What happens in Manchester, stays in Manchester.
Location: Manchester, NH
Date Played: December 16, 2017
Team size: 6-10; we recommend 4-6
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $25 per ticket
REA Reaction
What Happened in ManchVegas?! offered a gentle onramp and then escalated in puzzle complexity.
This was a fantastic beginner game with moments that enthusiasts will appreciate.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle lovers
- Any experience level
- Fans of The Hangover movies
Why play?
- Interactive set pieces
- Fun puzzles
- Great transition
Story
We woke up in our hotel room to a text from our friend. He had racked up a lot of debt in the casino the night before and then fled, leaving us with the tab. Could we settle the debt before someone came looking for it?
Setting
Our small hotel room had the essentials: bed, television, and abstract art. When we found the casino, it housed casino game tables. These worked well enough.
The most exciting set was the transition space.
Gameplay
What Happened in ManchVegas?! was a strong puzzle game.
Early on, the gameplay was pretty typical with a straightforward search-and-puzzle rhythm popping locks. The hotel room played as a perfect on-ramp for escape room-style puzzling.
As we opened up a larger gamespace, the puzzles became more layered and interesting. Additionally, in the later portion of What Happened in ManchVegas?!, the puzzling involved the larger set pieces, facilitating more varied types of opens.
Standouts
What Happened in ManchVegas?! started out gently, and once we were puzzling, it escalated in difficulty.
What Happened in ManchVegas?! flowed well from one satisfying solve to the next. There was quite a bit to tackle here.
We enjoyed the mid-game transition segment. It used space well to move the narrative forward and amp up the environment.
Shortcomings
The biggest set piece would have benefited from additional instruction on how it worked. Pushing the buttons felt like gambling on its functionality. The puzzle wasn’t supposed to be in how to manipulate it.
Much of the clue structure came on bits of paper. While some of these made sense, especially early on, Granite State Escape could find ways to embed more of the late game clue structure into the set itself, which would be more exciting.
We settled the debt, but I’m not really sure why or how. We left unsure why the premise resolved.
Tips for Visiting
- You can’t miss it. Granite State Escape has the most straightforward signage ever.
- They have ample free parking.
Book your hour with Granite State Escape’s What Happened in ManchVegas?!, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Granite State Escape comped our tickets for this game.
