Caravan of Wonders - "HACKCESS"

Updated: Apr 28

Photos provided by Caravan of Wonders

Company: Caravan of Wonders

Games: HACKCESS

Country: USA 🇺🇸

Language: English

Type of Game: Digital Game 💻

Genre: Heist

Date Played: 1/18/2021

Difficulty (based on 4 players): 5.5/10

Size of Team: 1-6 people (Recommend 2-4pp)

Time: 2-3 Hours (Approximately)

Price: $39.99/ team

🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈

It's time to plan the heist of the century. Are you ready to steal millions of dollars from a vicious gang of bank thieves? It seems like we have a hacker on our side that'll help us with this mission. Are you ready to trust a stranger?

🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈

After purchasing one game voucher, your entire team can use the same code to log in to a central game hub. This is where visual and audio clues will be displayed. Once a team member figures out a password, they should inform the other teammates as the game is not synced in that aspect so all players will have to enter the password to proceed to the next step.

This game is not limited to the game platform so you'll need to use search engines for some of your answers. Hints are available on their website. It would be more convenient if they were build into the game. Some hints also does not have a final solution so if you really can't figure out the answer, you might have to email the company for assistance. We suggest headphones for this game as there are audio components teams will need to hear along the game play.

We played this game over Zoom with a team of 4. As much as we appreciated the game creators trying to add immersion through the sound tracks (especially towards the end), it was giving our team a hard time trying to concentrate on the puzzle. This was also during a time where we felt that we're going to run out of time. It would be helpful to give a "pause" button or "lowering the sound" option on the game's platform. We did figure out a way to mute the sound at the end which was really helpful for team communication. All you need to do is right click on the website's tab (on the top of the page) and select "mute site".

🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂

If you enjoy searching for evidence and following trails, you'll like the concept of this game. It'll take you on a "journey" from finding a location, looking for hidden passwords, searching for clues in personal information and finally getting to that final "jackpot". We had an issue with an audio puzzle as we couldn't hear well on some of the digits that were read outload as each of our teammates had a different interpretation. The final puzzle was probably our favorite since we felt that urgency that a hacker would feel with the count down clock (although everyone will eventually finish the game even if the clock runs out and we appreciated that feature from the game creator).

🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂

We enjoy the realism of the game design as at times we felt like we're breaking into a real bank's online system and transferring funds out of its accounts. I think programmers would really appreciate this game and maybe even have a bit of an upper hand on some of the puzzles. For players who are looking for puzzle heavy game, this might not be the game for you. Oh, there's also a surprise bonus mailing that will come to you if you fill out your address at the end of the game. We haven't received ours yet but perhaps it's our share of that 1.6 million dollars? 😜

𝔼𝕊ℂ𝔸ℙ𝔼𝕋ℍ𝔼ℝ𝕆𝕆𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕤❜ ℙ.𝕀.𝕤❜ 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤

RJ G.

Pros

Use of real footage, real places, and real people.
Use of different media.
Use of the internet. Real websites, youtube videos.
The theme was very on point. I always felt like I was hacker.
Use of real a phone number.

Cons

Information overload. There was a plethora of information across different places.
- Most of the information was related, but not actually used.
- Most of the solutions didn't feel satisfying. They weren't really "puzzles" to be solved, as much as finding needles in haystacks
Use of scrolling text. It's really not fun to look at.
No mute button/slider. Some of the audio is really loud / not required.
Unintuitive UI.
- Navigating through some parts felt like clicking in the dark just to see what might happen.
Managing multiple tabs can be cumbersome.
There were many missed opportunities that weren't executed on could have potentially became a puzzle.

This game was a fresh bag of legos carelessly strewn across a carpet. It just wasn't put together. A few of the pieces were really unique and interesting, but most of the others were bland and unexciting blocks that were there just to serve their purpose. Some pieces even felt missing or forgotten. It had the components of a great game, but the disparate fragments weren't put together to form something cohesive that stood gleaming and proud.

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Jacqueline G.

Escape rooms are something I absolutely LOVE to do. Seeing someone’s ideas come into fruition is something I never tire of. I love to see new ideas and even reimagined ideas because it truly is an art.

First, I would like to say, the concept of hacking is something I have not yet experienced in an escape room and it feels very appropriate in our current state of lockdown. The use of videos, voicemails, websites, and an actual phone number was everything I needed but didn’t know I wanted.

We worked in a team of 4 and there was something for everyone to do (research, fact checking, etc). However, I think the information we gathered, more often than not, went unused. I had an entire sheet of paper with information I was excited to apply later and then before I knew it the game was over. The puzzles, while interesting, lacked feeling like puzzles and started to feel more like a word search.

The part I disliked the most was a site that we spent 14 mins clicking around hoping that something would happen while listening to blaring unnecessary music. The need for a mute button, slider, or even just a lower volume is an absolute must for that section to be enjoyable. That being said, that page had no clear direction and figuring out what you were supposed to do without a hint felt almost impossible.

The last puzzle was my favorite part because it was imaginative, the clues were executed well and figuring out that “puzzle” felt satisfying. I only wish the ending felt like a victory, instead I was left feeling like someone just slammed my book shut before I read the last page. I look forward to experiencing your art in the future.

*** We regret to inform this company has closed its doors ***

Disclosure: We thank Caravan of Wonders for comping our tickets for this game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.