Where in the world is Agatha Christie?
Location: Simsbury, Connecticut
Date Played: January 20, 2020
Team size: 2-8; we recommend 2-3
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $30 per player
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
The Dame Disappears was a lovely, beginner-friendly escape game in The Storyteller’s Cottage, a Victorian mansion turned escape room/ writers’ workshop/ event space.
Located in a charming small town, we absolutely adored The Storyteller’s Cottage, its programs, and its goals. We wish there was something like this near us.
As an escape room, The Dame Disappears was a strong game for newer players. It was elegant, engaging, and told a story.
Who is this for?
- Story seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Any experience level
Why play?
- Solid, beginner-friendly puzzling
- The Storyteller’s Cottage is a wonderful place to visit
- The Victorian charm of the set and setting
Story
Agatha Christie had gone missing and Scotland Yard had sent us to her home to inspect her belongings. Could we solve the case of the missing mystery novelist?
Setting
We entered a gorgeous historical home that has been repurposed as an escape room/ writers’ workshop/ whatever other crazy and fun ideas the owners and patrons dream up. It was a wonderful place.
The individual escape rooms were set in rooms within this house. In the case of The Dame Disappears, the room was Agatha Christie’s bedroom. The space was simple, yet lovingly built with clear and consistent art direction.
The use of technology was limited, yet imaginative.
Gameplay
Great Scott Mystery Rooms’ The Dame Disappears was a standard escape room with an easy level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and puzzling.
Analysis
➕ Great Scott Mystery Rooms was built into the beautiful Victorian mansion that is The Storyteller’s Cottage. The Dame Disappears took place on the second floor, in a bedroom that hearkened back to the era of the house with its bold wallpaper and antique furniture. The adorable set felt at home in The Storyteller’s Cottage.
➕ The puzzles were well clued. Although the gameplay was search-heavy, we never found ourselves ransacking a bedroom blindly. While at times there was a higher volume of text, we never found ourselves pulling random words or numbers from documents.
➖ Much of the clue structure was on laminated sheets of paper. We’d love to see Great Scott Mystery Rooms pull more of the clue structure into the set and props and find less anachronistic methods of delivering written materials.
➖ The puzzle gating included a number of locked boxes. Locked trunks belonged in The Dame Disappears. Other locked items felt out of place. There was an opportunity to vary the puzzle gating and build it into more set pieces and props, rather than place it atop these items.
➕ We enjoyed stepping upon a nifty reveal.
➕ The hint system was part of the game world. It was helpful and responsive.
➖ The final puzzles lacked excitement. Although they involved fun mechanisms, they were single player solves, and located in a corner such that they wouldn’t really be available for onlooker participation. For a group of more than 2 people, we expect that much of the team would disengage right as they reached the finale.
➕ The narrative had a fun twist for the final act. This added intrigue.
➕ The escape rooms at Great Scott Mystery Rooms are inspired by literature. They incorporated Easter eggs for the Agatha Christie fans.
Tips For Visiting
- Great Scott Mystery Rooms is located within The Storyteller’s Cottage, an adorable vintage Victorian home that hosts literary events, literary societies, writers’ workshops and retreats, storytelling events, author salons, literary-themed mystery rooms, and much more.
- You can park on the street directly in front of the house, or anywhere on Hopmeadow Street (on-street parking is free). Additional free parking is available behind the Fiddler’s Green building (where Joe Pizza is located).
- The Dame Disappears is on the second floor of the house, up a flight of stairs. There is another escape room on the first floor of the house, which is wheelchair accessible.
Book your hour with Great Scott Mystery Rooms’ The Dame Disappears, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Great Scott Mystery Rooms comped our tickets for this game.
As residents of Simsbury, we love the Storyteller’s cottage and all they do. We are lucky to have them in our town!
It’s so great to hear that they are appreciated! And also, we’re just a bit envious that you have them 🙂