s-capegoats

[s-capegoats]

Black Lake Facility – The Research Lab

Date: 11th November 2020 Players: BHox, Garflow, Midori, Slow, xtanha1rrmx

Note: We have played all four rooms at SDC. This is one of two rooms that we were invited to playtest.

Welcome back to another review of Black Lake Facility’s rooms! Back at the media preview, Research Lab was touted as an example of a room suited for families or groups looking for a less intensive experience. This was an accurate description; Research Lab is, for the most part, much brighter and less intense than its counterparts, while still offering a solid range of puzzles for your buck.

The strongest point of Research Lab would be the range of puzzles offered; split across the various segments of the room, we encountered puzzles that tested a wide range of senses and skills alike. One puzzle might test players’ observational and searching skills, while another might require more listening and attention to details. As a whole, the room flowed quite smoothly from one set of puzzles to the next, and we didn’t encounter any significant leaps in logic when working out solutions. Throughout these, BLF put in another solid performance in building an appropriate setting and atmosphere; Research Lab felt more like an investigation of the scientists/staff of the facility as we went through different parts of their workplace. As a result, there was much less emphasis on the horror aspects teased in the briefing video. 

For all its strengths, however, Research Lab remains lacking in a few key areas. The wide variety of puzzles offered came at the expense of overall difficulty; most of the puzzles might not be enough to satisfy groups who prioritize puzzles over other aspects of a room. In addition, if a less foreboding trek through the scientists’ workplace was meant to create a more relaxed environment, this succeeded at the expense of connections to the overarching narrative across BLF’s rooms. While the location was in the briefing video and there were links to characters mentioned or shown elsewhere, what plot details we could discern by the end of the room felt more like a sequel hook than a resolution of outstanding mysteries. This is hardly a fatal flaw, of course, and opens up possibilities for refreshing the range of offerings in future. 

Overall, Research Lab offers a decent experience for casual groups with a wider range of puzzles to engage different skill sets, though more experienced players or those seeking difficult puzzles may not enjoy the room as much. 

-Midori

Rating:

Flow – B Logic – C Immersion – A Intensity – E Intuition – Low/Med Tediousness - Low/Med Searchiness – Low Apprehension – Low Novelty – High Variation – Med Dexterity – Low Strength – None Agility – Low Branchedness – None Teamwork – Low

[s-capegoats]

Black Lake Facility - Medical Centre

Date: 1st November 2020 Players: BHox, Garflow, Midori, Slow, xtanha1rrmx

We visited the Singapore Discovery Centre’s new escape rooms on its opening weekend and tried out two of the four rooms available. The opening cinematic played during the briefing reinforced the notion that there was an overarching story connecting all four rooms, building up some suspense before the room began. 

Upon entering the room, it seemed apparent that Medical Centre was built with an emphasis on setting and story. Props and furniture were all appropriate to the theme, and it was a positive point that the scene before us reflected the idea that something had occurred between the scenes shown in the briefing and the players’ entry. This helped reinforce a sense of mystery and appeal in following the story. While there were scenes of organs and body parts, these were presented in a more clinical context rather than for shock and horror. Bearing in mind that the SDC anticipates guests of all ages, more faint-hearted players may rest assured that this is not a particularly scary room. 

However, story and atmosphere are but side dishes when one’s main reason for playing an escape room is to challenge the puzzles thrown at them. For such players, Medical Centre may not be what they’re looking for. The room placed a much greater emphasis on observational rather than deductive skills; players may easily locate the various locks and objectives but experience more of a challenge in discovering the solutions. That said, the actual number of puzzles felt lacking, with some sections of the room underused; there is a sense that the room could introduce more puzzles without compromising its existing emphasis on searching. To the room’s credit, objectives were relatively well placed with respect to the setting.

In terms of difficulty, there were a few clues integrated throughout the room, geared towards a more casual playing experience. However, there were some instances where even after the underlying logic behind the puzzle was figured out or explained, the solution remained dissatisfying or contrived. Overall, the impression left upon us was that the main source of entertainment was not in the depth of puzzles but rather an attention to story and setting.

