LOCATION: Crawley, United Kingdom
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Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: The Explorer's Diary
📅 DATE PLAYED: May 1, 2023
🎬 GENRE: Adventure, Archaeology
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 7.5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-7 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 90 Mins.
💰 PRICE: £34.95/PP (pending on the group size)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
📖 THE STORY
It is the year 1946. You followed the path of famous archaeologist Sir Benjamin Diggit (or just a page from his diary rather) and ended up in a cave in Peru. Will you be able to find the treasure that he couldn't? Or will you share his fate?
Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
Instead of a normal presentation of the storyline or video, Hounds lets their gamemasters get in on the fun and express their creative sides. The stories might be a little different depending on which gamemaster you'll have on that day. This makes each experience for the players extremely unique.
Depending on your team's skill level, the game could be tweaked without the players ever knowing it. We really do appreciate the fact that the creator's intention is for every player to see the ending and get the full experience.
We were led by the gamemaster to what appeared to be the entrance of an archeological dig deep in the jungle. Once we set foot inside, we were transported to another location back in time.
The puzzles were built around the storyline. First, we had to understand who was there before us, what happened to them, and how we can achieve what they couldn't. We really enjoyed the puzzles as they involved physical elements of the cave and props that we had to integrate together in order to find the solution.
Normally, we don't really enjoy long translation puzzles but Hounds had an innovative way of constructing this multi-step puzzle to achieve the meta-puzzle for a phenomenal ending.
I love endings with choices involved. I'm glad we chose the one that felt more dynamic (at least according to the conversation we had with the GM after). Regardless of which one you decide on, you'll definitely experience what felt like a scene from "Indiana Jones".
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🧩 MISSED THE MARK
Other than one of the props being triggered earlier and confusing us on whether or not we had to complete it, everything else was spot on.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
In comparison to "Questionable Ethics", "The Explorer's Diary" definitely stood out a little bit more for us. The storyline, special effects, set design, and puzzles were all thoughtfully implemented into every inch of the experience. In the end, you'll also be surprised by the gamemaster with a score chart. You'll find out what you have missed, completed, and could have done. Definitely check out Hounds if you're in the Crawley area or just make a trip out here and you might just find the treasure you are looking for!
Photos above are property of HOUNDS - Immersive Experiences
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
Take the train to Crawley station and it'll be a minute walk from there.
The facility is located in the town center with many coffee shops and restaurants nearby
You'll need to walk up one flight of stairs to get to the lobby (this room is located two flights up)
Lobby with seating and games and a bar
Photos above are property of HOUNDS - Immersive Experiences
(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 HOUNDS - Immersive Experiences 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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