Deadlocked – Time Machine

Deadlocked – Time Machine
Location: Reading
Game Date: 25/08/2020
Team: Amy & Ian
Duration: 90 minutes

Theme:
“The Wexell Corporation have designed a Time Machine, but unfortunately the first group to head into it never returned. Their actions have left rifts in time, altering history and the future in ways that we cannot fathom. The only way to save the world as we know it is to fix the Time Machine, but you’ll only have one minute to do so. If you fail, the machine will need to charge up before you can try again. Your only help is a small friendly robot called Wexie, and the Time Machine herself, who will try to spit you out in different timezones to try to teach you how to fix her”

Time Machine looked fantastic, lovingly handmade you can tell that Charlie & James have poured their entire soul into this room, it eminates love from its pores!
The time machine itself is a small room (hence the 4 person limit) and it is full of buttons to press and nobs to twist, all being adorned in sci-fi silvery goodness. Within each time period you’re spit out into (which I won’t divulge for spoilers!) the excellent standard of decoration, world building and immersion carries through.
Deadlock are fantastic at creating a very thorough world, building it up from greeting, through the brief and continuing the world into the escape room, the level of immersion is fantastic and we really  found ourselves getting lost in the game the whole time.
The use of space within Time Machine is ingenous and so incredibly creative! I feel like if I say any more I run the risk of spoilers, I could say mammoth amounts more, but I will leave it at this:
Time Machine is a fully realised room, with excellent attention to detail at every single point. Lovingly handcrafted and fits the sci-fi theme perfectly, with a few additional and beautiful surprised thrown in for good measure.
The rooms were not massive, but easily big enough for the max of 4 and lighting was never a problem.

Game Play:
A linear game, but with open section and plenty of puzzle types, light physical, word, logic, observation, teamwork, math.
Each and every puzzle was tailored to the time period, beautifully in theme with intricite uses of tech where required, that is tailored to each indivual group.
Puzzles were all beautifully logical, with wonderful Ah-Ha moments, and some “re-think” moments that really caught us and therefore delighted us (puzzles which have another level from where you first thought they were going, but suddely you Re-think, such a good feeling!)
The complexity of some puzzles was perfectly complimented by the frantic action of trying to restart the time machine after every time period, the aim of the game is to learn how to restore the time machine by learning something in each period. A genius mechanic that tied the entire game together and created a puzzle thread that runs the entire game (a rarity!)
The flow was exceptional, with smooth moves to each time period and the mini-flows in each period were excellent too.
Signposting was subtle and in theme, pointing us in the right direction but never holding our hand.
In summary, Time Machine is a special, special game, the eclectic mix of puzzles, story, tech and excellent game design come together to create a memorable game that is sure to delight and entrance anyone who plays it.

Clue System:
Wexie was on hand to deliver the cutest clues!

Game Host:
Charlie was our game and she met us,  perfectly in character and setting the scene straight away, before we’d even got in the building!
Her pre-game brief was fun and energetic, and like The Testing Chamber the game story and full brief were given via a film.
Charlie’s passion and commitment to escape rooms absoloutely shone through in her brief both pre and post game, her energy is infectious!

Covid19 Safety:
We felt incredibly safe at Deadlocked. Hand Sanitizer was required on entry, the room was scrupulously clean, masks were mandatory and social distancing was carried out at all times.

Did we escape?
Yes,  in 61 minutes. (90 minute game)

Website https://deadlockedrooms.com
Price:
2 Player s £20pp Adult £15pp Child
3 Players £19pp Adult £14.50pp Child
4 Players £19pp Adult £14.50pp Child
5 Players £18pp Adult £14pp Child
6 Players £18pp Adult £14pp Child