Tag: Charleston

Time Traveler Escape Games – Lavinia Fisher’s Boarding House (Review)

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Location: Charleston, SC

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

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Have a nice slay!

Theme:

You and your friends have been travelling all day in order to reach Charleston, SC, but the sun has just dropped below the horizon and you need to rest. Luckily, the Six Mile Wayfarer House is just down the road, and the congenial Lavinia Fisher has plenty of room for all of you. She offers you all a cup of tea while she prepares your room, andyou gladly accept. After you’ve settled down in the attic boarding room however, you begin to feel uneasy and find that the door has been locked from the outside! Unnaturally sleepy, you must fight through the effects of the now obviously poisoned tea, or fall victim to America’s first female serial killer!

First Impressions:

Like Dr. Trott’s Apothecary, Lavinia Fisher’s Boarding House is based off the local Charleston legend of the first female serial killer in America. An interesting take on the usual trope of escape room serial killers, a favorite guilty pleasure of mine, I was excited to see how this historically based game would turn out!

High Points:

The infamous Lavinia Fisher was notorious for poisoning her guests with tea, and our visit to the Six Mile Wayfarer House was no exception. After downing some Snapple tea, (which we all agreed was definitely not poisoned, no sir,) we were ushered into our accommodations and locked in! The historical building offered a very authentic looking boarding room, with strange architecture and interesting furnishings, keeping us immersed in the early American theme. There’s a particular prop that most enthusiasts have seen that is presented in a slightly more interesting way, keeping our usual distaste for it at bay. There are a couple original interactions that we really enjoyed, one of which required some excellent teamwork and communication. The puzzle threads lead towards a great reveal, showing us the startling handiwork of our host and bringing the creepy vibe which had only been hinted at throughout the early stages of the room. Slow burn horror truly is the best horror.

Low Points:

There is one particular part of the room that is technical in a way that doesn’t quite fit the overall adventure. The puzzles it is integrated with feel off theme and random; technical for the sake of having tech. Two early game puzzles are triggered by the same input, and the clues to open them are very similar, so we spent an undue amount of time spinning our wheels when we started up a later part of the game early, figuring that the original puzzle was solved. Luckily, the GM set us back on track after a while, but this could be prevented by having different input devices or making the interactions a bit less similar. A lot of the puzzles in the room are vague, without much connective tissue between them to lead towards intuitive solutions, and in some cases, we only figured out one of them because it looked like there would be some technical interaction at a certain point in the room. New players will have a lot of trouble in these spots, due to the already obtuse presentation of these puzzles.

The room itself looks very convincing, but unfortunately the ceiling is very low in points. I’m not the tallest player by any stretch of the imagination, but I banged my head no less than five times, even as I was trying to be careful not to. Our usual group didn’t play this one, but our over six foot teammate would’ve had a headache by the end of this one for sure. The room is otherwise spacious, and will fit the maximum of eight players, but the linear game flow really doesn’t. We had five, and it was really difficult to have more than two people physically working on any one puzzle; enthusiasts will find the flow very cramped. Again, as in their previous room, there is no timer, which can help or hurt depending on your preferences, but we really prefer to measure our time independently, so I mention it here. Finally, we had some severe trouble with the final puzzle due to faulty feedback, stretching an already banal interaction into a much longer ordeal. The climax wasn’t overly exciting, and made very little sense within the theme, which was disappointing given the much more engaging nature of Dr. Trott’s Apothecary.

Verdict:

If you have only a couple players, Lavinia Fisher’s Boarding House might be more exciting, but the game flow issues and uneven storyline make this room a hard sell. Newcomers will be frustrated by puzzles that seem to cater to enthusiasts being able to spot tech rather than being clued naturally, and enthusiasts will feel limited by the overly linear gameplay. If you’re visiting Time Traveler Escape Games, I definitely recommend trying Dr. Trott’s Apothecary instead, but if you want to try your hand at escaping the Six Mile Wayfarer House, you can do so here.

5/10 (Mediocre)

Full Disclosure: Time Traveler Escape Games comped our tickets for this room.

Time Traveler Escape Games – Dr. Trott’s Apothecary (Review)

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Location: Charleston, SC

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

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

A bit of heroin for your cold will fix you right up!

