Secret City Adventures - "Where Dark Things Dwell"

LOCATION:  Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Photo above is property of Secret City Adventures

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝  ETR DECODER

• 🔑 GAME: Where Dark Things Dwell

• 📅 DATE PLAYED: June 29, 2023

• 🎬 GENRE: Magic, Witchery

• 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 5/10

• 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: Teams of 4, Upto 60 PPL at a time

• 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 90 Mins.

• 💰 PRICE: CAD $28/PP (6PM), $36/PP (9PM)

• ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Public

• 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
  

📖 THE STORY

As weary travelers, you have just arrived in this small humble village but as you make your way to rest for the night, many people suspiciously stare at your group. As night begins to fall, you begin to find out the truth about this small village and the curse that has overtaken it. Can you and your fellow travelers unravel the secrets and find the only item strong enough to lift the curse?

Video above is property of Secret City Adventures

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

• This game made for an immersive experience from the area chosen in Fort Edmonton to all the enthusiastic actresses and actors in costume that pulled it all together.

• There was a lot of puzzling that kept us busy the whole 90 mins. One thing that stood out was that once collecting puzzle packages from each location, you could either take the time to solve them in that location or you could collect all the packages and go to an open space to work on them all.

• There were a lot of small things that made a huge difference in the gameplay such as giving you a bag to carry puzzles pieces in, multiple puzzle packages in each area to avoid bottlenecking and keeping everyone in manageable sizes to ensure everyone stayed involved.

• There was a great intro to help ease you into the game as well as outro to recap everything that happened through the game.
  

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

• Though the entire game minimized bottlenecking, due to the nature of the final puzzle, teams may need to line up at the final aspect of the game.
  

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

"Where Dark Things Dwell" overlayed itself over the iconic 1885 Street in Fort Edmonton Park and created a spooky and captivating adventure. The game blended in seamlessly to the

surrounding area with the storytelling and characters. The puzzles were made of high quality, clever, and fit into the theme of the game. We played this game in “dark mode” (the later time), which really added to the ambiance as the sun slowly set through the game. We went as 2 people but were put with another group, which still worked out fine as we all got to see everything and experience everything. Anyone who is a fan of immersive experiences, some outdoor puzzle solving, and storytelling, would absolutely love this game. Are you ready to learn where dark things dwell?

Arriving on-site at Fort Edmonton Park, we had to drive through the access road to get to the back entrance, past the historic Selkirk Hotel to reach our destination. Once there, we checked in and were led to some picnic tables just off the edge of 1885 Street. Though, we came as a group of 2, everyone was broken up into teams for 4 for the game. Once paired up, we were given a few items that included a lantern, a map, and a cipher wheel; tools that will help us on our journey. had a fabulous day at the Museum of Intrigue and absolutely recommend it for anyone looking for some light-hearted adventures through an innovative approach. If you are looking for brain-burning puzzles, it likely won’t scratch that itch, as the games we played leaned towards searching and tasks with light puzzling. However, the sense of exploration, discovery, and narrative all drew us in, and there are a wide variety of Stories to choose from to suit your mood, timeframe, and group composition. If possible, we do encourage you to stay for multiple games - you will want to carry on to see how strange things you have found are incorporated into other stories. We are still dying to know what all the rubber duckies are for! It is a uniquely charming experience, and it certainly leaves us eager to return (and perhaps try one of their larger events)! If you're a parent looking to entertain, engage, and enthrall your kids, this is the place to go! And even if you're not a parent, you can still take your inner child to the Museum for a fabulous day of play.

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

• Free Parking

• Depending on time booking, you will play either during sunset or dark

• Ample areas to sit and rest your feet throughout the game if required

• This event will run until September 24th. Additionally the same event is also being operated at "Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto".
  

Photos above are property of Museum of Intrigue

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BOOK NOW

(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 Secret City Adventures for comping our tickets for this experience. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion of the review whatsoever.

#MatthewLui #ImmersiveExperiences #SecretCityAdventures #Magic #Witchery #Canada