The Lost ship.
Location: Austin, TX
Date played: January 6, 2017
Team size: 2-8; we recommend 4-6
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $25 per ticket
Story & setting
Stranded on a desert island, we stumbled upon a ship that had run aground. We had to power the ship and lift its curse in order to set course for freedom.
Lockout Austin had crafted an island-meets-ship-esque design into the room. While by no means a convincing vessel, the design worked in a storybook sort of way. It was a playful shipwreck adventure.
Puzzles
On The Cursed Ship, we unearthed quite a bit to puzzle through. We always understood what to puzzle with, and while a lot was happening, it was also clear which puzzle components connected.
Much of the puzzling was interactive, incorporating the ship-esque set components.
Standouts
The Cursed Ship included a few particularly fun puzzles.
Lockout Austin designed this room escape to force teamwork. Before we’d solved any given puzzle, multiple people had interacted with the components. This all felt natural and deeply satisfying as a group experience.
Despite the team-oriented design, individuals still experienced their own starring moments.
While the curse-lifting was a tad hokey, Lockout Austin pulled it off through the playful design of the set and story, and the energetic vibe of their overall customer experience.
Shortcomings
While fun, the story and set design were not as compelling as the puzzles.
Many of the puzzles also didn’t jibe with the narrative. We opened a few too many boxes of puzzley things. All of these containers of stuff, so to speak, felt like a shortcut in design and construction. More integration would have greatly benefitted the overall experience.
Should I play Lockout Austin’s The Cursed Ship?
The Cursed Ship was about the puzzles rather than the narrative or the set. Throughout the game we continued to uncover puzzles as we pieced others together. Despite the volume, they flowed logically, and perhaps because of it, the puzzling naturally produced teamwork.
This would be a challenging escape room for newer players, but it would still be approachable.
The Cursed Ship was a playful nod to Lost. It wasn’t scary or particularly realistic, and we were all smiling throughout the game.
This was the spirit of Lockout Austin. Under an adorable happy birthday sign in the lobby, the staff greeted us with a riddle. Everyone we met was engaged and clearly having a good time with their clientele. It was a joy to play their games.
Book your hour with Lockout Austin’s The Cursed Ship, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Full disclosure: Lockout Austin provided media discounted tickets for this game.
