The Final Door – The Vampyr (Review)

Location: Columbia, SC

Players: 4-8 (We recommend 4-6)

Price: $25 per person (Tues, Wed, Thurs) or $28 per person (Fri, Sat, Sun)

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Let’s hunt some monsters!

Theme:

A wealthy nobleman has contracted your team of monster hunters to take care of a big problem he has with his newly inherited castle. Unfortunately, it seems he’s unable to move in since an extremely powerful and ancient vampyr has taken up residence inside! It is up to you to break into the castle and find out where the fiend is currently hiding while he sleeps. Once you do, make sure to destroy him before the sun sets, or it’s lights out for you in more ways than one!

First Impressions:

The lobby at The Final Door is well appointed, containing a bar as well as a nice selection of party games and puzzles to enjoy with your team while you wait. Staff is very friendly and are escape room enthusiasts as well, so trading war stories with them was great fun. Our experience started even before we entered the briefing room, which was a fantastic and mysterious way to begin the introduction. After our briefing, we were led to the castle and began our hunt!

High Points:

What a room! It combined two of my favorite little things for escape rooms to do, the first being a well decorated entry door, and the second I can’t reveal so as not to spoil the surprise! As with other rooms at The Final Door, puzzle flow was marvelous, there were no points at which we felt the tasks were too ambiguous or we were flailing about to determine what we needed to do. Set design was convincingly done, and fully immersed us into the story of the room. Some rarely used senses came into play for a fun and, for our team, hilarious puzzle, and the hint system was interestingly integrated into the theme as well. The taks presented involved our entire team throughout, and rewarded communication and cooperation. The climax of the room was extraordinarily satisfying, delivering a great interaction and end to the story. This is, without a doubt, the best room I have done in South Carolina.

Low Points:

None. This is an amazingly crafted experience and we had no problems with it at all, it was truly great from start to finish!

Verdict:

Another astounding experience from The Final Door, The Vampyr excels at weaving together challenging gameplay, smooth flow, and immersive production values. As satisfying to puzzle through as it is to experience the set design, this room keeps the surprises coming throughout! This is definitely the most challenging room available at The Final Door, so beginners may want to try out an easier room or two, (such as the equally fantastic Blackout,) before taking it on. Enthusiasts and more seasoned players, however, will love the fantastic adventure that The Vampyr offers! Book your time in the castle here!

10/10 (Sublime)