Raid thee galleon and plunder thee swag!
Location: Farmington, CT
Date played: December 12, 2016
Team size: 2-8; we recommend 3-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $30 per ticket
Story & setting
With the crew ashore for the evening, celebrating the commandeering of a new ship, we snuck back aboard to search for any treasure left by the previous captain.
The Pirate Ship took place aboard the deck of a ship, under the cover of nighttime. The ship itself was a handcrafted, wooden-planked “vessel” built into a room at Complexity. It looked great and felt like a pirate playground.
Puzzles
The puzzles were thematically sound, designed around items that belonged aboard a ship, and included lots of locked loot boxes. They didn’t convey a story arc, but they felt at home in the environment.
Complexity made great use of their space by custom building large-scale puzzle interactions into their set pieces.
Standouts
There were a few interactive pirate ship components that solved in incredibly satisfying ways. We appreciated when the set and the puzzles came together.
The Pirate Ship was clearly handcrafted with care, love, and attention to detail. It was a fun place to inhabit.
Shortcomings
Despite the details, the room escape sometimes felt rough around the edges.
Late in The Pirate Ship, we encountered a section that wasn’t up to the production level we’d come to expect from the experience. It felt like Complexity ran out of steam.
We opened a lot of locked boxes aboard The Pirate Ship. This felt like a missed opportunity to unlock the ship itself, perhaps by way of compartments constructed into the deck rather than an assortment of boxes.
Should I play Complexity’s The Pirate Ship?
The Pirate Ship was more than a puzzle room; it was a treasure heist aboard the deck of a pirate ship. The puzzles and the environment worked in tandem to deliver a strong experience.
Although it had some rough edges, it was clearly constructed with passion and skill.
Our experienced team blew through this room escape. We would have loved a little bit longer aboard. However, newer players and smaller teams will find quite a bit here to sink their anchor into.
Book your hour with Complexity’s The Pirate Ship, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Full disclosure: Complexity provided media discounted tickets for this game.
