Tag: Charleston Escape Game

Charleston Escape Game – The Cannibal Collector (Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 1 Comment

Location: Charleston, SC

Players: 2-8 (We recommend 3-5)

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Serial Killers hate them! They escape using this one simple trick!

Theme:

Nineteen people have gone missing in Charleston, and the city is starting to get very nervous. The police have set up several search teams, and you’re one of the best. In fact, you’ve found the killer’s lair! Unfortunately, however, this was all an elaborate trap and you are stuck within the dingy confines of The Collector’s sanctum, with only an hour before he returns! Worse, it looks like the reason you haven’t found any trace of the missing people is because he’s been eating them with some really tasty looking Chinese takeout! Work quickly, or he might use you as his next garnish!

First Impressions:

After finishing Taking Back Charleston, one of the best rooms we’d done on this trip, we were extremely excited to be entering another room at Charleston Escape Room. While the theme isn’t the most original, (I’ve escaped from no less than seventeen serial killers. I counted. They don’t really like us.) I have this soft spot for horror themes that aren’t zombies, so I was still pumped for the experience! Also, this room was purported to be more mature than the usual serial killer thriller, promising a bit more R-rated gore for the discerning horror fan!

High Points:

The Cannibal Collector is a vastly creepy room. Most serial killer rooms just play off the theme with a bit of tongue in cheek jump scares or decorations, but this one ups the ante with really nice props of a more visceral nature. The scares were well implemented as well, and kept my girlfriend and best escape partner running back to me in fright! The game flow works well for the most part, and gives just enough of a clue to keep you working towards the solution without being overly obvious. New surprises abound around every corner, and each room contains several unexpected surprises to enjoy! (or be startled by. Same difference.) Set design is top notch, as we’ve come to expect from these guys, and provides great atmosphere through sound, lighting, and convincing props. The climax is fantastic, and begins with an excellent fake-out moment that kept me guessing at what would come next. Several excellent puzzles and interactions we hadn’t seen before helped tie this experience together as one we won’t soon forget!

Low Points:

One interaction works, and is fairly surprising, but should have some sort of cluing associated with it, as currently, it feels very random and can halt game flow pretty severely. Another puzzle became an unintentional red herring for us, and while thematic, doesn’t quite jive with the logic of the rest of the room, giving off a supernatural vibe in a mostly grounded serial killer adventure. A code during the later game made sense as to which numbers would be needed, but the ordering was foreign to us, meshing poorly with the actual clue.

Verdict:

Charleston Escape Game kicks the serial killer theme up a notch with The Cannibal Collector, delivering an immersive horror experience with a bit more bite than your usual room! While the flow trips up from time to time, there a so many great puzzles packed inside, and I absolutely recommend giving it a shot! You can book your time as a main course here!

8/10 (Great)

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

Charleston Escape Game – Taking Back Charleston (Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 1 Comment

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.