Theme:

It’s 1867 and the rain has been falling in Charleston, SC for four straight days. Citizens are beginning to worry that Dr. Trott is the reason for all their woes, due to the fact that he’s captured a mermaid within his apothecary and refuses to set her free! The unprecedented storm threatens to bury the whole city underwater unless you can find the mermaid and set her free. Dr. Trott returns in an hour, though, so you’d better act fast!

First Impressions:

Dr. Trott’s Apothecary is based on a local legend that you can read about here! It’s really quite fascinating that people truly rioted outside of a pharmacy because they thought that the owner was holding a mermaid hostage, but that’s the 1800’s for you. An escape room based on the hidden legends of Charleston really sounded like a fantastic idea, so we were very excited to give Time Traveler Escape Games a visit during our most recent trip out!

High Points:

Dr. Trott’s Apothecary is well decorated, housing some excellent tech, lighting, and sound effects to simulate the storm, as well as other hidden surprises to assist with the immersion factor of the game. Though there are a few trick puzzle boxes and locks, generally a huge escape room sin, they are clued cleverly and justify their inclusion by being more than just a box purchased online and sat in the room for no thematic reason. The game flow runs nicely, and is non linear for the most part, with a subtle clue to start off the room’s puzzling threads. Each section of the apothecary feels like it’s own level of sorts, with all the threads coming together to unlock the next segment, leading to another challenge that repeats the process. We are big fans of this video game like style of escape room puzzling and are glad to see it catching on in Charleston!

Connections within the room are intuitive, and the meta puzzles for each step work smoothly, with the original and sometimes room spanning puzzles keeping our group of five engaged with the story throughout the entire adventure. When we needed a hint or two our GM provided clever clues that gave us just the right amount of push without giving the answer away outright, which is always appreciated. There’s quite a few props to play around with, and all of them are integrated well into the theme of a sea loving, (perhaps too much,) pharmacist from the 1860’s.

Low Points:

One puzzle failed spectacularly on us, and it seemed like there was no backup to overcome the technical problem. Though we eventually were able to force it to finally trigger, it burned a lot of time off of our clock. From behind the scenes looks of other tech heavy rooms I’ve done, I’ve noticed most have a program of backups in place should a puzzle be solved and the prop not trigger, so that might be worth looking into for Time Traveler Escape Games. Though light on hidden objects for hidden objects’ sake, there is one that felt overly well hidden, and without a puzzle or clue to help find it, it feels like a random scavenger hunt rather than an exciting solve. One early puzzle was interesting, but involved a fairly large leap of logic, coupled with searching for a small marking that just blends in with its surroundings, leading to some early frustration on our part. There’s also no timer within the room, which adds to the authenticity, but can make marking your progress within difficult, so this could really go either way based on your preferences.

Verdict:

Dr. Trott’s Apothecary is a fun room for first time players and enthusiasts alike, delivering multiple stages of puzzling fun. Though there are a couple points at which the room failed on us, these seem to be isolated cases of bad luck and I still recommend checking this one out in order to delve into the hidden history of Charleston for an hour, and commend Time Traveler Escape Games on coming up with such an excellent idea. Book your rescue mission here!

7/10 (Good)

Full Disclosure: Time Traveler Escape Games comped our tickets for this room.

Escape in 60 – Egyptian Tomb (Review)

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Location: Charleston, SC

Players:  2-8 (We recommend 4-5)

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Unwilling protectors of the tomb!

Theme:

You are the loyal servants of the Pharaoh, who has just passed on into the Duat, and as is tradition when the Pharaoh dies, you are to be sealed within the tomb as well, so that you may serve him for all eternity! Not feeling quite so loyal anymore, you and your fellow servants are determined to escape. But you’ll have to act fast, as not only is the tomb being sealed, your oxygen within the burial chamber is running out fast! Figure out the ancient riddles, and find your way out before you find yourself on the path to Anubis as well!

First Impressions:

Egyptian Tomb is Escape in 60’s newest room, and it definitely shows within it’s set design. Excellently designed props and puzzles littered the room, and felt as though it was full of secrets to uncover. We could not wait to get started! Our favorite GM ran us through the rules again and we were off to the races!

