Lucardo – The Prison

Lucardo – The Prison
Location: Manchester
Game Date: 04/04/2019
Team: Amy & Ian

Theme:
“You and your team of criminals are due to be checked into the Category A prison facility in Manchester after committing a series of crimes. As hardened criminals you have connections on the inside – they are staging a riot allowing you the opportunity to try and escape. Time will be limited. You will need to use deception, bribery and skill to attempt this escape. Get caught and you will never get to see the outside world again. – If you suffer with a disability or medical condition, please call prior to booking this game.”

The Prison was gritty, and immersive. With the cell being really closely themed to the real thing (and we’d know, having done the real prison escape at Shrewsbury a few times!) – the attention to detail in the set really shows through, and the space is barely recognisable to its previous incarnation as “The Dream”
The room was suitably sized, 6 people may be a bit squishy to begin with but the space does open up a little later in the game. The lighting was good, subtly used to aid immersion, along with a detailed set and good soundtrack giving a real sense of being in prison and allowing you to really get into character. SPOILER YOU HAVE TO CRAWL END SPOILER.
A cracking set that was thoroughly immersive and very impressive.

Game Play:
A linear game that was purely based around having to physical and actually having to DO things, rather than solve puzzles to escape. This fits, as its clear with this game that Lucardo were going for immersion rather than a classic “puzzle” room, putting you into the world and immersing you for an hour rather than presenting a themed room with lots of puzzles in (which is never a bad thing IMHO!)
What you had to do was always in theme and quite clever required observation, logic and critical thinking skills and a certain amount of role play (just don’t get too involved like I did and nearly break your knee… )
The game was incredibly fun to play, and it is a game where you will get out what you put in, the more you get into character and interact with the set, the more fun you will have!
Clever set design led to intricate moments and neat reveals that delivered layers of story woven throughout the hour.
The signposting was excellent, where it was needed but mostly this game is about discovery and exploration and that is where it stands out, there are plenty of “ah-ha” moments of discovery in this game which makes for a fun-filled hour!
The flow was wonderful, with nothing in the room requiring logic leaps or intentionally slowing the game down.
A great game that really puts you in a different world for an hour, and will treat enthusiasts to something different and unique!

Clue System:
Clues were delivered via a mobile phone, fortunately we didn’t need any!

Game Host:
Ian was our host (and also the owner of Lucardo) and he gave us a great brief and backstory, really getting into character along the way! An enthusiast himself, his passion carries over into his game design and wonderful, welcoming nature.

Did we escape?
Yes, in 50 minutes

Website: https://lucardo.com/manchester
Price:
2 Players £50
3 Players £75
4 Players £80
5 Players £100
6 Players £120