Category: Retired Rooms

NC Escape – Dreamscape (Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 3 Comments

Editor’s note: NC Escape is under new management from the folks at Greenlight Escape Room in Wilmington, NC and this room has (thankfully,) been retired to make way for some much better games! I’m leaving up this review for posterity, but know that it is not indicative of the current set up at NC Escape now.

Location: Durham, NC

Players: 2-6 (We Recommend 3-4)

Price: $26 per person

Time to Escape: 60 Minutes

Trapped in the Matrix

Theme:

You’ve been selected for a next generation Virtual Reality experiment, which will involve uploading your mind into a digital world in order to see what effect it has on the human brain. You’ve been assured that the experiment is perfectly safe, but as soon as you’re strapped in and begin it’s obvious that something’s gone wrong when you’re unable to contact the team responsible for monitoring you! You only have a limited amount of time to explore the digital world and find a way to extract yourself before you’re lost in the Dreamscape forever!

First Impressions:

NC Escape’s previous games were entertaining experiences, mixing basic physical locks and technical puzzles, so when they announced a highly technology focused experience, I was certainly interested to see what they had in store! Considering that they delivered one of the greatest props I’d seen in a room in Ex Machina, expectations were high.

High Points:

There are some clever puzzles in the Dreamscape, some of which have to do with perspective, which is always fun when implemented correctly. Overall, the room heavily focuses on puzzles, and ensures that they make sense within the theme of the digital world. Though a technologically focused room, it involves a good bit of tactile, physical interactions, making the experience as a whole more immersive. The game flow of the room was mostly non-linear, allowing the entire team to stay engaged throughout the game.

Low Points:

The main issue I had with this room was that it seemed to imply in the description on the website that VR would be used within the room, but did not feature actual VR. Also, the room was very new when we visited, but there were several issues within the room involving a malfunctioning technical prop and pieces breaking off of other props even though they were being used very delicately. Another issue is that many of the puzzles involve doing the same task over and over, to the point of the interactions becoming repetitive and boring by the time you complete them. In fact, the second half of the game seems to have a bit of awareness when it refers to it’s puzzles as “inane tasks.” Unfortunately, this doesn’t make completing the more banal puzzles any more entertaining, as at this point, the room seems to be aware of how repetitive it is. Set design is appropriate, but it doesn’t really wow in any way. Due to an ambiguous puzzle and a malfunctioning prop, the climax of the room fell completely flat.

Verdict:

Dreamscape was a highly uneven experience, marred by technical glitches and broken props. The overall experience was interesting, but ultimately disappointing. Given a bit more polish, this room could be more fun, but currently, I’d recommend trying out Ex Machina or The Study instead. You can book your time in the Dreamscape here!

5/10 (Mediocre)

Exit Strategy South – The Final Sacrifice (Bonus Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 5 Comments

To preface, The Final Sacrifice was retired on September 17th, 2017, the day just after we played. We made a special trip to Charlotte to do so, and we’re glad we did. The only regret we have, is that we can’t recommend others go! I figured I’d still do a review, however, as this room is, (Spoiler Alert,) definitely worthy of the praise I’m about to heap on it here.

Location: Charlotte, NC

Players: 2-10 (We recommended 8-10)

Price: $25 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Praise Baruta!

Theme:

You have been following The Church of Light and Dark’s teachings as an acolyte to the cult, but today, your faith is to be tested as part of an initiation ritual to contact and bring forth their dark god, Baruta. You have a limited window to do so, however, and those who fail this test will be sacrificed to sate his anger! As evidenced by the blood on the altar, many have failed, but those who succeed are promised immortality! Break free from your chains and complete the ritual, and you will become one of the few worthy of eternal life!

