![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Escape room: Asylum (Xcape)
Aug. 29th, 2019 10:30 pmAfter a suspicious fire engulfed the Oakridge Lunatic Asylum five patients - all under the care of Dr Rutger - were never found. Later, the doctor’s wife made a death-bed confession about her husband’s concealed room, where he performed unspeakable experiments; you & your team must re-enter the remains of the asylum and investigate.
This is my second favourite room so far after Rotophobia’s One Hell of a Kitchen, and while that still has the edge for atmosphere this one was pretty unnerving. The website had a warning for jump scares, and knowing that kept us on edge for the whole game - at one point one of the group went back into a previous room to check something, and there was then a bloodcurdling scream - which turned out to be a recording triggered by her opening a drawer. We got out in just under the hour and asked for two clues, which were given with time penalties - one was a puzzle where we’d tried so many options that we’d confused ourselves, and the other was a failure to note all the effects from a switch I’d triggered (the lights flashed on and off to the sound of gunshots, and we’d all huddled together in the conviction that something was about to launch itself in our direction). Apart from the puzzle we confused ourselves on they were all fair and fun - one involved finding blocks to put into a marble run mounted on the wall behind plastic, so that the marble would land in the right place to trigger a door opening - and the final puzzle involved finding five skulls and placing them in the right order on five markers.
The escape room format does definitely lend itself to horror. There are a few around with different formats (escape the sinking ship, complete the WWII spy mission) that I’d like to try as well, but I do like horror and it’s interesting seeing what format it works for me in - I am not particularly fond of horror movies, but I do like horror fiction and computer games. The guy at this one when we were discussing escape rooms also recommended Rotofobia’s R18 room, which I’d thought sounded a bit gimmicky (you’re trying to escape a strip club before the bouncer comes back) but he said it was the best one he’s done so I may well give it a go next time I’m there.
This is my second favourite room so far after Rotophobia’s One Hell of a Kitchen, and while that still has the edge for atmosphere this one was pretty unnerving. The website had a warning for jump scares, and knowing that kept us on edge for the whole game - at one point one of the group went back into a previous room to check something, and there was then a bloodcurdling scream - which turned out to be a recording triggered by her opening a drawer. We got out in just under the hour and asked for two clues, which were given with time penalties - one was a puzzle where we’d tried so many options that we’d confused ourselves, and the other was a failure to note all the effects from a switch I’d triggered (the lights flashed on and off to the sound of gunshots, and we’d all huddled together in the conviction that something was about to launch itself in our direction). Apart from the puzzle we confused ourselves on they were all fair and fun - one involved finding blocks to put into a marble run mounted on the wall behind plastic, so that the marble would land in the right place to trigger a door opening - and the final puzzle involved finding five skulls and placing them in the right order on five markers.
The escape room format does definitely lend itself to horror. There are a few around with different formats (escape the sinking ship, complete the WWII spy mission) that I’d like to try as well, but I do like horror and it’s interesting seeing what format it works for me in - I am not particularly fond of horror movies, but I do like horror fiction and computer games. The guy at this one when we were discussing escape rooms also recommended Rotofobia’s R18 room, which I’d thought sounded a bit gimmicky (you’re trying to escape a strip club before the bouncer comes back) but he said it was the best one he’s done so I may well give it a go next time I’m there.
