Sherlock's Escapes - "Breaching the Boss's Office"

Photo above is property of Sherlock's Escapes

Company: Sherlock's Escapes

Game: Breaching the Boss's Office

Country: Canada 🇨🇦

Language: English

Type of Game: Audio Escape Room 👂

Genre: Investigative, Mission

Date Played: September 18, 2022

Difficulty (based on 5 players): 5/10

Size of Team: 3-9 Players (Recommended 5-7 Players)

Time: 70 Minutes

Price: $20.50 CAD/ pp

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In the middle of the night, your phone rings. You, Sherlock Holmes, are uncharacteristically perturbed. Giving in to your investigative senses, you realise that your friend and colleague, Watson, sent a rather sensitive email to the boss of the both of you. Since he’s in quarantine, Watson is not able to head to the office to delete that email himself. Turning to you for help, you find yourself back in the office, hoping not to get spotted because, well - you are not essential staff, you do not have the keys, and for all the luck in the world, you do not want to see your boss.

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Sherlock’s Escapes' games work similarly to a mix between tabletop role playing games (TTRPG's) and an online escape room. Our Game Master this round went through the rules, the lore of the room, and the operations briefly before proceeding with the game proper.

The game materials and visuals were accessible via Sherlock’s Escapes own portal, with each step of the room appearing upon entering a password provided by the Game Master as the team goes on with solving puzzles or making the correct searches. On the hint front, the Game Master is there as needed - we were also told that each Game Master had to read the room.

So if your team takes a little too long, you might get a nudge towards the right direction as the clock continues to tick away!

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As an Escape Room with TTRPG-style operations, it was essentially like we had an additional member of the team. While most of the puzzles were visual or search-related, they were easily resolved, especially when yourself or your team members ended up reciting the puzzle or search process or suggestions out loud. And very much like a typical Escape Room, especially in a relatable, contemporary scenario, putting logical pieces together was a common occurrence (e.g. putting ink cartridges in an empty printer).

With all your important materials and maps available on the Sherlock’s Escapes portal - that was kept open throughout the game - visualizing and figuring out puzzle solutions was easier and clearer.

Photos above are property of Sherlock's Escapes

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I walked away from this game feeling enthusiastic and energetic - one of the advantages of having a Game Master onsite, even on a virtual level, was that there was always this level of interaction and engagement that made the game just that much more fun. Our Game Master was able to feed off our team’s energy and reactions to the different aspects of the game and game materials, leading to a more personalized experience.

For players who would like a more private or silent approach, it would be important to communicate this preference early. Open communication and camaraderie was palpable during gameplay, so no one was or felt left out. So if you’re a player who would like a more personal experience, or are just a player who likes to recite their processes, this might be the game for you. If you’re an organization looking for a team-bonding activity, Sherlock’s Escapes also offers adjustments according to your needs.

I just hope that you’ll never get caught sneaking into your boss’ office.

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(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 Sherlock's Escapes for providing us with a sample of their game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.

#JoelynAlexandra #AtHomeGames #AudioEscapeRoom #Investigative #Mission #SherlocksEscapes #Canada