Charleston Escape Game – Taking Back Charleston (Review)

Location: Charleston, SC

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

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Tally-ho!

Theme:

The British have Charlestowne under siege, and rebel militia are slowly losing ground against the elite Royal forces! If the Americans are to have any chance at keeping the enemy at bay, they’re going to have to pull off something big. That something big is your mission! As a member of the rag-tag Swamp Fox milita, you’ve been tasked with infiltrating a British General’s tent, gaining entry into their munitions warehouse, and blowing it to smithereens! A hit like this will force the Brits to retreat and end the siege once and for all, but you must complete your mission before the General returns, or it’s over for Charlestowne’s resistance!

First Impressions:

Charleston Escape Game is just one of a network of three sister locations. The other two locations, Elite Escape Games, and Break Out Charleston, are excellent businesses in their own right, boasting some really great rooms, so expectations were high regarding the quality of these games. As always, they did not disappoint!

High Points:

The Revolutionary War theme was something that I’d never seen before, and I thought it was an amazing idea! A historically based game in a city steeped in history has the makings of something great. The set design is phenomenal, per usual, and the General’s tent is set up with lighting and sound effects that make you feel as though you’re outside of a pitched battle, having just infiltrated enemy lines! The game flow moves excellently, and though linear in places, has enough non-linear threads to keep a larger group busy. Movement from the tent to the munitions base is excellent fun, and adds a enjoyable moment to something as simple as moving from room to room. The big interaction in the latter part of the game is enormously satisfying to complete, and adds a fantastic element of incremental progression to the game. There are a few larger set piece puzzles that are mind-blowingly awesome to complete, and incorporate elements of teamwork that we really enjoyed completing. There are several basic locks, but none feel out of place, and the technological elements feel appropriate to the theme while still giving that mysterious feel to the room. In all, the room was just amazingly fun to solve from start to finish! It was one of those rooms in which we broke out quickly, but it didn’t feel as if we’d gone all that fast, we were so thoroughly entertained!

Low Points:

One minor puzzle was an underwhelming solve, but is an easy win for new players, so it isn’t much of a complaint, but from the design of the clue, we had expected a slightly more exciting interaction.

Verdict:

Taking Back Charleston is a highly original, enormously entertaining adventure! A great game for beginners and enthusiasts alike, it is a must play the next time you’re in Charleston. I hear that Charleston Escape Game has another original new room theme on the horizon, and cannot wait for our next trip out once it is completed! Try to beat our record while you’re there! Sign up for the Swamp Fox militia and save Charlestowne here!

9.5/10 (Excellent)

Full Disclosure: Charleston Escape Game provided Media Discounted tickets for our game.