Update 2023: This original Zoe game is closed and the game available now is a sequel.
😱 💩 👖
Location: Fullerton, California
Date played: June 4, 2017
Team size: 2-6; we recommend 2-6 (depending upon team composition; read below)
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $30-40 per ticket
Story & setting
A terrifying and tormented young girl mind-controlled and summoned us to her home to do her bidding. What she needed of us, only she knew.
The set was a dark and haunted house. It was scary and detailed, but the real scares came from the actors.
Puzzles
Zoe was a light puzzle game. The puzzles were essentially gates that separated the various segments of the experience.
If you lose in Zoe, it won’t be because you weren’t smart enough to solve the puzzles; it will be because you were too afraid to get the job done.
Standouts
Zoe was striving for scary, and dammit, Escapade achieved scary.
The actors were fantastic. They managed to create the right blend of fear and intensity, all without being too threatening.
The set looked great.
The hinting system was magnificently woven into the fabric of the game and naturally pushed us from scene to scene with urgency.
Shortcomings
The most significant puzzle in Zoe was overburdened with scavenging and reading. It suffered from a general lack of clarity.
One pivotal prop should be replaced with something a little less capable of inflicting damage on players, actors, and set pieces.
Should I play Escapade Games’ Zoe?
Zoe was an exceptional experience that I highly recommend to mobile players. You will need to move with some urgency.
Zoe is essentially a haunted house, so keep that in mind when building your team. If everyone is brave, then you’re going to want a smaller team of 2 or 3 people. If you have some players who are going to spend most of the time keeping their sphincter puckered… then you might want to consider a team of 4 to 6 people.
If you can muster up the courage, then Zoe is a must-play.
Book your hour with Escapade Games’ Zoe, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Full disclosure: Escapade Games provided media discounted tickets for this game.
