Lost in translation.
Location: New York, New York
Date played: June 13, 2017
Team size: 2-4; we recommend 2-3
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $25 per ticket
Story & setting
With the Earth in turmoil, our team of scientists sought to send a message to alien beings in the hopes that they might be our salvation.
Planet SOS was a small set in a dark space lit largely by flashlights. The walls were decorated with stick-on and projected stars.
Puzzles
Planet SOS was made up of about half a dozen challenging puzzles. They were all solvable, but they were difficult to understand due to sloppy execution.
Standouts
A couple of puzzles in Planet SOS were genuinely interesting.
Shortcomings
Planet SOS desperately needed editing from a native English speaker. SOS Escape Room’s entire experience, include the website, would benefit from this. They could probably hire a college student for an hour or two and significantly improve the quality of their written puzzle and promotional materials.
The tech in Planet SOS was haphazardly implemented. Even when it worked correctly, it felt broken. We solved puzzles and then waited 15 seconds for confirmation from the tech.
Even the most interesting puzzles overstayed their welcome.
Should I play SOS Escape Room’s Planet SOS?
Planet SOS was a strange escape room that did not feel cohesive or refined. Even the genuinely interesting portions of the escape room felt slapped together.
In speaking with the gamemaster, I got the impression that they are truly passionate about their escape rooms. It also felt, however, like they have no concept of the escape room market in New York City in 2017. I probably would not have recommended Planet SOS three years ago and I certainly cannot today.
