A suburban soft entry to room escapes.
Location: Waldwick, NJ
Date played: May 16, 2016
Team size: 4-6; we recommend 3-6
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $27 per ticket
Story & setting
We were searching a crime scene for the killer’s identity, weapon, and motive. We had to collect the evidence to get ourselves off the hook before the police arrived.
Cipher Seeker set this dramatic story in a mundane room. The decor didn’t build any particular ambiance.
Puzzles
Framed included both puzzles that stood alone and puzzles that revealed clues slowly over the course of the game, building toward more exciting conclusions. This worked well.
The puzzles also incorporated your standard escape room locks, along with technologically driven triggers.
Standouts
Cipher Seeker’s design was simple, but effective. They created this game on a low budget, but designed it cleverly.
We enjoyed the simple mechanisms Cipher Seeker employed to advance the game.
Our gamemaster/ game designer was incredibly kind and encouraging. He wants his players to experience his whole game from start to finish.
Shortcomings
Framed was teeming with three-digit locks. In fact, David set up an unopened three-digit lock station so that he could simplify the testing of combinations without running around the room. Framed also had its fair share of four- and five- digit combination locks. The puzzles either needed more variety in lock input type or better hinting to point at the correct place to apply a derived solution.
The room’s interactions didn’t convey story with any level of clarity. In order to solve the mystery, we were bogged down with reading lots of materials.
Should I play Cipher Seeker’s Framed?
Cipher Seeker is openly a lower-budget, suburban venue. They aren’t trying to compete with the larger budget games in New York City.
Nevertheless, Framed included clever interactions that will challenge and delight players.
Cipher Seeker isn’t a destination for experienced players seeking an incredible challenge, immersive story, or over-the-top staging and interactions. However, if you live in the area, or find yourself passing through, it has more to offer than many companies in similar circumstances.
If you happen to be in northern New Jersey, Cipher Seeker is a great soft entry for new players or experienced players looking to introduce their friends to escape rooms.
Book your hour with Cipher Seeker’s Framed, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
