Damn treasure hunters!
Location: Windsor Locks, CT
Date played: November 12, 2017
Team size: 2-15; we recommend 5-8
Duration: 60 minutes (can be extended for small groups)
Price: $29 per ticket
Story & setting.
We embarked on a treasure hunt for pirate gold. We entered a local cabin where we hoped former treasure hunters had left behind enough clues that we would strike it rich.
Raiders of the Lost Room was based on the true story of Pirate David Marteen who, according to legend, buried treasure nearby in East Granby, Connecticut. The folks from AdventurEscape told us that they had been kicked out of the local historical society for asking questions about the legend. (It seems the historical society gets a lot of wannabe treasure hunters.)
The large gamespace felt vaguely like a cabin with old eclectic furniture and a fireplace.
Puzzles
Raiders of the Lost Room was an old-school escape room. There was a lot to puzzle through. In this non-linear room escape, there was a lot available to work through at any given time.
These puzzles involved search, observation, spatial reasoning, riddling, ciphering, and dexterity.
Standouts
Raiders of the Lost Room was inspired by local Connecticut lore. AdventurEscape built their escape room on top of an existing treasure hunting legend. This was a great idea.
The puzzles in Raiders of the Lost Room would keep a larger team entertained. For the majority of the game, there were plenty of different puzzles to work on, many of which could engage a couple of people working together.
We enjoyed AdventurEscape’s implementations of more common escape room puzzle types. They added intrigue without tedium.
There were some unusual puzzles in here too; they were generally a good time.
We appreciated one late-game puzzle that relied on different skills and contrasted with the earlier puzzling. It was refreshing and exciting.
Shortcomings
While we enjoyed the interaction in this puzzle, it lacked in-game feedback. We continued trying to solve it long after we’d succeeded.
In one instance, Raiders of the Lost Room suffered from a gating problem. One puzzle was open from the first moments of the game and we spent a lot of time approaching it incorrectly before we received enough information to tackle it appropriately.
Raiders of the Lost Room needed polish. AdventurEscape could make interactions more precise, clean up wear, and add more aesthetic flair to the cabin.
Should I play AdventurEscape’s Raiders of the Lost Room?
Raiders of the Lost Room was packed full of fun and challenging puzzles. These were enticing and approachable.
AdventurEscape has continued to iterate and refine Raiders of the Lost Room. While at times this leads to choppiness, it generally means that the clue structure exists if you persist in finding it.
There is a lot of find, as is the nature of most large-team games.
Players of all experience levels can enjoy Raiders of the Lost Room. We recommend that newer players especially bring a larger group and communicate well. For more experienced players who won’t be overwhelmed by the volume of challenges to approach, Raiders of the Lost Room would be a lot to tackle as a small group, but doable.
If you have a large group looking for adventure, we recommend this search for pirate gold.
Book your hour with AdventurEscape’s Raiders of the Lost Room, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
