There is no courage without fear
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Date Played: October 12, 2022
Team Size: 3-6; we recommend 3-5
Duration: 90 minutes
Price: $45-50 per player, depending on team size
Ticketing: Private
Accessibility Consideration: At least one player will need to crawl. All players will need to step over a knee-high wall, walk up/down stairs, and duck.
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Forsaken Temple was a sprawling game that had our team exploring the depths of the unknown. With a few physical interactions for at least one player, the various space traversals added a shine to Forsaken Temple. So many interactions throughout the experience were built with the entire team in mind, requiring multiple members to collaborate and communicate to solve complex and layered puzzles.
Omescape Sunnyvale was able to combine narrative and adventure in an unusual way, aided by beautifully hand drawn projections explaining the tales of the temple. Every time we unlocked a video sequence, we had to go back to the starting area to enjoy the story. Traversing through the temple while trying to catch these story bits felt cumbersome and required us to divert our attention away from the puzzles and reveals that had just occurred. Continually moving back and forth in the space was exhausting, even for our young and relatively fit team. It might be too demanding for some players.
Many puzzles were designed with creative, narrative-driven input mechanisms and interactions. This all fit perfectly in the adventure and made sense in the game space. The final puzzle gracefully tied the experience together with a meta-esque solve.
Forsaken Temple may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Omescape’s other offerings will appeal to a wider audience. If you’re anywhere near Sunnyvale, CA, make sure to stop by. This company is pushing the boundaries of thematic interactions and storytelling. We recommend checking out Undercooked and Chaos in the Galleria while you’re visiting, and if you have a large enough team, play Midnight in Hong Kong!
Who is this for?
- Adventure seekers
- Story seekers
- Scenery snobs
- Any experience level
- Players who enjoy traversing large game spaces
Why play?
- Expansive and beautifully designed set with seemingly infinite twists, turns, and reveals
- Creative input mechanisms
Story
Scared of what was lurking inside, an archaeologist had recruited our team to venture into the cursed temple and retrieve his lost mentor who has been missing for a few days.
Setting
Forsaken Temple began outside a sprawling cursed temple. As we played, the set continuously opened up, surprising us. It was beautifully decorated with thematic elements. Omescape added detail to the floor and the ceiling, using illusions to imply the space expanded further.
Gameplay
Omescape’s Forsaken Temple was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around making connections, puzzling, communication, dexterity, teamwork, observation, and frequently moving back and forth through the gamespace.
Analysis
➕ Forsaken Temple implemented many creative mechanics, inputs, and set pieces fitting for the theme. Omescape’s execution of this story was narratively strong, with a huge emphasis on ensuring everything made sense. This was strongly evident in their implementation of a thematic meta puzzle.
❓ A core mechanic of the gameplay required players to infer how to interact with the game space. This mechanic was creative, unique, and justified by the story, but lacked clear enough signposting as to when to use it.
➖ An early puzzle was unclear and clued an alternate solution, even after hints were delivered. There were elements in the puzzle sequence that ended up not being used, and further confused our team. There was no good way to verify if parts of this solve were correct, forcing us to re-check the parts of the solution that were in fact correct. This puzzle felt simplified from its original form.
➕ A space we had traversed many times throughout the experience transformed before us, allowing for a strong and inventive sequence. The tech behind this was breathtaking, allowing for a smooth puzzle flow and solve.
➕/➖ One interaction mid-game shone through the temple, but still felt unsafe even with the inelegant safety sign that warned players to use the provided object instead of their hands. We loved playing with this object, but feared that someone could get injured if not careful.
➖ Extracting a solution for a particular puzzle was difficult due to the wear and tear of the surface. The solution did not seem clearly portrayed and the solve was anticlimactic.
➕ Forsaken Temple came to a satisfying conclusion with a bang. This interaction progressively built up the ending, included all players, and was fun from start to finish. The added sound effects and interactions made this sequence even more memorable.
Tips For Visiting
- There is plenty of parking around back.
- We recommend Metro City Restaurant & Bar for food and drinks before or after you game.
Book your hour with Omescape’s Forsaken Temple, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Omescape provided media discounted tickets for this game.