High Points:

As previously mentioned in our review for Davy Jones Locker, the rooms at Escape in 60 really capture the vibe of some of my favorite online and app based escape rooms. Egyptian Tomb is no exception, and includes more technology, as well as custom made keypads in order to present a sense of magic when solving the puzzles within. I really liked the implementation of these unique keypads, which were able to replace the use of traditional locks in clever ways, as well as present brand new puzzle types we hadn’t yet encountered! Solving the game slowly opened up the room unexpectedly and displayed an excellent use of the space provided. Set design helped to conceal secrets perfectly, and was also Escape in 60’s best and most immersive set yet! Props included were excellent additions to the game, and a certain puzzle we’d seen a few times was made more interesting via it’s presentation. The experience is mostly linear with non-linear branches, but keeps the whole group entertained with it’s breadth of puzzle types and inclusion of fantastic hints you’ll have to scour the room to discover!

Low Points:

Game flow in this room included much less connective tissue than other rooms at Escape in 60. Though you want the game to have a sense of mystery and not be overly clear in order to present a challenge, this game crosses the line into being a little bit obtuse at times. One particular puzzle relies on a fairly vague clue that was clearly decipherable once we took a hint, but beforehand was very difficult to spot, some clearer direction might help immensely. Another puzzle that relies on a sense that isn’t usually used is presented in a great way, but does not allow for a method to “reset” between identifications. There is a red herring that was included which seemed like it would’ve been a lot more fun as a full fledged puzzle, and another that used to be part of a puzzle, and provided for what sounded like a much cooler solving method, but had been removed, while references to it were still included in the room.

Verdict:

Egyptian Tomb is a very good puzzling adventure with a few hiccups here and there that, when corrected, could help the room really shine. As it is, though, it’s still an excellent time, including clever puzzles, a beautiful set, and a lot of fun interactions within the ancient tomb! I definitely recommend giving it a shot. You can book your breakout from the tomb here!

7.5/10 (Good)

Full Disclosure: Escape in 60 provided comped tickets for our game.

Escape in 60 – Davy Jones Locker (Review)

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Location: Charleston, SC

Players:  2-8 (We recommend 4-5)

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Down to the depths with ye!

Theme:

Blackbeard has attacked the Charlestowne coast, and as a crewman for the colonial navy, it is up to you to help your ship repel the barrage of cannonfire! Unfortunately, Blackbeard proved too much for you and the rest of the crew, and he has trapped in a sinking ship with no way out! Luckily, a previous crewman has left behind some puzzles to help you escape! Break out in an hour, or sink to the depths of Davy Jones Locker!

First Impressions:

Escape in 60 was the first ever escape room business I visited, years ago! I’ve always enjoyed going back, and there is a certain charm to the historic building that they are housed inside! On my most recent trip to visit family in Charleston, I decided to swing by to check out their only room I hadn’t experienced, Davy Jones Locker, and was also informed that they’d opened a new Egyptian Tomb room which we were invited to try as well! I was excited to see how the experience held up after 150+ rooms of experience!

High Points:

As a bit of background, even before I started doing live escape rooms, I started playing escape room games online as far back as 2000. This little hobby has endured and flourished over the past 18 years, and live escape games really blew my mind when I started this journey! One of my favorite things about Escape in 60 is that more than any other experience, their rooms capture the feeling of those early online escape games the best. Puzzle rooms with fun themes, interesting logic, and set pieces that open unexpectedly were the hallmark of those games, and they’re well exemplified here! Davy Jones Locker is Escape in 60’s easier game, geared more towards new players, but we still had a great time solving the riddles inside! The game flow moved well from point to point, and everything was explained in such a way as to preserve the mystery but not give away too much. Initial set design was well done, and made us feel as though we’d stepped into the hold of a rickety old ship. The room was more of an old school code and lock design, with a little extra technology here and there, but this didn’t detract from the experience, in fact, it was one of the better classic rooms I’d experienced! Game Mastery was excellently done, and as always, the customer service at Escape in 60 was amazing!