Medical Centre takes a conservative approach to tech used; players will encounter some triggers and interactive environments, but nothing groundbreaking. The room is also adequately lit for the scene presented, rather than being a source of hindrance that artificially elevates difficulty. However, players should remain cautious when handling the tech; we spotted at least one instance where the wires connected to an interactive prop could be damaged by careless handling. Unfortunately, our experience was also marred by a malfunctioning screen, but this was a slight hiccup and did not create any significant breaks in the logic behind the puzzles

Ultimately, Medical Centre is geared towards a beginner-friendly experience. There are no puzzles requiring physical exertion, nor any calling for intensive logic or reasoning. There is a sense of mystery as the room unfolds, with flavor text hinting at something unsettling occurring, but nothing presented to the extent of actual horror. Perhaps more puzzles could be added in the sparser segments of the room to improve the challenge, but for now this remains a room more for chilling than thrilling.

-Midori

Rating:

Flow – B Logic – D Immersion – B Intensity – E Intuition – Low Tediousness - Low Searchiness – Med Apprehension – Med Novelty – Med Variation – Low Dexterity – Low Strength – None Agility – Low Branchedness – Low Teamwork - Low

[s-capegoats]

Black Lake Facility - The Basement

Date: 11th November 2020 Players: BHox, Garflow, Midori, Slow, xtanha1rrmx Note: We have played all four rooms at SDC. This is one of two rooms that we were invited to playtest. Rated by SDC as their most thrilling and difficult room, The Basement certainly did not disappoint us. With the escape room scene in Singapore a shadow of its heyday, The Basement is a solid ray of hope for new rooms offering a solid experience. The two-storey structure used in all of Black Lake Facility’s rooms fits the theme of The Basement very well. The environment was sufficiently detailed to leave an impression and the immersiveness was good - it genuinely felt like an investigation into a basement, and certainly reminded us of scenes in the introductory video and the story arc that spans all four of SDC’s rooms. The room doesn't quite close out the story arc - in fact, it might leave you with more questions than you had going in  - but the fact that the story stuck in our minds throughout the room says plenty more than can be said for most other rooms. The room was fairly thrilling, with some areas dimly lit for atmosphere and immersiveness, but not scary. Overall, The Basement was a solid room, mildly challenging in places but not particularly difficult for more experienced players. You do have to be observant and willing to explore, with some searching and moving of items. The puzzles were mostly non-tedious with a good mix of mechanisms, and while challenging puzzles may not be the strongest suit of the room, none were frustrating or illogical. Most of the puzzles focused on execution; a select few required cracking your brains a little bit.

One aspect of The Basement stood out as a strong plus point was the high branching factor, keeping all of us occupied in the main part of the game by having puzzles that could be tackled simultaneously. It’s nothing new but it was good to see it executed the way it was, though it would increase the difficulty significantly for smaller teams and teams that like to stick together.

I would recommend this room for teams looking for a solid, immersive experience, who don't mind having simpler puzzles. 4-6 is probably a good team size.

-xTheBHox

Rating:

Flow – B Logic – B Immersion – A Intensity – C Intuition – Low-Med Tediousness - Low-Med Searchiness – Med Apprehension – Med Novelty – Med Variation – Med Dexterity – Low Strength – Low Agility – Low Branchedness – Med Teamwork - Low

[s-capegoats]

Preview: Black Lake Facility (Singapore Discovery Centre)

Date: 28th Oct 2020

S-capegoats was invited to a media preview of the revamped Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC), which boasts amongst its new attractions a series of escape rooms! In this article, we share some of the insights we got through this exclusive sneak peek and opportunity to speak to the game designers.

Touring the facility

The Singapore Discover Centre is slated to reopen this Saturday, 31 October 2020, offering a wide range of attractions such as Augmented Reality exhibits, laser tag, and paintball. But what stood out to us the most was something new: a series of four escape rooms named “Black Lake Facility”, which according to the SDC is “the largest 2-story escape room experience in Singapore”. These rooms tell an overarching story surrounding the titular facility and its cast of characters.

