeated experience throughout the game – perseverance was rewarded, but it genuinely was perseverance. There was little direction about where to start and plenty of red herrings (including a Playboy magazine!), but we persevered and eventually managed to make progress.

It’s a tough start too, so you could well be in cramped confines for an extended period. If this had been my first ever escape room, I’d have been wondering what I’d signed myself up for. It’s a cramped start to the game, inside a small drab office without an obvious way to proceed. Ironically Chernobyl, the game I was most interested in, was the biggest dud. Terrorist was the most enjoyable of the three, while Mafia Snitch had an interesting centrepiece that made me glad we played. Unfortunately it was downhill from there, with some relatively weak games. Incredibly friendly hosts and a comfy waiting area complete with phone chargers and a music system where you could choose what you wanted to listen to. I was particularly curious about a game called Chernobyl which seemed like it might be a fun variant on the usual “defuse the bomb” experience.Īll looked good when we arrived at the venue. I’d heard good things about Hard Lock from a couple of the owners that I’d emailed, so we’d booked in to play two, possibly three, of their games one evening.

LCK EVERESCAPE SERIES

This is part of a series of articles on games in Warsaw – click here for the introduction and links to all the other articles.

Lck everescape