I’m on a boat.
Location: Zandvoort, The Netherlands
Date Played: May 11, 2018
Team size: 2-4; we recommend 2-3
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: from €59 per group of 2 players to €99 per group of 4 players
Ticketing: Private
REA Reaction
The Boat Trip pushed the limits of escape room interaction design. What began as a typical search-and-puzzle escape room then shifted into something unusual. In the final scene, Escape Room Zandvoort augmented escape room gameplay to reach for brilliant interaction design. However, as much as we loved their aims, these mechanics felt under-responsive and unfinished. It’s one of those games we really liked, but wish that we could have loved.
If you’re in Zandvoort, please do check out The Boat Trip. This ride was more interesting than it initially appeared.
Who is this for?
- Adventure seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Any experience level
- Players who don’t get seasick
Why play?
- Mid-game puzzle sequence
- Dramatic conclusion
- The post-game photos
Story
After the fishing boat’s captain had been injured in a seafaring accident, he’d hired us to take his boat out and reel in the day’s catch. The weather looked favorable, but we knew it could turn without warning.
Setting
We began on the aft deck of the fishing boat. It had a handmade deck aesthetic, with stairs, railings, and a bit of rigging. We worked our way through the boat as we progressed through the game. The set was small but elegant and clearly built with love.
Gameplay
Escape Room Zandvoort’s The Boat Trip was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, and puzzling.
Analysis
– The Boat Trip started off slowly. While we appreciate on-ramp puzzles, the initial scene of The Boat Trip was search-heavy, with not quite enough clue structure and too many red herrings.
– One of those red herrings fit too snugly into something that it really shouldn’t.
+ We enjoyed one portable game element that we could affix to different spaces to produce different effects. It illuminated some of our favorite puzzles in The Boat Trip.
– One of the puzzles in the middle segment was overly sensitive.
– The Boat Trip felt search-heavy. Even when we triggered tech-driven opens, we had to search to figure out what we had accomplished.
+ As The Boat Trip progressed, Escape Room Zandvoort ramped up the intensity of the experience.
+ When we called for help – as one does on a boat in distress – the mechanism worked well, delivering satisfying feedback. We really enjoyed this segment.
– The most critical late-game interaction suffered from lag time in response and unchanging visuals. This added confusion as we weren’t sure 100% what we were controlling.
+ The late-game was revved up by physical effects that added intensity to the concluding puzzle sequence.
+ Escape Room Zandvoort took some of our favorite postgame photos we’ve seen to date, set against their green screen.
Tips for Visiting
- Drive about 45 minutes from central Amsterdam.
- There are adorable restaurants along the beach, just a few minutes walk from the escape room.
- This is not for players who get motion sick or seasick.
- At least 1 player needs to know how to use a compass.
Book your hour with Escape Room Zandvoort’s The Boat Trip, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Escape Room Zandvoort provided media discounted tickets for this game.