Our tour began in the holding area, designed to resemble a high-tech facility out of science fiction. The story and setting might seem familiar to those who have played rooms with a science fiction or mystery theme – hints of some sort of greater crisis, an ominous atmosphere. The tour guides highlighted that this was meant to present a more fun and entertaining side of the SDC, while still engaging the audience and imparting valuable lessons such as the importance of resilience and cooperation.

Beyond the holding area was a larger space with a statue in the middle – a “relic” central to the Black Lake story arc. Interestingly, all four rooms were positioned around the relic, creating an impression that they were all interconnected. This approach set the tone and atmosphere of the entire experience before even setting foot in a room, reminiscent of some overseas providers but rarely seen in Singapore.

A closer (but not too close) look

Following this, we were shown glimpses of all the rooms on offer: The Research Lab, The Medical Centre, The Armory, and The Basement. Each of the four rooms were decorated to suit their namesake locations, and looked to offer different kinds of experiences that would appeal to different groups. We were especially interested in The Basement, which the tour guides pointed out is not only one of the more thrilling stages, but also designed for non-linear puzzle solving, a feature we have often observed in good rooms.

Prior to the tour, we were concerned that the puzzles or room design might have been compromised for the sake of telling a story. Our fears, however, look to be unfounded; the designers mentioned that one of their priorities was to offer as much diversity as possible in their puzzles. In our brief tour, we saw examples of a range of puzzles, including tech-based ones such as player-activated triggers, and more traditional ones involving physical elements, observation, or searching. There were signs that the puzzles were designed based on not only the theme but also the space of each room. The settings were immersive in décor and atmospheric effects, with tech used to create dynamic environments. Other than some stair climbing, the rooms did not seem to offer much in terms of physical challenges, probably considering the need to cater to adults and children alike. Overall, things look promising and we’re excited to see how a full playthrough measures up.

Behind the scenes

After our tour concluded, we were fortunate to have time to talk with one of the lead designers behind the Black Lake Facility, to find out more about what went into the design process. According to them, the Black Lake Facility is the result of 11 months of effort to ensure that the story, atmosphere, and game experience are all up to task. As an interesting piece of trivia, the designers shared that the lake outside SDC and the locally occurring mist provided sources of inspiration for the story.

Rather amazingly, we were told that the rooms were all developed in-house, with the design team pooled from a wide range of backgrounds. A lot of research was conducted in order to design the puzzles and create an experience that meets both the educational goals of the SDC, and the standards expected by escape room enthusiasts. One reason for this approach is for them to develop the skills necessary to design future escape rooms; in particular, online rooms were raised as a possibility at some point down the road.

We were also given a positive impression of the softer aspects of the escape room experience, such as hints. Aside from the usual wireless handsets provided to teams playing the rooms, the operation staff have prepared hints of different levels based on how players are progressing, to avoid handholding, or alternatively, frustrating players.

Finally, we asked the designer for his personal recommendations for rooms that are better suited to certain demographics. Accordingly, The Basement was cited as the room for those looking for suspense and thrills, while The Research Lab is for beginners or families looking for a more casual experience. Of course, S-capegoats can’t wait to try out everything on offer; watch out for our follow-up reviews on each room!

-Midori

[s-capegoats]

Escape From The Alien Research Facility

Date: 13th Sep 2020 Players: BHox, Elurion, Garflow, jonger, ML, Slow, xtanha1rrmx

REG has been hosting online escape games from Japan, and we decided to try this one out. All in all, we found the game very polished, with immersive storytelling, something that REG games are generally known for. The puzzle structure in particular felt very much like some of the REG games we played before.

The main difference was probably the dedicated game-master, something very rarely seen in an on-site event. The game-master was commendably integrated into the story, which brought the whole game up a notch.

The puzzles were of fair difficulty and mostly logically sound, but a good chunk of time during the game was spent searching (you'll understand what I mean if you play it), so time overall was rather tight. Presumably, the game-master will nudge you if you do get stuck during the game. There was very good integration of the story with the puzzles, which helped one progress through the game.

Overall, a highly recommended game, although a little steep in price. While the timings were clearly targeted at customers in the U.S. (with sessions all in the morning, Singapore time), the latest time available at 11.30am should work for most teams.

