The Escaporium – The Haligonian, Game 200!

The Escaporium – The Haligonian.
Location: Halifax
Game Date: 28/12/2017.
Team: Amy & Ian.

Theme:
“Enter the newly discovered private Halifax museum of Mr. P. Saul and find out what he has been the guardian of all this time!”

Wow, this room is gorgeous, huge, airy, spacey. There is no doubt that the max team size of 7 can comfortably play this room without treading on each others toes.
This room is a feast for the eyes, and really is a museum of Halifax, and it’s hard to not get distracted by the information, display cabinets and visual “weenies” that draw you deeper into the room and further the story and immersion. No doubt you will come out of this room having learned more about Halifax, and wanting to take a trip to Wikipedia to fuel that knowledge further!
The displays are present in beautiful glass cabinets, and the finish of the room is exceptional, sturdy and very in keeping with the theme, with nothing that could distract of be considered a red herring. Just wonderful.

Game Play:
A cleverly designed game that melds seamlessly between bouts of openness that filter down to linearity at specific moments, so that the whole team comes together to focus on the task at hand.
The puzzles were accomplished and covered every base. Math, searching, logic, physical, observation, spatial awareness, word, deduction. There was a puzzle for every person in this game and there was SO much to do.
Lots of satisfying puzzles that were wonderfully solvable, logical and flawless. I can’t praise how much FUN the puzzles were in this game (and you don’t need any outside knowledge of Halifax to play the game) and how well crafted the puzzles were.
The ah-ha moments came thick and fast, and the voyage of discovery was never ending. The puzzles really encourage you to interact and observe your surroundings intently, which leads to a lot of interaction with the display cabinets and information contained within the room.
The flow of the game was impeccable, with the first stages of the game being very laid back, solving puzzle after puzzle, enjoying the space and then BOOM The 2nd half of the game hits and the excitement and pressure really ramps up and gets the heart rate going.
A pretty perfect game, that ticks all the boxes of “an escape room” with the added intrigue of being in a very real world environment, with real facts, real artefacts and legend weaved throughout!
A room that is wonderful for enthusiasts, and would be a brilliant introductory room for beginners.

Clue System:
Clues were delivered on a screen, and the sound was a very jovial “Ey up” in a broad Haligonian accent

Game Host:
Angela was our game host and was wonderful, friendly, welcoming, chatty and clearly has a massive passion for her games and Halifax itself! It was lovely to be hosted by her again, and he clue delivery was perfect!

Did we escape?
Yes, in 50 minutes

Website:
Price:
2 Players £40
3 Players £54
4 Players £68
5 Players £80
6 Players £90
7 Players £98

The Haligonian was our 200th game! We got spoilt by Angela with her gifting us a big hamper of sweets (which contained all my faves!!) and a gorgeous certificate. I really need to get some frames for all these certificates!