This may shock you, but the room only has 60 minutes of oxygen.
Location: Livingston, NJ
Date played: April 23, 2017
Team size: up to 8; we recommend 5-6
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: from $30 per ticket
Story & setting
While we were aboard a submarine-turned-military museum, the vessel experienced a systemwide malfunction. If we couldn’t right the systems, we would sink to an ocean grave.
Maritime Grave looked part submarine, part museum. Bane Escape constructed a set that felt like an imaginative naval vessel and used the museum-ification of the old boat as pretense to incorporate puzzle-laden displays and plaques. The execution was artfully done.
Puzzles
The puzzling took place largely through keen observation, which then translated into tactile inputs. The challenge was primarily in locating information and making the right connections. That shouldn’t give you the impression that Maritime Grave was an easy escape room.
There was ample room for parallel puzzling.
Standouts
Bane Escape committed to this quirky scenario and delivered. The set struck the right balance between naval vessel and museum. Its unified and polished aesthetic was both impressive and fun.
So much of this game was custom construction. It looked great and functioned well.
The information-meets-input design unfolded across the large gamespace. This facilitated teamwork well.
Shortcomings
At times, the gamespace felt empty, despite ample puzzles. Large spaces held few interactions.
One area of the submarine remained poorly lit throughout the experience. We were expecting some dramatic lighting to turn on when the area became relevant, but it remained dimly lit.
There were a few instances where the removal of clue ambiguity could dramatically elevate the experience.
Should I play Bane Escape’s Maritime Grave?
Bane Escape is a spinoff of Bane Haunted House. Although the designers have a haunt background, Maritime Grave was not a frightening game. It is approachable for a general audience. Furthermore, Bane Escape’s experience building haunts shines in the artistic and durable set of Maritime Grave.
This would be a fun, but challenging escape room for new players. There are a lot of dots to connect. Teamwork and parallel puzzling are crucial.
Experienced players will find this a worthy opponent and likely appreciate this unorthodox rendering of a sinking submarine scenario.
Book your hour with Bane Escape’s Maritime Grave, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