-xTheBHox

Rating:

Difficulty - Low-Med-High 

Enjoyment - Low-Med-High 

[s-capegoats]

The Escape Artist: Pangaea

Date: 16th August 2020 Players: beewiz, BHox, Garflow, Kiff, xtanha1rrmx

Creating a new room during a pandemic? A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. The Escape Artist is back in the scene with Pangaea, its new interactive adventure game, which is definitely interactive, and adventurous in its style.

Openly, the game does not claim to be a traditional escape room. It has relatively few puzzles, but a greater emphasis on interactive tasks, which involve some degree of strength, dexterity, int, and luck. The game involves a number of choices, which affects the puzzles and tasks that you have to complete, but also means that you won't get to do all of them. The tasks we encountered in our playthrough were fairly fun, but the puzzles were much shorter than in other TEA rooms. There is a beautiful central prop at the beginning, and a cool tech finale.

Right at the start of the game, players will have to pick roles that grant powers, similar to TEA's Harbourfront rooms. Some of these roles are clearly more useful than others, and we think this is a fine way to allow teams to choose their difficulty level. We recommend having someone pick the role that gives you information on the tasks, so you get some idea of the other parts of the room that you're missing out on.

One interesting thing is that there is a gamemaster present in the room at all times, which is highly unusual in Singapore, and in our experience overseas, tends to be associated with more premium rooms. There, the GMs often add much to the immersiveness of the room, for example by acting as an in-universe NPC who entertains you, either with wit or with scares. Unfortunately, this is not the case here. In this room, the GM acts more like an administrator, who simply leads you around from stage to stage of the game. This is no fault of the GM, but points to some underlying flaws in the room's design.

Notably, the game feels disjointed due to poor execution of the decision-making points, which require a lot of explaining and direction on the GM's part. Furthermore, in our experience, choices don't feel impactful, and the game lacks tension. We think that the concept of this room has much potential, and with some changes, the game could be made a lot smoother and more exciting.

Apart from these gripes, the room is still an enjoyable, novel experience. Don't go in expecting meaty puzzles of traditional escape rooms, and just have fun along the way.

-xtanha1rrmx

Rating:

Flow - B Logic - D Intuition - C Immersion - C Intensity - D Tediousness - Med Searchiness - Low Apprehension - None Novelty - High Variation - Med Dexterity - High Strength - Med Agility - High Branchedness - None Teamwork - Med

[s-capegoats]

Amazing Chambers: Leftenan Adnan - Battle of Bukit Chandu

Date: 23rd Dec 2019 Players: BHox, Midori, xtanha1rrmx

Battle of Bukit Chandu is one of two rooms on our follow-up visit to Amazing Chambers Singapura. Although the setting of the room makes it an outlier compared to Amazing Chambers’ other offerings, the overall design of the room and puzzles remains decent.

Beginning in a dimly lit war room, players must find a way to contact reinforcements as the sounds of battle rage on. Over the course of the scenario, the puzzles generally matched this militaristic theme. The props used were appropriate for the setting of a sparsely equipped base, though more could have been done to reinforce the link between the story, room, and puzzles. Where escape rooms are designed to emphasize other aspects besides sheer difficulty, it may be helpful to keep the story flowing throughout as a means of maintaining the players’ interest and enhancing the overall experience. Storytelling was mostly contained within a few readings in the first section, when there could have been more snippets creating a sense of progression when advancing from room to room. The voice clips that played following some puzzles did attempt this, but there definitely is the physical space to do more. In a similar vein, the opening room did not feel used to its fullest potential; with the amount of space and furniture in the room, the actual number of puzzles to solve felt somewhat lacking.

That said, the puzzles used in Bukit Chandu were decent in terms of difficulty and design. A combination of searching puzzles and tech-based features offers players a bit of diversity in the challenges faced, and the room uses some aspect of space quite effectively. Parts of the game required more care in searching, offering more of a challenge to players wanting more than an unguided exhibit tour. However, our playthrough was slightly marred by the sensitivity of the tech used at times. While there weren’t gamebreaking malfunctions, there were instances where we weren’t sure if we had gotten the solution wrong or if it was a tech issue, so be mindful when encountering tech features. One aspect which may come as a disappointment to more dedicated enthusiasts, however, would be that progression is rather linear, particularly as the rooms become smaller over the course of the game, and there aren’t many chances for players to solve things simultaneously.

