LOCATION: Indian Trail, North Carolina, USA
Photo above is property of Masterpiece Escapes
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: The Deadwood Saloon
📅 DATE PLAYED: September 26, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Western
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 6/10
👥 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 meet a local whose great-great-great-grandfather supposedly mined a bunch of gold back in the day. However, the miner eventually disappeared, and no trace of him or his stash was ever found. The friendly local has been piecing together some old family history and bits of evidence and is sure that it must have been the old Deadwood Saloon where the gold is hidden. You’ve been enlisted to help find it (for a stake in the goods, of course), but - as you arrive - you discover the town is about to tear the building down! Your friend thinks he can stall them…for just about an hour.
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
Masterpiece excels at their acting and storytelling, and (though there are no actors in the actual game) Deadwood started off with a great demonstration of this skill during their intro.
Similarly, the set and audio together do a great job of making you feel like you really are in an old-timey saloon.
There are quite a few puzzles to tackle in this one, but they never get repetitive as there is plenty of variety. In addition, the puzzles are very much a part of the western/saloon theme, and many of them are highly tactile solves (while also challenging your noggins!).
We enjoyed the blended-space style of gameplay, where you move back and forth between various areas to integrate knowledge and set pieces, rather than totally completing one area before moving on (and never looking back).
While there are quite a few similar padlocks that are not labeled, the designers have done an excellent job of making it very clear what solutions go with which lock via strategic placement.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
There was one situation in which we thought about using something for what turned out to be a future challenge (before we realized what we actually needed to use it for). While our attentive GM was quick to interject and let us know that was not its intended use, this could have been made a bit more clear within the game itself (or even in the pre-game info).
There was also one case in which we were able to solve a puzzle before we found the other half of the relevant info…we weren’t trying to skip ahead, but it was what we figured out at the time (and weren’t totally sure if we’d find another half or not). However, one of the owners immediately mentioned when we finished exactly how he would fix the issue to keep that from happening again. This passion and drive the owners have for quality and continued improvement was highly evident throughout our discussions with them.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
While not our favorite from Masterpiece’s excellent selection, we still enjoyed getting thrown back into this gold rush era bar! Deadwood Saloon is a great choice for those seeking a non-spooky, puzzle-focused game, as well as for enthusiasts wanting to play all this venue has to offer. The hands-on nature of the puzzles and incorporated period decor will bring a smile to faces of young and old, while highlighting many of Masterpiece’s strengths. If you do well enough, you just might come out of the game with a little nugget of your own!!
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
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
(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.
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