LOCATION: Garwood, New Jersey, USA
Photo above is property of Escapology
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: A Pirate's Curse
📅 DATE PLAYED: April 22, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Pirate Adventure
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 6/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-10 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $83.98 (2 ppl) - $419.90 (10 ppl)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
📖 THE STORY
Following in the footsteps of the legendary pirate Captain Goldbeard, you and your crew have arrived at The Soul Catcher, a long-abandoned ship full of treasure beyond your wildest dreams. Alas, the ship is cursed so that anyone unlucky enough to be aboard when the sun sets becomes trapped inside for eternity! Such was the fate of Goldbeard and his crew, but where they failed, perhaps you can succeed. You must search the ship, find the treasure, and make your escape before time runs out. But step lively! The sun is setting fast.
Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
Like most experiences at Escapology, this room’s decor and atmosphere were both excellent! The inside of the pirate ship is convincingly modeled, and the dynamic music track sets the tone well.
The room’s tech worked smoothly and was integrated in a way that added an air of supernatural mystery without feeling out of place in the setting.
Puzzle structure is generally very solid. The number of elements in play was always small enough that we weren’t overwhelmed while large enough that our team could work on multiple things at once. Puzzles make good use of space, maintaining a sense of progression as new areas and puzzle elements become available.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
One prominent red herring threw us off for a while, and we were a little disappointed to find out that it wasn’t important. Also, the room broke the unwritten “one clue, one lock” rule at one point. These aren’t necessarily flaws, but they contradicted what my team thought was conventional escape room wisdom.
The coloration of a few elements had worn in a way that added some friction to solving one of the puzzles, which surprised us given how new the room is. Similarly, another puzzle had us examining the contents of several bottles that were very difficult to see inside as they were heavily coated with sand.
While changes in the room were signaled by flickering lights and sound effects over the speaker, it was sometimes hard to tell what was different after an effect triggered. More distinct, location-specific cues would have been helpful.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
As a brand, Escapology has an established formula that serves it well across its collection of escape games. Each room features a strong theme expressed through decor and puzzle design and supported by the introductory video, dynamic music, and flavor text throughout the room. The experience always takes place across three rooms, each subtly developing the theme and generally ramping up the difficulty of the puzzles until the story culminates in one final puzzle that enables exit through the original entrance.
“A Pirate’s Curse” follows this formula closely, and as a result it lacks much in the way of surprise to anyone who has completed Escapology’s other rooms. Nonetheless, this new room largely meets the bar set by the high level of detail and polish on display elsewhere in Escapology’s catalog, and remains a satisfying experience. Puzzle design is consistently strong with only a few small hiccups, and the decor and atmosphere help sell the sense of adventure evoked by the fantastical story.
Given the quality of Escapology’s rooms, this one is definitely worth a look for any escape enthusiast, though I would advise keeping the team size down to six or fewer people. If you enjoy this room, check out Budapest Express for an experience on about the same difficulty level. For a greater challenge, consider "Mansion Murder" or "Under Pressure".
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
Escapology Garwood is in a shopping center with free parking available just outside the building.
The building is handicap accessible. One member of the team must crawl through a small opening to unlock a door for the rest of the team from the other side.
The lobby features a lounge area with chairs and sofas. Merch is available for purchase in the lobby.
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 Escapology Escape Rooms (Garwood) for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
Commentaires