Mystery Mansion Regina – Night Terrors [Hivemind Review]

Night Terrors is included in our recommendation guides for Remote Horror Games and Avatar-Guided Online Escape Games . For more of the best online escape games in these styles, check out the recommendation guides.

Night Terrors is an escape room livestreamed and played through an avatar, created specifically for online play by Mystery Mansion Regina in Regina, Canada.

Night Terrors cover art depictes the shadow of a man in a hat against a bedroom wall.

Format

Style of Play: an escape room livestreamed and played through an avatar, created specifically for online play

Required Equipment: computer with internet connection

Recommended Team Size: 2-4

Play Time: 75 minutes

Price: $15.00 CAD per ticket with a minimum of 3 players

Booking: book online for a specific time slot

Description

This is a standard first-person avatar game that you play via Zoom. The game doesn’t use or need an inventory, but you do acquire audio clips throughout the experience that further the narrative and provide clues. Notably, even though you guide the avatar through a physical space, all elements of this game were designed for the virtual experience.

Hivemind Review Scale

REA's hivemind review scale - 3 is recommended anytime, 2 recommended in quarantine, 1 is not recommended.

Read more about our Hivemind Review format.

Cara Mandel’s Reaction

Rating: 3 out of 3.

I really enjoyed Night Terrors! This game employed a very clever narrative device which put us inside the mind of our protagonist. We were in the position of both observing everything through their eyes but also helping them “remember” things to advance the story. Though the puzzle mechanics in the game weren’t terribly difficult, they were used to great effect. There was also some very creepy production design that helped the environment feel even more off-kilter and dreamlike. I recommend this for anyone who likes an unsettling (but not horrific) story-driven experience!

Sarah Mendez’s Reaction

Rating: 2 out of 3.

This game might be the closest you’ll come to being someone’s subconscious. The story received the bulk of the creative attention in the game design, as evidenced by the avatar’s persistent and convincing panic, the sinister audio clips that furthered the narrative, and the specific dialog snippets we had to learn in order to participate in certain interactions. The puzzles, by contrast, were fairly typical and somewhat forgettable, leading to a relatively straightforward playthrough. I also struggle with auditory elements, and this had multiple auditory clues. Overall, I would recommend this experience for those who prize story (possibly at the expense of puzzles) and for newer players who haven’t experienced as many puzzle formats. It’s a solid game for sure, but I left feeling more like an observer going through preordained motions than an active participant. But maybe that’s what being a subconscious is supposed to feel like…

Matthew Stein’s Reaction

Rating: 3 out of 3.

Night Terrors tells a terrifically terrifying narrative through a myriad of gripping storytelling techniques, progressive character/ story development, and solid puzzling. As I’ve mentioned in my Pursuit of the Assassin Artist and Virtual X-Caper reviews, I love seeing physical sets built specifically for remote play, and this game is no exception. We played the main characters’s subconscious as he explored a fractured version of his childhood bedroom from within a deep trance state. Our remote roles felt all the more important and justified specifically because the gameplay and story wouldn’t make sense if we were in the room in person. It’s clear the folks at Mystery Mansion Regina are no strangers to story and immersion, as the game made clever use of forced perspective, hidden room resets, and an inventory system of password-gated video “memories” to deliver a smorgasbord of creepy-cool moments.

4 Comments

  1. Great work Elijah! Really immersive performance and really enjoyed the experience!

  2. Elijah was a terrific host and actor! It was a fantastic time. He should win employee of the month!!!

  3. Elijah Elijah Elijah! Thank you for tolerating our silliness. Elijah had a great hold on the character and a way of hinting without hinting (y’know?). These are strange times, but we’re planning a return trip to the terror … in the sequel. <3USA

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