Exit Strategy South – Gone. (Review)

Location: Charlotte, NC

Players: 2-6 (We recommend 4-5)

Price: $25 per person

Time to Escape: 60 Minutes

Taking an Uber to a Haunted House is a very, very bad idea.

Theme:

Back on Christmas Eve of 1986, Abigail Harper went missing, along with her entire family. Ever since then, her home has sat abandoned due to the rumors of a haunting inside. Could Abigail’s spirit still be lingering inside, waiting to be released, or perhaps she’s up to something more sinister? Break into the dilapidated old home and perhaps you’ll have the misfortune of finding out where everyone has Gone.

First Impressions:

Our favorite room of all time, The Final Sacrifice, was retired in September of last year, but when we heard what was coming to take it’s place, we were instantly excited! Gone. promised a spooky haunted house with all the theatricality of it’s predecessor, and we were so on board for that! We were greeted by our Uber driver, Hannah, who promised to take us to the old house on the condition she didn’t have to go in with us, and were set loose on the room!

High Points:

A special shout out to Hannah, our Uber driver, who was an excellent GM and host! Set design was really great, starting us off with a startling and unique puzzle and leading into a realistically sized haunted house. The first 75% of the game was extremely exciting and went from spot to spot excellently. Gameflow worked very well, and was full of spooky surprises and scares! Sound effects helped lead us along though the many different rooms excellently, and added to the immersion. The atmosphere and well hidden and utilized technology really created the sense of dread promised by the theme.

Low Points:

The latter quarter of the game really fell apart hard. The final puzzle was a bit of a mess, and while the rest of the game felt really on theme, this one was out of left field. Unfortunately, this also led to an anticlimactic ending, leaving a couple of mysteries unexplored, wasting a good bit of potential we were hoping for. The house was decked out for Christmas Eve as well as being themed to the 80s, but this didn’t really add anything, I would’ve liked to have seen this tied into the theme and game more, but alas, it just felt out of place. One spooky effect was cut short after the prop came to an unfortunate stop on my shins.

Verdict:

After a strong start, Gone. petered out by the end, which was a let down after such amazing buildup. There’s definitely a lot of potential here, and even with the present issues, I think it’s worth a look for the set design and great first 3/4ths of the game. With some adjustment to the finale, I think this could be the scariest and most enjoyable adventure yet. Book your time investigating the haunting here!

6.5/10 (Alright)