LOCATION: Brooklyn, NYC, New York, USA
Photo above is property of Doors of Divergence
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: Heresy: 1897
📅 DATE PLAYED: September 9, 2022
🎬 GENRE: Sci-Fi, Mystery
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 6.5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 3-8 ppl (Ages 13+)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 90 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $47.50/ pp - $75.00/ pp
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
📖 THE STORY
You have been invited to join the ranks of "The Order of the Three Keys" - a powerful secret organization. First, you must investigate the manor of Edmond Cavanaugh - an alchemist who intends to tear reality apart merely to save one person. As you explore, your decisions will affect which paths you encounter as you continue your search.
Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
"Heresy: 1897" was the perfect blend of an escape room and an immersive theatre experience. From a masterfully crafted storyline to a wide range of puzzles to solve all while guided by one of the Order's Proctors (your game master), this experience is in a class of its own. Not to mention, this experience is replay-able!
From the minute you walk into the "waiting area", the act has already begun. You'll be greeted by a cast member(s) that will "transport" you into the past. The "rift in time" can literally be seen from everywhere. The more you interact and role-play with the cast members, the more immersed you'll feel.
The set design was breathtaking. From the lighting that creates an eerie but stage-like ambience to the surround sound system to the props in the room, everything was meticulously designed for a high quality show... and that is exactly what it is. It's a show that engulfs you and eventually recruits you to become part of the cast.
During the show, you'll experience multiple scenes. As you complete the puzzles within each scene, a new space (due to your choices) will open up. The actor did a magnificent job in guiding us, but also gave us space to play out our own chapter. I love that the purpose of the actor is not to create jump-scares, but to aid us in our adventure.
Because you are choosing your own path, your entire experience will be specific to the direction that you've opted for. Therefore, you will encounter different rooms, proctors, and most importantly... puzzle challenges! The path that we chose had a lot of physical puzzles which were definitely Brandon's forte, but having two people definitely helped in many cases.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
One or two of the puzzles could be quite difficult as it's more skill-based rather than logic. You could potentially get stuck and not complete the room in time and there's no way to bypass them (but we did complete the game with 10 mins or so left as two people so it's definitely doable!).
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
From the creators that brought you "I Survived The Room" in NYC, comes this new immersive theatre experience called "HERESY: 1897", the 1st Chapter from "The Book of Three Keys" which centers around an alchemist named Edmond Cavanaugh. Doors of Divergence has created a rift in the timeline that immerses you right into the story to write your own path. One of the biggest challenges in the industry is creating an immersive experience that can also be appealing to escape room enthusiasts. One of the ingenious designs of this game is that at the end, you'll actually receive items that will help you relive what you've been through. You can record it in an online profile. This way you'll know what you've missed and what path you could have taken. I promise you, you'll want to return to check out all the "what ifs" and replay the story again. If not, they have two more chapters in the works - "Madness: 1917" and "Causality: 1971" and the start of those chapters will all depend on your choices from the first game. How cool is that? We see Doors of Divergence as a new gateway to bridge the gap between immersive theaters and escape rooms and having both types of enthusiasts all under one roof. We can't wait to go back for their second show!
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
Street parking (follow signs)
Lobby area with seating available
One free per beverage participant at Paradox's bar after your show
Live-Actor
Doors of Divergence shows may involve atmospheric smoke, strobe lights, and loud audio. If you are sensitive to any of this, have a heart condition, or are nursing or pregnant, you are not recommended to participate in "Heresy: 1897".
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
(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 Doors of Divergence for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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