Ubisoft Blue Byte – Assassin’s Creed: Beyond Medusa’s Gate (Review)

Location: This game is available from many locations, we played at VR Zone DC in Washington, DC

Players: 2 or 4, either of which is a great time

Price: Varies, based on location.

Time to Escape: Approximately 60 Minutes

Back to the Animus!

Theme:

From the Ubisoft Escape Games website:

Beyond Medusa’s Gate is set in the re-creation of Ancient Greece from Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey. Two or four players team up and have 60 minutes to find a way out of a vast Aegean coastal cave where the legendary ship of the Argonauts is anchored. To successfully escape, players must use cooperative teamwork, problem-solving skills and precise timing to solve riddles and find their way out of this room-scale experience. Players start the adventure by choosing their avatar from among six diverse characters, and can customize them with Ancient Greek accessories.

First Impressions:

Escape the Lost Pyramid got us hyped for more VR escape adventures, and luckily, we had Beyond Medusa’s Gate scheduled just afterwards! The initial stages of the game were similar, but boasted loads more options, and we knew we were in for an extremely good time after enjoying an ink bottle “food fight” of sorts within the initial avatar selection/costume customization area seen below!

High Points:

Being an enormous fan of Assassin’s Creed, especially Kassandra’s adventures in AC: Odyssey, Beyond Medusa’s Gate was one of my most highly anticipated games for our recent trip to Northern Virginia. We were not disappointed, either, as this massive evolution in gameplay over the already great Escape The Lost Pyramid was an absolute blast to puzzle through. Inviting players into an even larger escape adventure than the previous game, this is truly a can’t miss experience. The initial parts of the game involved getting acquainted with the VR controls and selecting from a wider, more artful set of avatars, as well as various costume colors and adornments. As a big fan of character customization in video games, I was delighted with the expansion of this part of the game, as well as the inclusion of many ways to differentiate your character, as three of us selected the same avatar.

The gameplay for this romp through Ancient Greece is legendary, putting a much larger emphasis of enormous teamwork puzzles, and ensuring that everyone stays involved throughout, removing many of the individual choke points of the previous game. Traversal feels much smoother here, and the joy of one armed pull ups remains present, as does shooting your friends with arrows. Climbing the many tall walls was a fear for one of our teammates, and luckily, should this trigger anxiety for players, most teamwork puzzles only require one of the players to climb, which was a nice touch. The interactions presented via Medusa’s Gate are incredibly varied, and much more complex, throwing some real challenges at the team, while remaining intuitive and deliriously fun to work through. The moments of revelation are great, and working out the solutions alongside friends is an excellent time. Many points split our four player team into two, and the ability to switch off teammates is present, which is a great new addition. On the whole, however, there are quite a few four player interactions that are flawlessly inserted into the game flow, and allow for everyone to take a starring role in the adventure.

The climax of the game is also much improved, with an epic boss battle that requires quick and accurate teamwork between all four players, capping off an already excellent journey with an exhilarating large-scale interaction. We were also treated to a quick but fun photo taking session to commemorate our achievement, and I’m so glad we were able to actually receive these photos!

Low Points:

Beyond Medusa’s Gate is a mostly flawless VR escape experience, but we did run into a couple of places where if your teammates aren’t quite as quick as you, there’s some waiting around, but not nearly as much as was experienced in Escape the Lost Pyramid. There were also usually some items to mess around with during this time, so the waiting never became unbearable. Near the end of the game, we experienced a fairly big glitch, as a key item popped out of existence for around five minutes, causing a lot of frustration as well as the confiscation and immediate disposal of a bucket.

Verdict:

Beyond Medusa’s Gate was one of the most memorable escape room experiences I’ve ever had, and expect I’ll remember our journey through this one for a good long while. Able to insert fun and adventure into every facet of the game, I highly recommend checking it out! If you’ve not played it’s predecessor, Escape the Lost Pyramid, that’s definitely worth doing first if possible, as this game will likely feel more natural after a warm up in Egypt. Find a room near you here!

9/10 (Excellent)

Full Disclosure: VR Zone DC provided media discounted tickets for our game.