Study Egypt
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date Played: May 26, 2019
Team size: 2-12; we recommend 2-4
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $25 CAD per adult, $20 per child (under 13)
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Mystery at Maryweather Mansion was not designed for me and my group. Looking Glass Adventures’ target market was younger families, as demonstrated by the changing tables in their bathrooms.
Considering their goal of producing family-friendly adventures that adults can enjoy, I think that they are doing a lovely job.
Did I see anything mindblowing? No. However, Mystery at Maryweather Mansion had solid puzzle and set design with a few creative interactions.
If you’re a family in Toronto looking to introduce your children to puzzle adventures, this is a fantastic choice. If you’re an adult looking for a solid escape room with a few interesting interactions, you can absolutely find fun within Mystery at Maryweather Mansion. We did.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle lovers
- Families
- Newbies
Why play?
- Cute, clever puzzles
- Approachable gameplay
Story
Renowned archeologist/ adventurer Ms. Maryweather was off on another one of her journeys when she heard a rumor that a rival archeologist was planning to steal her most prized possession from her mansion.
She contacted us, her loyal pupils, to sneak into her home, bypass her security, identify her most prized artifact, and hide it before it could be stolen.
Setting
Mystery at Maryweather Mansion was built around the main character’s study. It looked like a traditional escape room with a few added elements that reminded us that the room was targeted at children.
While most of the game looked typical, the final act had the most interesting aesthetic (and gameplay) twist.
Gameplay
Looking Glass Adventures’ Mystery at Maryweather Mansion was a standard escape room with a family-friendly level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, puzzling, observing, and making connections.
Analysis
➕ The in-character delivery of hints was delightful.
➕ The story behind Mystery at Maryweather Mansion was light but solid. Above all, it didn’t come with a ton of reading.
➕ There were a couple of creative puzzles. My favorites made clever use of Ms. Maryweather’s artifacts.
➖ One of the puzzles that I truly enjoyed the mechanics of also felt like it was missing a bit of clue structure. The solution was alluded to, but even after having derived the correct answer for all of the right reasons, we weren’t confident at all until we saw that it worked.
➖ The lighting was too low, especially for the amount of searching required of us. We probably would have had an easier time in this game if we’d had a kid or two searching about.
➕/❓ While the set wasn’t fancy by any measure, Looking Glass Adventures selected an achievable locale and did a fine job. If your game selection is motivated specifically by set design, there won’t be anything that blows your mind.
➖ There were a few locks that had seen a few too many adventures and deserved to retire.
➕ Looking Glass Adventures provided an amusing bonus puzzle after the main game concluded. They do this for speedy teams. This was delivered in-character with the same charm as the hints.
Tips For Visiting
- Looking Glass Adventures requires at least 2 adults present in the room with a group of children.
Book your hour with Looking Glass Adventures’ Mystery at Maryweather Mansion, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Looking Glass Adventures provided media discounted tickets for this game.
