The Beast of Pawtucket
Location: Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Date Played: December 15, 2019
Team size: 4-8; we recommend 5-7
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $29 per player
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
The Cellar II: Saul’s Revenge surprised us. Lock & Clue Escape Rooms struck an engaging balance between camp and legitimate scares.
This wasn’t a Party City Halloween props horror game. The Cellar II had some really interesting and unusual set pieces, some elegantly designed puzzles, and a great in-character gamemaster who breathed life into the game. It’s worth noting that the owner played that part for us, but insisted that he has an employee who does it far better.
If you’re in Rhode Island, there’s a lot to love about the The Cellar II, especially if a horror experience appeals to you. Go investigate for yourself.
Who is this for?
- Adventure seekers
- Story seekers
- Scenery snobs
- Any experience level
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- Memorable interactions
- Intense actor-driven moments
Story
We had escaped the butcher’s basement, which had seemed to put an end to the murder spree. All seemed right in the neighborhood… until people started disappearing again. Once more, someone had to go investigate The Cellar.
Setting
The Cellar II was appropriately cellar-ish. It looked like a modestly gory murder basement. I know this because I’ve seen a few.
Lock & Clue Escape Rooms didn’t achieve (or seem to strive for) the grotesque level of detail on the extreme end of the genre. However, neither did they cheap out and make The Cellar II look like it was decorated with leftover Halloween decorations from Party City. They struck a solid, approachable balance, and included a fair bit of detail.
Gameplay
Lock & Clue Escape Rooms’ The Cellar II: Saul’s Revenge was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, puzzling, and interacting with the actor.
Analysis
➕ With a detailed set, a badass prop, and an interesting character, The Cellar II was clearly made with love and thought.
➕ The Cellar II struck a balance between campy and scary.
➖ The Cellar II was a search-heavy escape room. There were a lot of small details to uncover and a large gamespace in which to find them. One critical item was insanely tiny.
➕ The hinting was fully integrated in the gameplay and the experience. Because of this, Lock & Clue Escape Rooms had complete control over the timing and difficulty of The Cellar II. They chose when and how to push hints to the group. It takes a lot of skill to balance this for each group, providing enough character development along with appropriate puzzle direction. We were an unusual group for them – as a group of 6 highly experienced players – and overall, they did a phenomenal job.
➕ The Cellar II developed the character of Saul throughout this escape room. He had his own voice and writing style.
➕ Lock & Clue Escape Rooms put their own perspective on some of the puzzles. We especially liked how they spun one classic escape room trope.
➖ While many of the puzzles were worked into the setting or theme, some seemed like random escape room-y add ons that didn’t belong in the setting.
➖ We tripped up on an instance of double cluing. This cheapened an otherwise strong puzzle that thematically worked well.
➕ Lock & Clue Escape Rooms set this game in the same physical space as The Cellar, but changed things up quite a bit. We hadn’t played the original, but it was made clear to us that this game was fully redesigned from the original.
Tips For Visiting
- There is street parking and a parking lot between the buildings.
- At least one player needs to be able to crawl.
- Review our tips for playing games with actors.
Book your hour with Lock & Clue Escape Rooms’ The Cellar II: Saul’s Revenge, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Lock & Clue Escape Rooms provided media discounted tickets for this game.
