REMOTE: District 3 Escape Rooms - "The Cabin" & "Haunted"

Updated: Apr 25

Videos/Photos provided by District 3 Escape Rooms

District 3 Escape Rooms currently offers 3 remote escape room options and we played 2 of them. Below are our thoughts on each of them.

Company: District 3 Escape Rooms

Country: Canada 🇨🇦

Language: English

Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣

Size of Team: 2-8 Players

Time: 60 Minutes

Price: $27 pp (adults)/ $20 pp (ages 8-17)/ $8 (ages 5-7)/ Free (ages 4 and under)

Game: The Cabin

Genre: Horror

Date Played: 6/19/2020

Difficulty (based on 6 players): 7.5/10

We were one of the first groups to play test "The Cabin" when it was released as a remote escape room. The back story was given to us through the audio from the room which made it quite hard to hear but this was quickly corrected by the company. Now the game starts off with a very clear audio that will be sent to you through their inventory portal at the beginning of the game. The avatar (David) introduced himself as a victim that was captured by a kidnapper. He was locked up in the cabin and our goal was to help him escape and figure out why he was kidnapped.

We liked the initial sound effects of the kidnapper leaving the house. The 10 minute warnings also made it easy to keep track of time through a very visible large window. This was the first time we used "Telescape" as an inventory portal. It was quite easy to use as only one player had to type in the password to reveal all the inventory items for the entire team. Another cool feature this portal was able to do was remove all the items that were already used as new items were entered. This made it a lot easier for us to focus on the current puzzles. The room had a few secret compartments that we were not expecting. It was nice to discover them as the story developed. It would've been helpful if the avatar was able to narrate the story as he's discovering items. It would make the ending at lot more clearer for the players. We got stock on one directional puzzle that we felt could be shortened for the online version but I am also pretty bad at directions so hopefully this is not a struggle for you guys. This room does have an eerie story but the set design was not scary at all. So if you were hesitant to book due to being worried about the horror theme, don't be.

In case you like to be competitive, you will receive an actual score for the company at the end of the game. There are also different achievements you'll be able to earn. The hint system is unlimited but after the first two, your score will be deducted. We (6 players) scored 93 points at the end with 12 minutes and 47 seconds left (used 0 hints). The achievements we earned were: escaped, no hints, and division leader (online live division). Let us know how you did when you try out the room!

Game: Haunted

Genre: Horror

Date Played: 6/28/2020

Difficulty (based on 4 players): 7/10

"Haunted" was played similarly to "The Cabin". An email with the Zoom link and "telescape" link was sent to us before the game. We were given a code to start with an audio intro through "telescape". Each of the players were able to click on it and listen to it in their own headsets. We recommend headsets for this game since there will be audio components throughout the game. If you wanted to add some ambiance to the game, you could chose to play the audio file that will provided at the beginning of the game.

The set design of this room was a bit more creepier than "The Cabin" since we were invited to a haunted mansion after all. A fake second floor added a nice illusion to the grand feel of a mansion. You shouldn't worry about not booking because it would be too scary of a theme for you. Since this was a remote experience, there were definitely a few moments where we felt it would've been a nice " jump scare" in person but didn't impact us as much on camera.

It was nice to have "telescape" (read the above review for more detail how the inventory portal works) as the inventory system as there were quite a bit of reading and some documents that needed a close up examinations. Since all of us had access, it was easy to divide the work load. We got "stuck" on two spots for this game which we thought could use some clarity in the remote version. It would've been a very easy puzzle in person but it's hard to make it clear to the avatar when we're not on site. Hopefully our feedback was able to make the game play smoother for future players. With the 4 of us, we finished with 6 minutes and 25 minutes left. There were definitely more puzzles in this room that needed a bit more "nudging" from the avatar as a few were harder to visualize on the remote version. Overall we had a lot of fun with the various puzzles and we enjoyed the surprise ending to the story line!

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(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 District 3 Escape Room for comping our tickets for their games. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.

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