First Impressions:

Exit Strategy South’s usual rules briefing is turned completely on its head, as the normally bright room is pitch dark save for a single lantern when you’re led in. The employee who leads you in slips away and you’re left in silence (or in our case, loud joking rowdiness,) with your team, waiting for your game master to arrive. When he does, it is a exciting bit of theatre, and for our team, a hilarious back and forth with the cult leader! This briefing set the tone for this intense, creepy, but unexpectedly light-heartedly humorous adventure. Once our introduction was complete, we were hooded and led half of the group at a time into the sacrificial chamber. There, we were chained to the wall, (or in one unlucky initiate’s case, the sacrificial table,) after which our time began!

High Points:

After that splendid introduction, we were immediately thrust into the meat of the room. To start, the big reveal that one of our friends had been chained to a table was a startling, (and let’s be honest, amusing,) start to the room. A linear, one room experience, The Final Sacrifice somehow was still able to immerse all 10 of our group members in the expertly crafted story and puzzles. Once we began to unlock each other from our restraints, it became obvious that teamwork was absolutely necessary to our success. This was one of the few rooms where it really felt like each person was integral to our overall success, and breakdowns in communication could be deadly. The lighting and sound effects really made the room come to life, not to mention the great props to be found within. Macabre surprises lurked around every corner and within every unlocked area, and every solved puzzle felt like a victory. The hint system and GM interactions were perfectly executed, and I could not have asked for a better overall experience as story, puzzles, interactions, and flow came together to provide an intense and immersive experience I’ll never forget.

Low Points:

We didn’t have many, though I can see one particular puzzle ruining the experience for some groups, especially if they are mostly strangers, as teamwork is heavily required here. In fact, one of our friends was unable to join our group, but played in the next time slot after our excited recommendation to do so, and the fact that she played with less than friendly strangers tanked the experience for her. But that’s more an issue with playing with strangers in general. Also, two players are locked down for longer than the others, and that can be a pain in the butt, especially if other teammates don’t work quickly! The only other low point is that this room has been retired, which is a shame!

Verdict:

As of around 100 rooms, The Final Sacrifice is, without reservation, my absolute favorite escape adventure to date. Marrying an immersive theatrical experience to a solid puzzling quest, it set a new standard for escape rooms. A true enthusiasts room, it was a tough, but insanely rewarding challenge that demanded teamwork, observation, and time management, doling out an increasingly amazing story as we delved deeper into the mysteries of The Church of Light and Dark. I hope that whatever replaces this experience is just as fantastic!  In the meantime, you can check out Exit Strategy here!

10/10 (Sublime)

NC Escape – The Study (Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 1 Comment

Editor’s note: NC Escape is under new management from the folks at Greenlight Escape Room in Wilmington, NC and this room has been retired to make way for new games! I’m leaving up this review for posterity, but know that it is not indicative of the current set up at NC Escape now.

Location: Durham, NC

Players:  2-6 (We Recommend 2-4)

Price: $26 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Why would you want to save the world? Because I’m one of the idiots that lives in it!

Theme:

A mad genius has been under surveillance by a secret government agency due to their suspicions that he is building a doomsday device. Recently, he entered his mansion, and never came out. Your superiors are worried that he may have noticed he was being watched, and has escaped! Break in to find out what he’s been up to and where he is going, but do so quickly, since the trail is quickly going cold!

First Impressions:

The Study was nicely laid out, and while it may not have been as immediately impressive as Ex Machina, there were many different devices that slowly revealed themselves as we started our black ops mission. It felt very much like a dim study, and we felt very immersed in the story once we were given our briefing and set loose on the room.

High Points:

The non linear room ensured both of us had plenty to work on, but also included several teamwork based interactions so that we also enjoyed working together on several capstone puzzles. Technology was peppered throughout, and was well hidden and a nice surprise as we tackled the challenges. Feedback on puzzles was very clear and flowed well from one to the next. This room again did not allow us a method for taking notes, but this did not frustrate, and enhanced the few puzzles we would have taken notes on for teamwork purposes. One late game puzzle was particularly creative, and gave a great a ha moment when we finally figured out why we were undoing the locks we were working on.