Overall, Bukit Chandu left a rather different impression from the other rooms we have tried at Amazing Chambers. Whether or not this as related to the sensitive nature of the room’s premise, it lacked the sense of progression and storytelling seen in the other rooms based off folklore. However, the room had enjoyable puzzles and is one of the more mentally stimulating scenarios, while still remaining accessible to casual groups. The amount of space dedicated to this room is generous, and it would certainly offer interesting possibilities for Amazing Chambers to introduce new elements.

-Midori

Rating:

Flow – B Logic – B Intuition – C Immersion – C Intensity – D Searchiness – Med Tediousness – Low Apprehension – None Novelty – Med Variation – Med Dexterity – Low Strength – Low Agility – Low Branchedness – Low Teamwork - Med

[s-capegoats]

Xcape - Shutter Island

Date: 29th Dec 2019 Players: BHox, Chuck, Kiff, Midori, MY, Slow, xtanha1rrmx

One of Xcape’s newest rooms, Shutter Island offers an interesting take on the established formula with a much greater emphasis on tension and suspense. We cleared this room with a party of 7, but a smaller group should be able to clear this while having the stakes ramped up much higher. As advertised on their website, Shutter Island features a “planted Xcape actor”. Without spoiling much about the room, this feature definitely makes the experience more thrilling. Unlike more conventional horror rooms, where players may be able to anticipate scares at certain points in the game, there’s a greater sense of helplessness with regards to the appearances of the NPC. The layout of the room contributes to the atmosphere greatly; small rooms, short and long corridors and corners result in an escape room where teams will have to split up while wanting to stick together.

In terms of puzzles, Shutter Island has its share of pros and cons. On the plus side, there are lots of things that can be tackled by different players simultaneously. Good observational skills are important as there is a fair amount of searching, while communication is key due to the layout and placement of items. However, repetitiveness is an issue due to an over-reliance on numerical/letter locks. While this may have been done out of balancing concerns (due to the amount of movement required to clear the room), a significant drawback of such locks is their vulnerability to being brute forced with partial solutions. With the amount of space at hand, the game could benefit from more puzzles to offer more variety and challenge.

Although it’s not usually the highlight of an escape room, the plot aspect is where Shutter Island really falters, almost to the extent of being a detriment to the overall experience. The plot of Shutter Island mentions several individuals (represented by the players), with progression or key discoveries interspersed with documents providing more flavor text about each character, but more could have been done to relate these to puzzles in the room. Xcape has shown a lot of ambition with each wave of new rooms and Shutter Island is no exception, with the potential for a depth of storytelling capable of connecting different escape rooms in a manner that attracts players to try multiple rooms. As it stands, however, the plot in its current state is a disappointing blemish on an otherwise fine room. The spin on the psychological horror experience that an escape room is well executed and should be experienced by escape room aficionados, while more casual groups could well find it entertaining and accessible too.

-Midori

Rating:

Flow – C Logic – B Intuition – B Searchiness – B Tediousness - B Immersion – B Intensity – C Apprehension – Med Novelty – High Variation – Med Dexterity – Low Strength – Low Agility – Low Branchedness – High Teamwork - High

[s-capegoats]

Amazing Chambers: 1603 Naval Battle of Changi

Date: 27th Nov 2019 Players: JR, Phil, xtanha1rrmx

In our first review, we wrote about the room being too easy, and hoped for more challenging rooms. So I went back to their self-rated most difficult room. 

Unfortunately, 1603 Naval Battle of Changi misses the mark. It’s still too easy (except for searching stuff, which we’ve always been bad at). 

There were one or two cool tech bits, with no technical errors this time, as well as a few cool props. However, compared with Si Tanggang, there was almost no integration of the puzzles with the story, which was disappointing. A couple of puzzles felt extremely silly, and these could easily be reworked to be more satisfying. 

