Mystified – Keeper of the Light [Review]

Anyone got a light?

Location: Mystic, Connecticut

Date Played: August 24, 2022

Team Size: 3-10; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $32 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Mystified’s Keeper of the Light had a nautical theme befitting the coastal location of Mystic, Connecticut. We were greeted enthusiastically by our gamemaster and led into a dimly lit space with seaside décor. I was pleasantly surprised by the overall ambience, with ghostly whispers seemingly coming from nowhere and a thunderstorm brewing outside. These special effects set the mood for a spooky adventure in an old abandoned lighthouse, long gone dark.

The puzzles were beginner-friendly and the kind you would find in a typical escape room. Most were approachable and often involved nautical props which added to the local flair and made sense in a coastal environment. Puzzle flow was smooth throughout most of the game, though we had some issues later on in the experience. One prop failed to trigger several times, pausing momentum. At another point, we split up to work on two different puzzles, both of which were odd choices as they didn’t fit the theme at all. Furthermore, although they were intended to be linear, we were able to solve the second one first, making the other, more complex puzzle unnecessary and causing confusion. 

An old workbench with rusty tools mounted above it.

The most jarring part of the game, however, was the hint system. It involved ringing a doorbell to alert the gamemaster, who then knocked and entered the room; then they basically walked us though the part of the puzzle we were stuck on. Not only did this process completely break the immersion, it also made for a rather awkward in-person interaction as we essentially solved the puzzle together. A different, less-intrusive method of hinting would retain the immersion and make it more comfortable for players to seek help on a puzzle.

If you’re in Mystic, CT and are looking for a beginner-friendly game, check out Mystified and play Keeper of the Light.

Who is this for?

  • Players who like nautical themes
  • Newbies

Why play?

  • Regional, seaside flavor
  • Fun, approachable puzzles

Story

The Ledge Lighthouse had been abandoned for years, its guiding light no longer aiding incoming ships. With a hurricane quickly approaching, it was up to us to restore the lighthouse so its beacon would shine once again.

An old writer's desk with a morse code mechanism in a dimly lit room.

Setting

The game took place in the Ledge Lighthouse, an abandoned lighthouse in Mystic, Connecticut. A storm was raging outside, while mysterious mumblings were heard between flashes of the storm.

A large barrel of Captain Morgan rum beside a window in a dimly lit room.

Gameplay

Mystified’s Keeper of the Light was a standard escape room with a low level of difficulty.

Gameplay revolved around searching, making connections and puzzling.

Analysis

➕ Realistic sound effects and overall ambience supported the narrative and elevated a basic set. We could tell that Mystified had focused attention on this aspect of the game.

➕ Early puzzles leveraged the coastal theme and were quick to solve; they were especially approachable for new, less experienced escapers. 

➖ One puzzle was finicky and took several tries to finally trigger even though we’d entered the correct solution.

➕ A mid-game discovery was unexpected and made us laugh out loud.

➖/ ➕Puzzle flow was smooth until we solved a late-game puzzle out of sequence; by switching to a different type of prop, the integrity of the linear structure of the game could be maintained.

➖ The in-room hint delivery was awkward and unnecessarily intrusive, breaking immersion and bringing the game to a halt. There’s an opportunity to deliver hints in a way that keeps the gamemaster out of the physical game space and maintains immersion for the players.

Tips For Visiting

  • There is a parking lot
  • After our game, we enjoyed Thai food at the Pink Basil Restaurant. And if you are a fan of 80’s movies or Julia Roberts, you can’t visit Mystic, CT without stopping in for a “Slice of heaven” at Mystic Pizza!

Book your hour with Mystified’s Keeper of the Light, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

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