Low Points:

One puzzle involved a directional lock that had become a bit sticky, causing us to disregard the correct solution at first due to it not working a couple times, which caused a little more confusion than normal, but when we tried the code one last time, it worked. This is minor, though, and a new lock would easily fix this issue. One puzzle warranted a fair amount of explanation at the beginning, and though it was necessary, added a bit too much to the initial game master rules rundown, which could overwhelm new players. Luckily, as enthusiasts, we knew not to stick our fingers in the outlets and could focus on the new stuff! Finally, a few of the props had started to wear a bit, this being one of the older rooms on the lineup. However, we were informed that a overhaul was due for Davy Jones Locker, and this should be corrected soon! A small bit of outside knowledge was required with a particular puzzle, though the riddles involved weren’t overly taxing, but this could present a problem for some groups.

Verdict:

Although we escaped with over a half hour on the clock, we enjoyed every minute of our experience within the pirate ship! Enthusiasts might be better served by one of the more difficult rooms at Escape in 60, but beginners will really enjoy the challenge that Davy Jones Locker presents! A well tuned run of classic puzzles leading to a climactic escape is always a great introduction to the hobby. You can book your time escaping Blackbeard here!

8/10 (Great)

Full Disclosure: Escape in 60 provided comped tickets for our game.

Elite Escape Games – Area 51 (Review)

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Location: Mount Pleasant, SC

Players:  2-8 (We recommend 4-6)

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Beam us up!

Theme:

You’ve somehow managed to make your way into the highly classified Air Force base called Area 51 in search of the Truth you’ve heard is out there. Entering the bio-labs, the pneumatic door seals behind you and you’ve become trapped! Find out what secrets lie inside this shadowy facility and get out with the prize before the Men in Black return to wipe your memory with the flashy thing!

First Impressions:

Elite Escape Games is one of my absolute favorite businesses period. They have some of the best sets, highly original puzzles, and most innovative gameplay that I’ve ever seen, and with each new room, they continue to improve! Their staff is always top notch as well, and provide an amazing experience from start to finish. When I saw that their Area 51 room that I’d been anticipating for over a year was finally opening, I immediately began making plans to visit!

High Points:

When I am anticipating a room as much as I was this room, usually I find that I am let down in some way. This was absolutely not the case here. Area 51 is easily my new favorite in Charleston, eclipsing my previous number one, Undead Outbreak, which is saying something! The game is set up in a completely non-linear fashion, with successive levels of the facility to overcome, ensuring that even a larger group will have plenty to work on and explore. This was probably the first time I’d ever experienced a game that gave the group complete freedom to work on whatever they want from the beginning of the escape. Puzzles were very tactile and delivered highly satisfying feedback once they had been completed, and each clue was intuitive, providing extremely gratifying ah-ha moments throughout. Every time we moved to a new level of the room, I would spot new puzzles that instantly caught my eye and imagination, continually renewing my excitement to solve the next enigmas! Set design was perfect, and immersed us immediately, and each successive area was more exciting than the last! Elite Escape Games used a top of the line 3D printer to create custom props for this experience, and it truly allowed the room shine beyond any others I’d experienced in Charleston so far. The tactile nature of the room was a delight, and props included in each level of the adventure helped track our progress in a simple, but incredibly enjoyable way! The best part, however, is that Area 51 was my 153rd room, but it perfectly captured the absolute wonder and joy that accompanied my first escape room experience. Any escape room veteran can tell you that is no small feat, and I commend the crew at Elite for putting together such an awesome game! Special thanks to my girlfriend for putting up with the fact that I was physically unable to shut up about how crazy good this game was for days after.

Low Points:

After we had completed the game, we talked a while with the manager, Dan, and went over what we thought of the room. After running through the game a few times physically and in my head, I literally could not think of a moment that I did not enjoy during this adventure! Believe me, I tried to come up with some constructive feedback, but no matter what, I could not come up with any at all. For us, this experience was flawless!

Verdict:

Area 51 is the crown jewel of Elite Escape Games, truly a culmination of the best parts of their previous games. A challenging room without being obtuse, I cannot recommend this room enough! If you have time for one room in Charleston, absolutely make it this one. You can book your time in Area 51 here! Do it now!

10/10 (Phenomenal)

Full Disclosure: Elite Escape Games provided Media Discounted tickets for our game.