With this new information from our second visit, I update my views of Amazing Chambers: still okay for beginner teams, but experienced teams should sail elsewhere for better challenges. Nevertheless, given the lack of other rooms, we’ll probably be back to review the others anyway, so stay tuned for further updates.

-xtanha1rrmx

Rating:

Flow – B Logic – D Intuition – C Searchiness – B Immersion – B Intensity – D Apprehension – None Novelty – Med Variation – Med Dexterity – Low Strength – Low Agility – None Branchedness – Low Teamwork - Low

[s-capegoats]

Amazing Chambers: Si Tanggang, The Ungrateful

Date: 20th Nov 2019 Players: Midori, Slow, xtanha1rrmx

We’re back! Renewed shall be blog that was dormant.

Having only opened at the beginning of the month, Amazing Chambers Singapura advertises itself as blending escape room experiences with an exploration of Malay heritage and folk tales. They offer a wide range of seven escape rooms to choose from, spread out across the two-story Gedung Kuning building. Our visit to Si-Tanggang the Ungrateful left us with an overall positive impression of the ambition and ability of the company.

We were initially apprehensive if the game was going to be overly-educational, at the expense of puzzles. Thankfully this is not the case; in fact the room is reminiscent of early 2nd-Gen rooms, with some good use of tech and not too difficult searching.The scenario does recount Si-Tanggang’s tale, with players finding out what happened and then escaping his eventual downfall. Amazing Chambers did a passable job of linking the plot with the content of the room. The decorations were in line with the themes, with the setting changing between sections to mirror stages of Si-Tanggang’s life.

We think that Amazing Chambers designed their rooms with large corporate groups in mind, with areas being quite spacious and the puzzles generally straightforward. This also makes it good for new and casual players, and 3 players should be sufficient. Our experience was unfortunately hampered by two technical errors, though the staff were swift and responsive. 

Criticisms aside, our visit to Amazing Chambers was refreshing and left us feeling positive about the escape room scene; for a newcomer in late 2019, there’s impressive ambition in hosting seven different rooms at once. Drawing references to folk tales or other aspects of Malay heritage is an interesting niche that has not been crudely exploited for a bare-bones plot, and could present a workable link between escape rooms and a larger casual audience. While the puzzles were not difficult, they’re certainly decent. We’ll definitely be back to try their harder rooms, which will hopefully provide more challenges to experienced players. Stay tuned for more reviews! 

-Midori

Rating:

Flow – B Logic – C Intuition – B Searchiness – B Immersion – B Intensity – D Apprehension – None Novelty – Med Variation – Low Dexterity – Low Strength – Low Agility – None Branchedness – Low Teamwork - Low

[s-capegoats]

N S-cape

We’re organising an escape game! Check it out! s-capegoats-one.peatix.com

[s-capegoats]

Nomis Piy - Enigma: Quest For The Code Book

Date: 27th May 2017 Players: Apple, BHox, Chuck

It’s good to be back, and what better way than to play Nomis Piy’s awesome events?

Most of our currently limited presence in Singapore attempted Nomis Piy’s latest game. We thought we might struggle a little with only three players, but as it turned out that wasn’t quite an issue.

Nomis Piy changed their game format slightly for this session, with no team tables and more of a runaround style instead, which was refreshing. Without tables, they also made their puzzles conveniently require smaller amounts of writing. There were also multiple (actual proper) rooms in play this time, making things all the more interesting. This brought about much greater potential for storyline immersion and integration of the environment, and it was done very impressively (two separately-themed military bases, infiltration, and more!).

As was expected, the puzzles were creatively put together, intuitive and all-around pretty high-quality. The structure this time was more linear than usual (quite possibly due to the multi-room aspect) (it probably benefits smaller teams like ours), but that made for a steady sense of progress. Despite the linearity there were still a reasonable total number of puzzles, which meant the structure was much deeper and less wide than Nomis Piy’s usual style.

Overall, the event was very enjoyable, and in fact the small team may have helped in the sense that we were kept constantly engaged with puzzles to solve. In closing, Nomis Piy have suggested that they will be moving towards a different sort of event format in the future, and I’m certainly looking forward to that.

