Enter through the gift shop
Location: Austin, Texas
Date Played: August 9, 2019
Team size: 2-8; we recommend 5-6
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $27.50 per player
Ticketing: Public
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Lockout Austin did a clever thing in Area 51-2. It’s one of those things that’s so smart that once you hear it, it almost feels like it was obvious: the game is a gift shop and you can buy most of the items in it with real money and take them home with you.
If anyone else has done this before, we have neither seen nor heard of it.
Also… we hope that this doesn’t become overdone by too many companies.
Moving onto the actual game.
Lockout Austin took us on a quirky adventure and made us work for our victory.
Area 51-2 was a particularly challenging escape game compared with most everything else we’ve played in the region. (We set the record and still think it was tough.)
The set and effects seemed deliberate.
All in all, this was a strong game, and we absolutely recommend it for more experienced players who are in search of a bit more of a challenge and some creative game design and storytelling.
“512” being the area code in Austin, there were layers of things going on in Area 51-2. The game was quirky, puzzley, and challenging.
Who is this for?
- Story seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Scenery snobs
- Sci-fi fans
- Players with at least some experience
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- The gift shop
- Challenging puzzles
- Strong game design
- Some cool effects
Story
My uncle had been a conspiracy theorist and the owner of a weird alien museum. With his recent passing, I was left as the sole heir to his business. It was time to see what the man had been up to.
Setting
Area 51-2 opened in a low-rent gift shop/ museum owned by an alien conspiracy theorist… and it sold that pretty well. It wasn’t fancy, but it wasn’t supposed to be.
Everything in the game was dated, including the technology, merchandise, and pop culture references. It felt like the original owner of this museum/ shop had done most of the work a couple of decades ago. So few escape rooms really nail this kind of detail.
Gameplay
Lockout Austin’s Area 51-2 was a standard escape room with a high level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around observing, making connections, puzzling… and shopping (if you’re interested).
Analysis
➕ Area 51-2. The name was brilliant.
➕ The gift shop concept was genius and novel. The in-game gift shop had amusing oddities for purchase… and we did purchase. This was a great mechanic that I hope doesn’t become overdone in escape games. It would be easy for too many companies to implement this poorly and murder the concept.
➕ Lockout Austin introduced Area 51-2 by setting the scene. Our in-character gamemaster conveyed our role – and his – through humorous dialogue. His introduction was outstanding and his script was expertly crafted to subtly facilitate gameplay. Well done.
➕ There was a lot to solve in Area 51-2 . It was a puzzle-driven game with a ton of content, some of it rather involved.
➖ In the later portion of the game, many of the puzzles were rooted in similar concepts. Given how involved these were, we would have liked a bit more variety.
➖ Area 51-2 had a small physical footprint. Most players will probably want to bring a team of 6 to tackle the puzzles. There were, however, bottlenecks both in space and in gameplay that will frustrate larger teams. This makes it tough to recommend an ideal team size for Area 51-2 .
➕ The set was cleverly crafted. In-game, we felt that the set design was uneven… but upon reflection, we think that all of that was deliberate.
➖ In one close-quarters segment of this game, Lockout Austin used a lot of VacuForm. Constantly bumping into it was a regular reminder that the set wasn’t real.
➕ Win or lose, players receive a conclusion to their adventure.
❓Area 51-2 was noticeably harder than the other games in the region.
Tips For Visiting
- Lockout Austin had many food options nearby.
- There is a parking lot.
- The gift shop accepts both cash and credit card.
Book your hour with Lockout Austin’s Area 51-2, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Lockout Austin comped our tickets for this game.
