LOCATION: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Photo above is property of RevoEscape
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: Bunker: AI's Martyrdom
📅 DATE PLAYED: March 14, 2023
🎬 GENRE: Military, Industrial
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 3 Players): 9/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 4-10 PPL (Suggest 4-6PPL)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 75 Mins.
💰 PRICE: CAD $168 (3PPL), Reduced PP cost with more people
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: YES
📖 THE STORY
You and your friends are camping in the woods. You have a shortwave radio over which a local military commander broadcasts a message needing help - a rogue AI is planning to launch a nuclear device from a nearby military facility. If nobody can shut down the AI to neutralize the threat, the Air Force will strike the facility in just over an hour in order to destroy it, before the missile can become airborne. That would kill all nearby campers! So, you and your friends realize you must break into the facility to try to shut down the AI and prevent the launch.
Video above is property of Escape Games Canada
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
"Bunker: AI's Martyrdom" has a very different feel from any escape room I have done previously. The construction of the facility is heavy duty, all made from real materials (metal doors and pipes, cots, etc., without foam or similar mock-ups) in order to create a true military outpost replica, not just a look-alike.
While it is still a progressive experience, there are multiple possible paths and endings, as well as multiple ways to overcome various obstacles - depending on your team's creativity and teamwork.
The game operators are able to moderate at least one aspect of the difficulty based on your progress.
The narrative is well-developed. This experience prioritizes replicating a real-world scenario over clever puzzle design, so paying attention and thinking about information presented as you work through the adventure is important.
Communication between members of your team is vital and integrated well into the design of the challenges.
This adventure provided the opportunity for Mission Impossible-style accomplishments that wouldn't be found in a traditional escape room.
Almost everything in the room is in-play in an open sandbox format, rather than the typical 'this is for puzzles, this is a red herring/set dressing' design.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
While some members of our team loved the physical challenge nature of some of the tasks in this adventure, body type (long limbs, thinness) and physical strength were major advantages - as opposed to a typical room where physicality is largely irrelevant
We only asked for one hint, but the pre-printed hint provided only told us what we already knew, rather than nudging us in the direction of how to accomplish the task with which we were struggling.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
RevoEscape's new style of adventure isn't for everyone. While most escape rooms are moving toward providing a successful and enjoyable experience for everyone, Revo makes it clear from the start that failure is always an option. This creates both the possibility for a very frustrating and unrewarding experience, as well as allowing for true celebration if the objective is accomplished. We made it out with just a few minutes to spare and were definitely sweating the final challenge, leading us to make some last-minute mistakes. The panic was real - but that made the escape all the sweeter! If you're looking for a solely cerebral experience, you may well find this lacking. On the other hand, if you're looking to push yourself physically in ways you've only seen on the big screen, hoping to flex your creative problem-solving muscles, and willing to embrace the confusion and panic that comes with not knowing what you're doing or what is coming next, RevoEscape will unleash your hidden Jason Bourne and Red Sparrow!
🔎 HINT
There's more to the story than breaking and entering, so pay attention to the details of the set design!
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
RevoEscape has plenty of free parking in a lot outside. The lobby is decorated in a grim, stripped down manner that matches the realistic style of the challenges they've created. They do have a small selection of board and card games (some in English, others in Han or perhaps Kanji) to play while you wait. Although the location is accessible, the highly physical nature of this game doesn't lend itself to people with mobility concerns. These games are more akin to real-life simulations than traditional escape rooms; the puzzle-and-lock format is eschewed in favor of challenges that more closely mimic the difficulties one might face if such a situation arose in real life.
Photos above are 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 RevoEscape for offering us a media discount for our tickets to this game. Although a media discount was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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