The Escape Network (Know Escape) - "Beneath the Dark Dark Wood"

Updated: Apr 28

Photo above is property of The Escape Network

Company: Know Escape (Use to be The Escape Network)

Game: Beneath the Dark Dark Wood

Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Language: English

Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Date Played: March 10, 2022

Difficulty (based on 4 players): 7/10

Size of Team: Up to 6 Players

Time: 120 hours after you press the "start" (Suggested playtime 90 Minutes)

Price: £20.00/ team

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Your team of special ops have been sent "Beneath the Dark Dark Wood". As you arrive onto the shore, you are assigned with specific instructions. Your mission is to find the hideout of the mysterious Black Knight. First, you must navigate through the forest and search around...

Video above is property of Know Escape

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"Beneath the Dark Dark Wood" starts off with you and your team arriving onto the beach. We definitely felt like special agents performing a top secret mission. Shortly after, you receive a set of instructions for your mission which is to find the secret hideout of the mysterious Black Knight. "Beneath the Dark Dark Wood" is designed using the Telescape platform which provides a point-n-click adventure staged in a bunch of different settings. When you purchase the game, it'll come with a brief video tutorial on the functionalities of the buttons within the game. If you've used Telescape before, you should have no issues going straight to the game. In this game, the hint system can only be accessed after unlocking it. So if you haven't figured out a way to access it yet, you will not be able to get those hints. There were a lot of rooms to explore and it took some awhile to familiarize ourselves with the layout. The visuals used were from real bunkers and we were really impressed by all the history that still remained at those sites. The set design also pulled us deeper into the storyline.

Photos above are property of Know Escape

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We've played a good amount of Telescape games by now, so we're familiar with the usage of hotspots on certain areas for locks and interactive props. Due to the fact that "Beneath the Dark Dark Wood" had a lot of areas to explore and the puzzles were non linear, we really had to associate which puzzles went with what locks as there were many numbered digit locks, safe locks and other variations of combo locks. The puzzles were fairly difficult as some decryption were quite long. There was one design that we haven't seen used in Telescape before where two players had to simultaneously do something in order to make something work. This really felt like an action that we would do in a real life escape room. One of the puzzles had a stuck for a bit as the developer was trying to provide an example but it was actually making it more confusing.

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"Beneath the Dark Dark Wood" is actually an updated version of the original - "Black Knight" which we played awhile back. There were some graphics, tech, and puzzle changes from the previous. Some puzzles might still feel familiar, but the navigation and storyline is much better than the older version. There was a lot of different types of puzzles for everyone to solve and as mentioned, this is a non-linear game (for the most part).

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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 The Escape Network for comping our tickets for this game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.