Room ESC - "The Curse of Boar Tavern"

LOCATION:  Hopewell, Virginia, USA

Photo above is property of Room ESC

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝  ETR DECODER

• 🔑 GAME: The Curse of Boar Tavern

• 📅 DATE PLAYED: November 10, 2021

• 🎬 GENRE: Mystical, Medieval

• 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 4.5/10

• 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-5 PPL

• 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins

• 💰 PRICE: $25/PP

• ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private

• 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

The legendary Boar Tavern is one of the roughest hangouts mainly occupied by a bunch of scoundrels. It used to be quite popular until it was cursed by some unknown entity. Anyone who enters the tavern disintegrates into ashes once they've had a drink. Do you have what it takes to break the curse and escape or will you also meet the safe fate as those before you...

Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

• Love the originality of "The Curse of Boar Tavern" storyline and the unique introduction video.

• We were quite impressed with the set design as the owner uses whatever he is able to upcycle to create the room. In this case, he installed a wooden bar table, candle sconces, accent lighting, and a tarp on the ceiling (which was empty coffee bags from his "Guncotton Coffee" shop) all to combine an mysterious tavern in the forest look.

• Certain hidden areas were cleverly implemented by the disguise from the wood decor.

• There's minimum amount of tech in this room but the owner was still able to create a few "wow" moments for us through simple "triggers".

• The use of various characters in the story to build the hint system and having some fun with how the hints were given added some funny moments during the game.

• Love the lighting and ambience of the room creating that mythical feeling
  

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

• One directional type of puzzle was confusing in the beginning due to wording. (update 1/24/22 - owner has reworded this puzzle)

• Certain props might need to be polished and maintained a bit more. (update 1/24/22 - owner has repaired the prop)

• Some puzzles didn't feel like it connected with the storyline.
  

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

Although the budget for this room is not as high as some of the other escape rooms we've seen, the quality is actually better than some with a higher budget and tech. It just shows that if you are creative and put your mind into things that you love, it'll show in the actual product. If you're looking for something charming and different with a unique storyline, give "The Curse of Boar Tavern" a visit!

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

At the time we visited (Nov. 10, 2021), the street parking was free. We don't know when and if they are going to change that. There's also a metered parking lot across the street available. The owner also has a coffee cafe right next door called "Guncotton Coffee" with a bunch of really creative coffee & tea concoctions on the menu along with some delicious food. There's also a large indoor & outdoor seating area available.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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*** We regret to inform this company has closed its doors ***

(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 Room ESC for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.

#BrandonChow #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #Mystical #Medieval #Cursed #RoomESC #USA #Virginia