Escape Reality – Tortuga Pirates
Location: Manchester
Game Date: 22/01/2018
Team: Amy & Ian
Theme:
What a MASSIVE step up for Escape Reality. We have come to expect a barely decorated room with some semblance of theme and a few maglocked boxes on the walls.
Tortuga had gone all out, with great theming that captured the feel of a pirate ship very, very well, from starting in the brig to going out onto the deck and beyond, theming was kept at a level that encourages immersion and was very pretty too look at. The room was distinctly lacking a soundtrack and this was made even more obvious when it came on and off throughout our game. A good soundscape would have only served to elevate this room even more.
Game Play:
A linear game that consisted of a good variety of puzzles, from word, codebreaking and physicality to logic and searching.
The puzzles all had nice ah-ha moments but nothing outstanding, they were more often than not typical escape room fayre (and totally solvable with no clues)
The puzzles were all in theme and nicely constructed, with a good amount if interactivity within the room.
The signposting was subtle, and at some points completely lacking, which gave rise to what could become major sticking points throughout the room. That being said, when the game was in motion the flow was good, and fairly clear.
A game that enthusiasts will find light on puzzles, but it is obvious that this game is not designed with enthusiasts in mind. Oh the whole though, it’s an enjoyable game and the slight change in hinting (see below) has certainly improved the playability of this room.
A great game for novice players too.
Clue System:
Hand Held iPad, which you scan the code around the room to give you help on the puzzles. This isn’t the best method of hint delivery, but at least ER Manchester have taken away the time penalties and the scan codes were symbols, not numbers so you couldn’t tell which order to do the room in.
Game Host:
Jamie again was our game host and delivered a thorough brief.
Did we escape?
Yes, in about 39 minutes
Website: https://www.escapereality.com/escape-rooms-uk/manchester/
Price:
2 Players £44
3 Players £60
4 Players £72
5 Players £85
6 Players £96
Brit of an Escape Habit 