BaZaDa Games - "Locke's Portal"

Updated: Apr 8

LOCATION:  Coventry, Rhode Island, USA

Photo above is property of BaZaDa Games

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Locke's Portal
📅 DATE PLAYED: July 9, 2022
🎬 GENRE: Sci-Fi, Mystery
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 5 ppl): 6/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-8 ppl (Recommend 3-5PPL)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $29/PP
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

About a 100 years ago, William Locke mysteriously disappeared. His family never bothered to investigate because they didn't approve of his fascination with transcendental practices. Therefore... they disowned him! In present time, Derek Locke (a descendant of William Locke), has discovered that his great, great grandfather might have been on the verge of a breakthrough that could possibly affect all of mankind! You and your team have been hired by Derek to search William's cabin deep in the mountains to see what we can find. Could his disappearance have something to do with all of this?

Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

The set design was pretty impressive being that it's all built in-house. The cabin had a porch, fire place, and lots of hidden elements. It was nice to be able to feel nature without actually being outside.
As stated in the previous point, we were surprised by some of the hiding spots that was built into the cabin. It made the experience feel genuine whenever we discovered where something was.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

The intro video felt a bit long and could be shortened. Perhaps having the GM play as the character prior to the game would make the story more clear for the players.
The nature sounds was a great addition to the room when we started the game but there was no ambient sounds or sound effects inside the cabin. Adding in a bit more of a mysterious type of sound could enhance the experience and make it more immersive.
Some of the puzzle designs and tools used felt repetitive and some clues were confusing in terms of what player's should be looking for (please keep in mind that this is BaZaDa Games' first escape room and we were their 2nd group of players to take on "Locke's Portal". We provided them with some feedback which they were clearly receptive to so they could've implemented those changes after playing the game on July 9, 2022).
The hint system could be delivered in a more immersive way. It would be best if the player didn't have to physically travel every time to the designated location to receive it as this is a spacious room and it becomes quite cumbersome to have to bounce back and forth.
The ending needed more of a climactic finale. We actually didn't know we finished the game and had to seek confirmation.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

BaZaDa Games is Rhode Island's newest escape room company located in Coventry inside of a strip mall. They are a family-owned company and started off their business with making tabletop games. We can definitely see the love that they had put into this first room as everything was done internally. There's a good amount of puzzles and gadgets that we've seen in this room that brought back memories of when we first started playing escape rooms. Beginners will have a fun time discovering the simpler puzzles like finding items or counting. We can't wait to see what they will bring to the table for their next two games as this is the first of a trilogy to come!

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Free parking lot right in front
Lobby area with seating and games available for purchase

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

*** We regret to inform this game is no longer available for booking but check out other games on their website***

BOOK NOW

(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

Disclosure: We thank BaZaDa Games for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.