Mind Games of Mebane – The Loft (Review)

Location: Mebane, NC

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

Price: $26.69 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

I’m afraid I can’t do that, (Because I love you!)

Theme:

Your swanky new apartment comes with all the amenities, but the most exciting one is your Smart Loft AI, S.A.L.I. She is able to order groceries, adjust the temperature automatically, control all the electronic functions of the home, even adjust your shower’s temperature on demand! She’s your best automated friend! However, unbeknownst to you, she’s become self-aware and wants to be more than just friends. Unfortunately, you’re clued in to this fact one day when your loft catches on fire and she won’t let you leave! S.A.L.I. doesn’t want to die alone, so she’s decided to take you with her! You don’t have very long before the inferno is too much to bear, so you’ll have to quickly figure out how to shut her down and escape!

First Impressions:

The Loft was probably the most convincing set at Mind Games of Mebane. It looked very much like a big city apartment set within a historic building. Our GM also came online to let us know she was S.A.L.I., she loved us, and the apartment was burning down! Even better, the smell of smoke, (not real smoke, but a very convincing spray, we found out later,) permeated the air, lending a sense of urgency to our escape!

High Points:

A mostly linear experience, The Loft still managed to keep us all engaged with the story and puzzle flow, which worked smoothly for the most part. Interactions with S.A.L.I. were darkly humorous, as she taunted us and played very appropriate musical selections while we attempted to escape. Some very original puzzles were littered throughout the apartment, making excellent use of several different puzzle types to keep everyone busy puzzling and on our toes. There were a lot of basic locks, but each solution pointed toward the location we’d need to input the answer, preventing too much guess and check during the game. Several enjoyable technological interactions were also peppered throughout, giving credence to the theme of an automated apartment.

Low Points:

One puzzle was inconsistent with it’s answering mechanism, requiring us to take a longer part from one answer than others for no in game reason. A later clue was very misleading with it’s presentation, which seemed to require us to not do the thing that we eventually needed to do due to the wording of the note we received. We brought this up to the owner, who seemed amenable to correcting the error, however. There is also one point at which some pieces of a puzzle could be moved around, causing it to become much more difficult to solve, but our GM was very helpful in getting us on track, and most of the items were bolted down, so it wasn’t completely destructible.

Verdict:

The Loft was definitely one of Mind Games of Mebane’s most immersive games, utilizing an engaging GM, good set design, and even convincing smells in order to create an interesting game world to puzzle within! It would make for a fantastic introductory game for new players, while still entertaining veteran escape enthusiasts. Book your escape from the burning loft here!

7.5/10 (Good)