-xTheBHox

Rating:

Difficulty - Low-Med-High Enjoyment - Low-Med-High

If organised again: Strongly Recommended

[s-capegoats]

Weekly Roundup 31 Dec 2016 -7 Jan 2017

News

Nomis Piy will be holding Escape from the Forbidden Mansion on 11 Feb at Kent Ridge. Tickets going at $28/pax, $150/6pax and $200/8pax.

Unravel has closed on 16th Nov 2016.

BreakOut Escape Game have closed Magician’s Secret, The Scientist and Forever Young on 26th Dec 2016.

Freeing SG has increased their room time to 60 mins since 1st Dec 2016.

Lost SG will be replacing Isometrick with Mausoleum on 22nd Jan.

Discounts

Captivate is offering $22/pax for Mon-Thu until 26th Jan. Captivate is offering 50% off on second room for Fri-Sun until 26th Jan (same day and same group).

Encounter is offering 10% off on your 2nd game and 20% off on your 3rd game in the same day at their Geylang branch, and is also offering up to $5 off on games as part of their 2nd anniversary promotion.

Lost SG is offering 50% off Isometrick if you book at least 3 days in advance.

XCape is offering a student discount of $6/pax after 6pm from Sun to Thu (from peak to off-peak price).

Exit Plan is offering Groupon from $2.50/pax to $5.70/pax off their usual price.

The Escape Artist is offering Groupon from $11.33/pax to $16.67/pax off their usual price.

——

Follow us on Facebook to get updates once we hear about them!

[s-capegoats]

Weekly Roundup 3-10 Dec

News

Nomis Piy will be holding Escape from the Forbidden Mansion soon.

Unravel has closed on 16th Nov.

BreakOut Escape Game will be closing their three older rooms on 26th Dec.

Escape Hunt has replaced Spy in the Study with 27 Club since 18th Nov.

Lost SG will be replacing Isometrick with Mausoleum on 22nd Jan 2017. 

Discounts

Captivate is offering $22/pax for Mon-Thu until 14th Dec.

Captivate is offering 50% off on second room (same day, same group) for Fri-Sun until 16th Dec.

Encounter is offering 10% off on your 2nd game and 20% off on your 3rd game in the same day at their Geylang branch, and is also offering up to $5 off on games as part of their 2nd anniversary promotion.

Lost SG is offering 50% off Isometrick if you book at least 3 days in advance.

XCape is offering a student discount of $6/pax after 6pm from Sun to Thu (from peak to off-peak price).

Exit Plan is offering Groupon from $2.50/pax to $5.70/pax off their usual price.

The Escape Artist is offering Groupon from $11.33/pax to $16.67/pax off their usual price.

——

Follow us on Facebook to get updates once we hear about them!

[s-capegoats]

[MY] Lost in JB - Her Soul

Date: 18th July 2016 Players: Apple, BHox, Garflow, jonger, Slow, xtanha1rrmx

You’re probably expecting some weird question to foreshadow the room, or perhaps an ominous phrase. Not for this room. All I can say is, hide. For the love of all that is good in this world, shield your eyes and cover the eyes. The only evil in this room is from one’s mouth. Welcome to the review of the final room we played at Lost in JB – Her Soul.

The room has you acting as curious teenagers wanting to make a name for yourself, venturing into an abandoned house after strange sightings and ghastly screams are reported to emanate from within. The room does well to simulate an actual abandoned house – chairs, beds, TV, fireplace, even a wall adorned with pictures! Certain happenings through the course of the room serve to enhance the spooky atmosphere, and out of all the rooms we played at Lost, this one takes the cake in terms of apprehension. The use of a dual-level structure further plays on the impression that you’re venturing deeper and deeper into some paranormal mystery.

The room is indeed a searchy one, as you’d expect from investigating an abandoned house, and a lot of time is spent looking around for the next piece of the puzzle. The puzzles themselves aren’t too intuitive, with one of the puzzles actually only being solvable with either blind luck or advice from the gamemasters, but the room is worth it for the scares alone, and it’s not like the puzzles are bad. In fact, some of them were quite fun... at first (in a good way, play the room and you’ll understand).

