LOCATION: Stratton, Vermont, USA
Photo above are property of Stratton Escape Room
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: Escape The Village
📅 DATE PLAYED: November 28, 2021
🎬 GENRE: Secret Society
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 3/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-6 PPL
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins
💰 PRICE: $30/PP
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
📖 THE STORY
The welcome email provides a link to the rules, as well as instructions on the starting location. The goal? Follow the clues and perform the final task in order to be inducted into the secret society of Stratton Village Puzzlers. The Village is an outdoor pedestrian marketplace in the heart of the Stratton ski resort in southern Vermont.
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
It's family-friendly, as well as being a fun diversion for a group of friends on a ski getaway. Small children would have a blast with the scavenger hunt aspect, and older groups could use this introductory puzzle exercise as a way to become familiar with both the Village as well as the world of escape rooms and puzzles hunts. Had we not been exploring the Village after hours, a drink or two and some food would've been a great way to get a taste of the local flavors, and warm our hands on a cold and snowy November evening. As the Village undergoes occasional construction, it's possible that a clue may have been moved or missing. To accommodate this, Stratton Escape provides ample digital versions of the clues.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
A couple of the digital clues were a bit blurry. We also had to manipulate one of the puzzles a couple of times as the information to be gathered was unclear initially. These were minor inconveniences that didn't detract from the 1-1.5 mile stroll about the quaint Village. Aside from knowing we were working to be inducted into a secret society, the backstory would benefit from being fleshed out more fully - who started this society, and why?
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
There are a variety of puzzles as you move through the game and village. It's part scavenger hunt and part light orienteering, sprinkled with wordplay and code cracking. The answers to all puzzles are clearly apparent when located.
Experienced puzzlers won't find this to be a difficult challenge, but will still enjoy the variety of curious shops that they will discover along the way. It's worth paying attention to more than the object of a given puzzle - keeping your eyes open will reward you in the long run! As we did this challenge on a cold November night and it requires no proctor or monitor, it truly can be done anytime of the day or year. And for both families (even those with young children) and friends who have wondered what the puzzling world is all about, it will serve as a fun and rewarding introduction, complete with a silly final ritual to gain induction into this secret society of Stratton!
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
(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 Stratton Escape Room for comping our tickets for this game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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