Ghost Light is one of the best escape rooms in New York City. Here are our recommendations for great escape rooms in New York City.
Leave the light on when you depart.
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Date Played: November 8, 2020
Team size: 2-8; we recommend 3-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $35-60 per player depending on team size and day
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Ghost Light was Myss Tic’s second escape game and it sent us into a unique haunted theater – without horror.
While it was an escape room through and through, with escape room logic, and all of the trappings… there was a lot about Ghost Light that felt fresh and novel. It looked different, told a new story, and incorporated lighting with an elegance that we rarely see.
I’ll go so far as to say that lighting was the secret weapon in this game. It drew us in, focused our attention on what mattered (and where Myss Tic spent effort and money building), and deprioritized segments that weren’t essential. It felt a little like a magic trick, and served as a constant reminder that truly caring about craft is a superpower in and of itself.
With this and their first game Montauk Project, Myss Tic has established itself as a must-play venue in New York City. If you’re choosing between Montauk Project and Ghost Light, my first question would be, why not play both? If you can’t do that, honestly, pick the one that speaks to you. There are no wrong choices.
It’s also worth noting that we visited in November of 2020 and Myss Tic made us feel about as safe and comfortable as would be possible during a pandemic.
Who is this for?
- Adventure seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Scenery snobs
- Theater folk
- Players with at least some experience
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- A unique setting & story
- Some beautiful interactions
- A well crafted, layered final sequence
Story
Everyone had heard of the Ziegfeld Follies, the Vaudeville era’s most famous theatrical revue. And who doesn’t know about Olive Thomas, the Follies’ most popular star? You don’t?
Well, while Thomas was known for her performances, she’s been remembered for being murdered. Poisoned.
To this day, she still haunts Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre. If we don’t figure out how to turn on the stage’s ghost light at night, giving her and her fellow Follies a stage to perform on, they will surely find ways to make our daytime stage performances memorable… for better or for worse.
Setting
The theater setting for Ghost Light was unusual and elegant. We explored different parts of the theater, and each segment had beautiful set pieces.
One of the more remarkable things about this game’s set design was the way that it drew attention to what mattered through the lighting, which made other parts of the set almost vanish.
Gameplay
Myss Tic’s Ghost Light was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and puzzling.
Analysis
➕ In Ghost Light, quite appropriately, the lighting was one of the stars of the show. Myss Tic used lighting subtly and dramatically to direct our attention and further the game. It worked brilliantly.
➕ We loved the scene transitions in this theater. We especially loved how well choreographed the first one was, and the way in which the second one revolved.
➕ In Ghost Light, the gameplay led us across multiple sets. Myss Tic’s expert cluing and lighting guided us and the gameplay flowed well.
➖ There was an opportunity to better wrap or obscure some of the tech.
➖ The triggered opens were not quite balanced, with some springing with startling force, and others going entirely unnoticed.
➖ /➕ One puzzle would have been less awkward in an era before masks. Myss Tic had designed a perfectly safe and functional implementation that worked. That said, it was uncomfortable to encounter this one – a reminder that times have changed, even if it was handled about as well as it could have been.
➕ Ghost Light included a few unusual twists for more typical escape rooms props and tech. These smoothed out any thoughts of cliches.
➕ The culminating layered sequence was complex, yet elegant. It was clearly clued and came together with a series of satisfying ahas.
➖ As much as we enjoyed the climactic scene, the final task seemed unnecessary and made the ending feel blurry.
Tips For Visiting
- Parking: Metered street parking in Brooklyn. Free on Sundays. Good luck!
- Accessibility: There is a flight of stairs down when you enter the building, but there is also an elevator available if needed.
Book your hour with Myss Tic’s Ghost Light, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