Low Points:

Another late game puzzle was creative and straightforward, but the accuracy of the props were slightly off, leading to a bit of frustration in determining where things should be, rather than where they actually were. Some story related items felt under utilized, and just sort of felt like they were there for the sake of being there. The later stage of the game felt a little sparse, as it felt like there could’ve been much more room for theming. One puzzle in particular led us to work together, as it would’ve taken a long time for one person to follow through, but it felt like busy work and way overstayed it’s welcome. Some red herrings popped up due to unintentionally misleading cluing, which brought us off track. The ending was fairly anticlimactic, and didn’t seem to tie up the loose ends as well as we had hoped.

Verdict:

Despite a few hiccups affecting game flow, The Study was a good experience that should be a fine introductory experience for beginners, and an enjoyable time for teams of enthusiasts. I would definitely suggest doing this room before Ex Machina, though, as that one is a tough act to follow! I certainly recommend both, however. Book your time in the madman’s Study here!

7/10 (Good)

NC Escape – Ex Machina (Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 3 Comments

Editor’s note: NC Escape is under new management from the folks at Greenlight Escape Room in Wilmington, NC and this room has been retired to make way for some new games! I’m leaving up this review for posterity, but know that it is not indicative of the current set up at NC Escape now.

Location: Durham, NC

Players:  2-6 (We Recommend 2-4)

Price: $26 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

What’s that? Mold. Should we be breathing it? Probably not.

Theme:

While renovating an eccentric Victorian traveler’s home for the modern era, the construction crew came across a oddly well preserved room, which contained a mysterious vault door. Rather than knock it down, the family has called in your team to help catalog and unravel the mystery of the strange room and vault. However, preliminary search teams have only been able to spend a short time in the room before coming down with a strange cough and being unable to continue. You’ve only 60 minutes to unravel the mystery behind the door, and make your way out!

First Impressions:

NC Escape itself is located in a slightly out of the way area in downtown Durham, but is eminently walkable and centrally located. Decorations on the doors to each room are interesting and just mysterious enough to peak my interest as I walked by each. Our room in particular was beautifully appointed, with an array of tactile and intriguing set pieces. From the second we stepped in, I was itching to get to the puzzling, as so many parts of the room were desperately calling my name!

High Points:

The theming of the room was excellent, and truly immersive, and the main set piece of the room, the mysterious vault door, was a lot of fun to play around with. There were several parts of the set around the room for us to puzzle with, and the nonlinearity kept us busy for our full experience. This was the first room in which we weren’t given anything to take notes with that I feel enhanced, rather than frustrated the experience, which is an amazingly difficult task. Even some puzzles which would feel banal otherwise, were given an interesting twist to ensure they felt fresh. Teamwork is required, but presented in an engaging way, rather than as busywork tasks to extend the time to solve. Every prop in the room, even ones we initially overlooked, were integral parts of the experience. Hints given were good nudges, and directed us well when we were off track. The story of the room unraveled slowly throughout the experience, giving us insight into what exactly it was we were looking for.

Low Points:

Though the hints were well presented, we were presented with them at the GM’s discretion, and it felt that we were receiving them a little too often at times. One solution opened a lock that gave no feedback as to what it had triggered, and we were left scratching our heads as to why we needed that particular spot open. An early puzzle was difficult to make out, and while we had the correct means to solve it, it was a bit of a trial to make out our solution.

Verdict:

Ex Machina is a fantastic addition to the NC Triangle escape scene, and one worthy of being tried out if you’re visiting the area. The experience is immersive and flows excellently, and allows for new players and veterans alike to enjoy quite a few engaging surprises along the way. This is also one of the few rooms where I wanted to waste time fiddling with a major prop long after we’d opened it. While there, make sure to try to beat our second best record of 37:56! Book your time with Ex Machina’s crazy door here!

9/10 (Excellent)