Clue Carré – Revenge on the Bayou [Review]

Puzzles on the delta

Location:  New Orleans, LA

Date Played: November 13, 2022

Team size: up to 6; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $32 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Revenge on the Bayou played about as smoothly as any escape room we’ve encountered.

It was a puzzle-focused game, and each puzzle was well clued, including a search mechanic we don’t usually appreciate. It onboarded players well, ramped up slightly in difficulty, and provided a few little surprises throughout. For this reason, it’s an exceptional game for newer players.

An old house with boarded up windows.

Revenge on the Bayou wasn’t a mind-blowing game, but it really demonstrated Clue Carré’s ability to avoid unforced errors. Their games are always smooth.

For more experienced players, go in expecting a fun, classic escape room with a basic story. It’s not going to offer you anything unusual, but it will give you a solid, locally themed experience.

Who is this for?

  • Puzzle lovers
  • Newbies
  • Tourists seeking a locally themed experience
  • Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

  • Smooth puzzle flow
  • The local theme

Story

What had happened to Julie White, an evil voodoo priestess? When we’d stumbled upon her cabin and with an impending storm, we’d decided to venture inside and see if we could figure out the mystery within.

Closeup of the front door of an old rundown house. The screen door is ripped, a note is left on the door. The house number is 5265.

Setting

Our adventure began in the fenced-in yard, where we approached a wooden cabin with a large front porch and some eclectic decor.

A locked, ramshackled outhouse with a sign that reads, "Gone Fishing"

Gameplay

Clue Carré’s Revenge on the Bayou was a standard escape room with a lower level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and solving puzzles.

Analysis

➕ Revenge on the Bayou flowed well. The gameplay was strongly signposted. It was so well clued, in fact, that experienced players will likely make connections before finding all the cluing. We appreciated that it had fun early wins. Together, these aspects made it exceptionally approachable for new escape room players.

➕ The set looked good. We could tell a lot of care went into the design of the opening act. Clue Carré used the game space non-linearly, which created a fun reveal in the second act.

➕ The puzzle design was varied. We stepped into meaty, layered solves. And little surprises rolled our way.

➖ Clue Carré could further refine some of the props, eliminating Sharpie writing and laminated reference material, for instance, to make each item feel more of the world of the set.

➕ Revenge on the Bayou concluded with a deduction puzzle that provided closure for the plot. We enjoyed Clue Carré’s take on this mechanic. It wasn’t especially challenging, and it was interactive.

❓ There were opportunities to further integrate the puzzles into the story. That said, the puzzles were fun and clean, and the story came through clearly, so taking that next step may not be the goal for this particular game.

Tips For Visiting

  • There is metered street parking, and in the event a metered spot is not available there are some pay lots in the area.
  • Pythian Market is a great place to get a bite to eat as a group after your game.

Book your hour with Clue Carré’s Revenge on the Bayou, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Clue Carré comped our tickets for this game.

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