The room could be a bit cramped if you try to bring it more than 6-7 people, especially the last room, however I do suggest a larger number so as to reduce the scare factor. The room is also quite searchy, so I suggest bringing at least 4 people.

Overall, I’d say I probably enjoyed this room and Survival the most out of the 4 available at Lost, and therefore recommend that you play those if you are pressed for time, especially as they are analogous in some of their mechanisms. Her Soul seamlessly blends atmosphere and puzzle-solving very well, and was easily the scariest of the 4 rooms for me, and not just because of the nature of the scares either. The whole room bled a foreboding sense of impending doom, and half of us came out of the room a tad bit shell-shocked. After all, if you’re not the source of evil, then surely something else must be, right?

That concludes our review of Lost in JB – The Haunted House at Sutera Mall. It was definitely a worthwhile experience, and if you’re looking for a scary experience, then these rooms come highly recommended. Their terror was on a level rivalled by only the scariest rooms we’ve come across in Singapore such as The Apartment and Ouija.

-Garflow

<no ratings for non-Singaporean rooms>

[s-capegoats]

Weekly Roundup 12-19 Nov

News

Nomis Piy will be holding Escape from the Forbidden Mansion soon.

Unravel has closed on 16th Nov.

BreakOut Escape Game will be closing their three older rooms on 18th Dec.

Escape Hunt has replaced Spy in the Study with 27 Club since 18th Nov.

Freeing SG are including VR elements in Funeral: Mourning Widow since 2 Sep.

Discounts

Captivate is offering $25 per person on Mondays. Valid till 30th Nov.

Encounter is offering 10% off on your 2nd game and 20% off on your 3rd game in the same day at their Geylang branch, and is also offering up to $5 off on games as part of their 2nd anniversary promotion.

U Escape is offering buy 3 get 1 free. Valid till 30th Nov.

XCape is offering a student discount of $6/pax after 6pm from Sun to Thu (from peak to off-peak price).

XCape is offering Funtasy games at $22/pax (show the post). Valid till 30th Nov.

Exit Plan is offering Groupon from $2.50/pax to $5.70/pax off their usual price.

The Escape Artist is offering Groupon from $11.33/pax to $16.67/pax off their usual price.

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[s-capegoats]

[MY] Lost in JB - Before Midnight

Date: 18th July 2016 Players: Apple, BHox, Garflow, jonger, Slow, xtanha1rrmx

Would you follow your leader into the unknown, even to death, and what awaits beyond? Part 3 of our JB adventures series covers the 3rd room we played at Lost in JB – Before Midnight. After experiencing the thrills of zombie-hunting in Survival, and the trepidation of the unknown in School Murderer, we ventured into Before Midnight feeling prepared, but definitely frightened of what lay within.

In Before Midnight, you take the place of workmen who have to return to a recently reopened haunted studio in order to finish your assignment. Of course, it’s probably useful to know that the studio was haunted, yup yup yup.

The entire setting of the room seemed a little off from what you would expect out of a movie studio, but that was hardly noticeable over the room’s clever (although admittedly repeated) use of scare tactics, such as delayed action triggers, to make sure you think twice before sticking your head into any openings. Without spoiling too much, the room makes sure you’re always on your toes, and while its level of direct scares was relatively muted compared to the previous two rooms, it was designed to maintain the constant fear and hesitation you experience throughout the course of the room.

In terms of difficulty, the room was notably more challenging than say, Survival, but definitely not the brain stumper you may expect to find elsewhere. Of course, do be prepared to think outside of the coffin for a few of the puzzles. The puzzles generally had a nice flow to them, with certain nods given to the backstory and cool contraptions to play around in with.

Overall, the room flowed very nicely, and was probably my 3rd in terms of scariness ranking, and 2nd in terms of difficulty. Being one of the more spacious rooms, you can afford to bring a few more people in, but due to the linear puzzle structure they may find themselves disengaged at times. I’d recommend 2-6 people for this room. The experience was worth the money, but if you only have time for one room, you could try this one if you’re looking for a good mix of scariness and difficulty, although the other rooms are better if you’re looking for extremes in one area or another.

-Garflow

<no ratings for non-Singaporean rooms>