Masterpiece Escapes - "Missing"

LOCATION:  Indian Trail, North Carolina, USA

Photo above is property of Masterpiece Escapes

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝  ETR DECODER

• 🔑 GAME: Missing

• 📅 DATE PLAYED: September 26, 2024

• 🎬 GENRE: Horror (they describe it as PG-13)

• 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 5/10

• 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 3-8 ppl

• 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.

• 💰 PRICE: $33.00/ pp (Min. 3 ppl required)

• ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private

• 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

You’re visiting a small town where, 30 years ago, a strange recluse named Eugene vanished without a trace, causing some consternation among the locals. Around the same time, a ten-year old boy named Malachi disappeared, followed by another 12 people. Locals always suspected Eugene was the perpetrator, but the case was never solved and the story faded into misty memory once the incidences abated. Recently, folks have started disappearing again, and seeing as you fancy yourself to be the local super sleuth, you’re determined to figure out what’s going on! The recluse’s old house is up for sale, so this is your opportunity to get inside and find some answers. The real estate agent will be there in an hour…can you sneak in and discover anything - without going missing yourself?

Video above is property of Masterpiece Escapes

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

• There is a well-developed story that begins before you enter and unfolds as you progress through the experience. Attentive fans of narrative will find subtle clues amongst the decor and puzzles along the way - we were a bit too wrapped up in the experience to notice the finer points of this mystery! Our GM recapped the entire saga quite nicely at the conclusion, allowing us to appreciate what we'd overlooked in our efforts to avoid adding our names to the list of victims.

• The sets are spooky without being excessively dark, and sufficiently bloody for a missing persons/horror-lite theme. The well-paced experience becomes progressively more intense, but never suffocatingly so.

• There are as many puzzles as we've encountered in a single 60-minute experience - and the density of them accelerated as our heart rate increased, meaning we had to find ways to think faster as our brains were looking for ways to flee! Along with this puzzle volume comes a commensurate volume of locks - however, the signposting and placement of puzzles/locks/clues was very well thought out (as well as containing deeper significance), preventing the confusion and frustration that often occurs in a lock-heavy experience.

• Additionally, some of the puzzles had multiple components that lent themselves well to working in tandem.

• The audio soundtrack that is a hallmark of many Masterpiece rooms was in full force during our attempt to avoid becoming Missing ourselves, with spooky themes aplenty and fun instrumental covers of classes tunes that were perfectly suited to the environment.
  

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

• The grand finale contains a suitably horrific centerpiece, but also features a ton of puzzles in a very small space. This was fine for our duo, and the puzzles themselves could theoretically be done simultaneously by more people; however, fitting large groups into the space in a way they could function effectively could be a bigger challenge than the puzzles themselves.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

This story-driven adventure is sufficiently spooky to elicit some good screams and squeals from those prone to such things, without ever being inappropriate or over the top. The high volume of relatively simple (but cleanly designed and implemented) puzzles may not appeal to every experienced escape artist, but any fan of Friday the 13th and similar Halloween staples should test their mettle by making their way over to Masterpiece and seeing if they have what it takes to save the Missing!

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Masterpiece Escapes has free parking right in front of their location. There is a good-sized lobby with drinks available for purchase. They have bathrooms available and bins in each room to store any belongings. You will need to walk briefly outside after checking in to get to this experience.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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Check out our YouTube video for a sneak peek of the location, an interview with the owner, the room(s) (no puzzle spoilers) and more:

Video above is 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 Masterpiece Escapes 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 #MasterpieceEscapes #Horror #USA #NorthCarolina