Escape New Haven - "The Double Cross"

LOCATION:  New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Photo above is property of Escape New Haven

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝  ETR DECODER

• 🔑 GAME: The Double Cross

• 📅 DATE PLAYED: August 8, 2024

• 🎬 GENRE: Heist

• 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 5/10

• 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 4-8 ppl (Recommend 2-4 ppl)

• 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.

• 💰 PRICE: $30.00 - $46.00/ pp (depending on day and # of ppl)

• ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private

• 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

As master thieves, you've pulled off some spectacular heists, including the recent theft of the famed "Ark of Atlantis". However, your collaborator on that job double-crossed you and stole it for himself! So, now it's up to you to break into his private gallery, find the Ark, and figure out how to unlock its hidden treasure before he returns in one hour…

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

• As with their other games, Escape New Haven starts setting the scene before you even arrive via a welcome email. In this case, it’s from your lady on the inside; she gets you prepped for what’s to come with some practical details but completely within the game’s story. We love this kind of extra little love and effort to amp up anticipation and get you started thinking about being IN the world.

• There is great in-world signposting to help guide you in how to crack each puzzle, through both physical items and video messages from your woman on the inside, Simone. (You also have the option of communication with your base of operations, who can provide extra hints if needed.) There was even an unexpected, fun moment that occurred mid-game to drive home the immersion, without being intrusive.

• This is a fairly nonlinear room, with plenty of parallel tasks to keep multiple people or subgroups occupied along the way. The puzzles are nicely tied to the theme, feature a wide variety of mechanisms, and incorporate components in unexpected ways. Most have multiple levels as well as built-in adaptive difficulty, so that the number of levels you face can be reduced (or entire puzzles cut out of the flow) for groups that are not progressing as quickly.

• You'll also get to use a wide range of "spy gear" as you work through the room, including both practical elements to streamline solves (like headphones for an audio puzzle), realistic blueprints that offer guidance, and cooler items that will have you channeling your inner safecracker.

• The overall set design appears quite simple and streamlined, but the original statuettes (conceived and created by the Escape New Haven crew) that you must acquire are beautifully and creatively rendered. It's incredibly satisfying each time you gain access to another!
  

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

• There is little narrative progression during the game, and we found the ending a bit confusing…we thought we still had something we ought to try to do when we'd actually finished and won. A bit more of a bang at the conclusion would help wrap up the tension of the great heist!

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

"The Double Cross" is a fantastic introductory game. There is a decent amount of smoothly integrated in-game guidance to help newer groups in solving the puzzles. Coupled with the adaptive difficulty, it's a room that is intended to ensure a fun, successful experience that will keep newbies coming back for more! If you're enthusiasts looking for a brain-burner, this may not scratch that itch. However, younger players, corporate groups, and those curious as to what escape rooms are all about will find this just right, with plenty of tactile, gadget-y interactions that make you feel like a master thief. And we still had fun stealing stuff!

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

• Escape New Haven is easy to find in downtown New Haven. There is on-street parking (both 2 and 5-hr limit areas) as well as parking lots nearby (both are paid).

• The location itself is well marked with a big sign on the front of the building.

• The rooms are located down a flight of stairs. Once inside, there are fun benches (modeled after six sided dice) with storage compartments beneath.

• They have merch for sale, as well as bathrooms, a coat rack (in a fun room with board games on the walls) and a water bottle filling station - much appreciated after our drive!

• There are also beautiful movie posters made for each room, crediting the employees who worked on each one and decorated with a Hollywood-approved velvet rope.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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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 Escape New Haven for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.

#DaveBristol #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #EscapeNewHaven #Heist #Connecticut #USA