LOCATION: Salem, Massachusetts, USA
Photo above is property of Stained Hourglass Escapes
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: The Boring Office
📅 DATE PLAYED: November 5, 2023
🎬 GENRE: Business-As-Usual
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-8 ppl (Recommend 4PPL) (Ages 10+)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $35/PP (Min 3PPL)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
📖 THE STORY
You are a group of interns beginning your onboarding at a generic company called "Boehring Industries". You're each given a role, and then led into an empty cubicle. The red Swingline stapler is missing, and you need to find it. That's it. Nothing more. Don't look behind the curtain. Just locate the stapler and put it back in its rightful place. How could anything even remotely magical possibly happen in a place so drab and boring and devoid of anything interesting? Hmmmmmm.
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
This is a modern room in every sense of the word. It utilizes a variety of technological elements in creative, delightful ways that both advance the story and keep participants on their toes.
The playful nature of this room is undeniable. It initially presents as the most boring scene imaginable, and slowly unfolds into a unique blend of painfully drab and beautifully magical.
Each player has a distinct role, ensuring that everybody has tasks to fulfill and their time to shine.
The attention to detail was impressive. One challenge in particular required the integration of multiple components obtained over time, and all the information required to succeed could be rediscovered with ease.
Some elements' difficulty can be surreptitiously tailored in real time by the GM, based on the success and enjoyment of the team at that point in the experience.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
Given the location in Salem, MA, the target audience is families and tourists, so the puzzles themselves aren't intended to require intense thought. Experienced players may be able to move through quickly enough that they're left wanting more!
One specific task could've been tightened up to prevent confusion over exactly how it had been solved.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
This room positively sparkles! The whimsical nature was right up our alley, and there’s excellent tech and creativity. Outside of people who want nothing but brain-busting puzzles, it is a room that almost any one will find enchanting. Kids and families will have a blast! Friends will enjoy the teamwork required, and co-workers will find it refreshing, as well as appreciate the not-so-subtle nods to a few characters and moments from The Office and Office Space. Leave your inner curmudgeon at the door, and let yourself be transported by the first creation from Stained Hourglass. We are so excited to see what they will come up with next!!
🔎 HINT
Keep your eyes and ears open at all times to make sure you're receiving all the information being given to you.
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
There is metered parking available right in front of the clearly marked location. If you come during high tourist season in October, parking may be hard to find, especially after noon.
The spacious lobby is beautifully decorated with hanging pieces of colored “glass”.
The owner takes accessibility seriously, and makes sure that the rooms are flexible, adaptive, and accessible for people of varying mobility. There are bathrooms, lockers, and room to hang coats.
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 Stained Hourglass Escapes for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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