Exit Strategy South – Quest for Honor (Review)

Location: Charlotte, NC

Players: 2-8 (We recommend 3-4)

Price: $25 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Have fun storming the castle!

Theme:

An ancient and powerful dragon has awoken from its slumber upon its hoard of gold, and is attacking the Kingdom of Westwend! The great wizard Merlin has called upon your team of burgeoning wizards to come to the castle’s stronghold and defeat the dragon! You’ll need to find ancient relics and a powerful spellbook in order to slay the monster and bring peace to the Kingdom once more.

First Impressions:

For this room, we were assured that we were in for a different type of escape. Instead of finding codes and unlocking boxes, we’d need to use “magic” to progress. Intrigued by the fantastic set and colorful windows looking out over the too quiet Kingdom, (and energized by our escape from The Final Sacrifice just minutes before,) we began our quest with gusto!

High Points:

There are truly very few locks at all in Quest for Honor, in fact, I believe we only saw two during our full run. Magical technology is peppered throughout the entire experience, making the quest extremely immersive. Performing spells correctly leads towards exciting effects, and can have unexpected results throughout. As the goals of the room are achieved, the quest evolves and updates through new updates from Merlin, as well as shifting within the room and a fun set piece that adds a fantastic new element to the game.

Low Points:

Some leaps of logic become more esoteric when inputs are “magic,” leading to several places where the flow is dammed up. One admittedly fun part of the room can wear out its welcome due to the nature and necessity of its use. While the set is overall beautiful, there are two points of anachronism that can feel a bit jarring to the immersion. One particular puzzle stays overlong and can be unwieldly due to it’s length and the inability to write anything down.

Verdict:

Quest for Honor is a fun but uneven experience that hiccups several times, but recovers well in between. The mystical nature of the room make this a must play for families and those who are interested in a magical adventure. A fine introduction for beginners, and a new experience for enthusiasts who are getting burned out on the usual solution to lock cliché, I definitely recommend trying out this solid room. Book your fight against the dragon here!

7/10 (Good)