Photo above is property of The GeoMystery Club
Company: The GeoMystery Club
Game: Keepers of the Keys
Country: Australia 🇦🇺
Language: English
Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻
Genre: Mystery, Secret Society
Date Played: May 5, 2023
Difficulty (based on 6 players): 7/10
Size of Team: Unlimited
Time: Unlimited (Recommended 90-120 Mins.)
Price: $20.00 AUD
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A dead body has been found at the Fontana di Trevi in Italy. In his hand, a rock that has the power to alter time and space as well as burned on his chest, the symbol of a mysterious organization called the Keepers of the Keys. You, as part of the GeoMystery Club, are now tasked with investigating the death but beware, you may be walking into the middle of an age-old conflict that has resulted in many deaths already.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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Starting the game off, we were given a short blurb that engulfed us into the game. From there, as we solved each puzzle, we were given information about a different location we should check out in Google Maps with a date and a picture of the location. As we progressed through the game, we found this to be a mix of “real-world” scavenger hunt and puzzle hunt. We spent time in Google Maps, navigating around to search for clues to help us with the puzzles at hand. You do not have to be an expert at Google Maps but knowing the basics is required.
Having played the previous GeoMystery Club game, one thing we noticed was that this was a different type of game. The other game used cryptic poems to clue you on what you need to watch out for while navigating Google Maps. This played more like a point and click game to make discoveries and use what we found to connect different pieces of information as well as some key items on Google Maps.
The story was intriguing at the beginning but could have been utilized more throughout the game. We felt that there was a great introduction to the game but no additional plot points were made until the ending. There felt like a lot of potential to weave more story into the game.
The game plays on one of the smoothest interfaces we have ever encountered. Once you solve a puzzle, the screen extends downwards to continue the story. There was also a legend of the puzzles on the top of the page which made it easy to jump to certain points on the page. The hints were easy to check out as well with the question mark box on the top. The game provides some non-distracting ambient music to play in the background if you would like, where someone in the group described it as something you would hear while getting a massage.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
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Each puzzle was very different from one another. Some relied on a eureka moment while others gave you items you needed to interact with while others required you to search through Google street view and find the clues. There was a range of difficulties in the puzzles with some that were quick to solve while others required some outside the box thinking. The hints were thought out, easy to access and tiered nicely. We were able to use them and found they did not give away too much and still allowed us our eureka moment.
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"Keepers of the Keys" was a mysterious game with a cryptic story to go along with it. The puzzles mixed into the game effortlessly and made great use of Google Maps and the point click aspect. We played this game as a group of 6 people, each on their own computer which worked out since there was no need to share items, and everyone felt like they could get involved. Anyone who is a fan of secret societies, any armchair explorer or puzzlehunt fan would enjoy this game. The GeoMystery Club’s motto is “Seek and Solve” which is the perfect description for this game!
(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 The GeoMystery Club for providing us with a sample of the game. Although complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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