Secret Library - "Escape Atlantis"

Updated: Apr 27

Photos/ Videos provided by Secret Library

Company: Secret Library

Game: Escape Atlantis

Country: USA 🇺🇸

Language: English

Type of Game: Digital Escape Game w/ GM 💻

Genre: Fantasy

Date Played: 3/20/2020

Difficulty (based on 5 players): 6/10

Size of Team: 4-8 Players

Time: 60 Minutes

Price: $25/pp

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A historian triggered something in the deep sea during his expedition and now he's trapped! Can you solve all the puzzles, defeat the sentinel's curse, retrieve the key and set the professor free?

🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈

This digital game is hosted on their own online interface called Delfex Virtual. A game host will be with you the entire time to prompt nudges/hints and any assistance with interface issues. You and your team will be "roaming" around on the blueprint of the lost underwater temple. The graphics were quite beautiful.

Each teammate will be visible to others in terms of where they are by their little avatar icon. you can roam freely to various rooms to solve puzzles in a "divide and conquer way" or just stay together for the entire game and solve them one at a time.

You can chose to have your camera on or off during the game but microphone should definitely stay on. This is your way to communicate with your team whenever you are in a room together. We found that a little inconvenient to convey message back and forth as we have to click in and out of rooms (if you decided to play the game in the divide and conquer way). You can also use the text chat function but that's going to be time consuming during a timed game, It was much quicker to use the verbal communications.

You're able to click on various hotspots for puzzle images or information to pop up. We felt that the hotspot icons were way too small and sometimes it was difficult to find or pinpoint where they were.

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Since there were 4 locations that we had to visit to gather a password in each, it felt essential to take on the puzzles separately. The puzzles were non linear so we were able to solve them individually. Some simple decoding was required but we were confused on the objective as even if a puzzle was solved, there was no clarity on what we "received" from it and how that was going to be utilized in the storyline.

Every time when one of our team members would solve a puzzle, an alert would pop up on the screen letting the other teammates know that that section had been completed. While this gave each of us something to do, it also took away from the teamwork aspect of the game. We felt like we're working on our own and only played the puzzle we were working on for the entire game. A Zoom or some other audio conferencing device may be needed so teams in different rooms could still communicate with each other so that at least all the members are inform on the progress. Since this digital game is a private game versus "Origins" being a public game, it would be great if a different conferencing interface can be added to Delfex so that the teams could be heard from anywhere during the game session.

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We really enjoyed "Origins" as it had a more clear statement on the type of game. It was more immersive theater rather than puzzles. This game felt like it's stuck between a good digital game and a half done immersive theater (as it did have video components). Since we've played a ton of digital games by now, we feel like being able to know and see what each teammate is doing even if you're separated on the platform is quite important. From an immersive theater aspect, because Secret Library came from that background, we thought the game would have more of those components. I don't think it should be lost even if it is in a digital game. More character play or storyline could be added to make this more unique to the Secret Library brand.

𝔼𝕊ℂ𝔸ℙ𝔼𝕋ℍ𝔼ℝ𝕆𝕆𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕤❜ ℙ.𝕀.𝕤❜ 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤

Michelle B.

In Escape Atlantis, the Secret Library changes their experience structure from more immersive theatre to puzzle centric escape room. I went in having heard wonderful things about their original offering and was eager to see what they had created.

Pros

- I loved Oswald, the explorer character we met at the beginning - we was engaging and fun

- The video at the beginning pumped up players to start the game

- The illustrations were beautiful and wonderfully detailed

- Our game master was attentive as was ready for clues and small nudges

-The structure of the game allowed for small break out rooms where you could divide and conquer on puzzles (and only hear the members in a room - which is very nice)

- A white board is provided for sharing information that is found

My Nitpicky Parts

- I wanted more story - some of the puzzles didn't clearly fit into the narrative provided at the beginning

- The game is for 4-8 connections - if you have very strong puzzlers, it could go quickly because of the non-linear format. On the flip side, if you don't have strong puzzlers, you can have quite a few players and they can break out in groups without the chaos of many linear avatar games.

- In a timed game, I'm generally a fan of faster puzzles - Escape Atlantis offers fewer, more meaty puzzles - this will come down to your personal preference

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Krista J. & Dave B.

Pros: The innovation in online escape rooms over the last year has been incredible, and Secret Library definitely capitalized on a brand-new system (so far as we've seen) to hosted digital escape games with Escape Atlantis. We loved their interface! It allows you to play as a team with others on different connections, but you can move around the space independently. Much like in real life, any time you are in the same place, you can see and hear each other (through mic and video), but those connections are lost when you separate. This feature has the double benefit of being both immersive and often practical! You can talk freely about the puzzle you're working on with someone in the same space, without worrying about confusing or annoying folks working on other tasks elsewhere. The puzzles were enjoyable, and some of them had interactive interfaces, which was a nice touch. The artwork is fantastic, and the production value with the videos and just overall was truly impressive. You have an in-game host, Droney, available to assist you with hints (and quips) as needed.

Cons: Secret Library does a great job of setting the scene in their introductory video, but there could be a more coherent underlying storyline and rationale for the various puzzles and stages of the game as you progress. When (unsolicited?) hints were provided, they popped up for all players, not just the ones working in that particular area, which was a bit distracting. Who should play: The theme of the archaeologist trapped in the lost city of Atlantis is totally family-friendly, and the interactive elements would be fun for participating children (10+ ?), though they are likely to need some adult help with some of the puzzles. If you are looking for a refreshing new interface for a digital escape game with high production value and gorgeous art, your help is needed to Escape Atlantis! I would recommend 2-4 players for this 60-minute game. (If you want more of an immersive theater experience, check out Secret Library's other game - Origins.) We will definitely be keeping our eyes out for any future games from them with this fabulous system!

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(If you do decide to try this experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

Disclosure: We thank Secret Library for comping our tickets for this experience. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.