REMOTE: Headlock Escape Rooms - "The Keeper & the Fungus Among Us"

Updated: Apr 23

Photos above are property of Headlock Escape Rooms

Company: Headlock Escape Rooms

Game: The Keeper & the Fungus Among Us

Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Language: English

Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣

Genre: Magical, Adventure

Date Played: September 12, 2021

Difficulty (based on 5 players): 5/10

Size of Team: Up to 6 Connections

Time: 90 Minutes

Price: £60 (Approx. $83.00 USD)

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Every 1,000 years the evil Paxillus is released from his mushroom prison to wreak

havoc of people of the land. With the help of the awakened Keeper, your team of

Guardians must defeat the Mushroom king and save the world!

Photos above are property of Headlock Escape Rooms

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This game takes place entirely on Zoom with no additional website needed. Your

Gamemaster takes on the persona of the Keeper in the form of an intricately crafted

hand puppet who guides you across the land. The lands themselves consists of a series of dioramas from The Emerald Cave to Toadstool Village and more. The game starts with an introduction as you need to find the blade to stop Paxillus before beginning your journey to his castle. As you travel across the land to each location the Keeper is faced with new challenges that bars his way to Paxillus and your team of Guardians must help him. You also have an inventory board that you fill with weapons, potions, and more on your journey. I felt an old school video game vibe during my play-through that continued this fun level of nostalgia I felt from the set and style of the challenges set out for you.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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The puzzles within the game take the standard components we’ve seen before but the

video game style and the whimsical theme made them relevant and fresh to our eyes.

Each puzzle presented itself as a trial for the Keeper to pass and they provided a nice variety of puzzles that utilized the setting well. I enjoyed the use of the inventory board and how each item worked to provide key clues for certain tasks. I also liked the puzzles that really utilized the hand puppet’s size as it reminded me maneuvering the Keeper as a video game character instead of thinking of it as the hand of the Gamemaster. In many ways this felt like a video game with puzzles rather than an escape room. There were two puzzles I felt could use a bit more sign posting but gentle nudges were provided and helped us move along. With a group of three, we completed it in around one hour and twenty minutes. The creator did explain that the time allotted is what they found most people needed. This isn’t about being the fastest to beat the game but, rather, the journey.

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What makes this virtual escape room stand out for me is the uniquely designed

dioramas on which your journey takes place. They are colorful, vibrant, and the

aesthetic takes on a funky whimsical theme that is consistently seen and felt throughout the whole experience. Every new scene we entered I had to take the moment to just look around and admire the set design down to the little figurines that turned out to be characters you would engage with in adorable text conversations.

Another facet that endeared me was the use of musical numbers that livened the

experience during transition times. The songs are catchy, hilarious, and filled with puns that adults and children alike would enjoy. We encouraged the creator to share the sound score with players afterwards and they are considering it!

"The Keeper & the Fungus Among Us" is a funky magical journey in a fantastical world with a nostalgic video game vibe any person could enjoy. The creative sets engage players and the clever use of music gives players the feeling that they were in more than just an escape room. You became a Guardian, a hero in the making, out to stop the evil infesting the land. Your tasks challenge your mind to not only think outside the box but also decide what kind of hero you truly want to be. Are you up for it?