Room Escape Artist

Puppet Heist: The Hand of Life is one of the best games in Orlando. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms in Orlando.

The great puppet caper

Location:  Orlando, FL

Date Played: February 25, 2023

Team Size: 2-10; we recommend 3-5

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $39.99 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: Wheelchair accessible

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Puppet Heist: The Hand of Life was a unique experience filled with adorable puppets, puppet interactions, puppet puns, and even puppet-sized objects! The gameplay shined. It presented a unique twist on the typical escape room thought process and felt justified in the story and setting.

Puppet Heist had our team thinking well outside the box, which could have used a bit more signposting to get going. Once we were over the learning curve of figuring out how the designers wanted us to play the game (the early-game was far rougher than it should have been), however, the game flow was strong with many large interactions.

The Bureau shined in how they implemented communication puzzles for the entire team. We were constantly in awe at the amount of multi-layered and incredibly fun interactions they were able to jam pack into the space. Our team was laughing along with the lovable characters and giggling at the constantly silly interactions.

With a strong set, well thought through story, and charming interactions, our team had an absolute joy spending an hour with the main protagonist. If you’re near Orlando, get ready to stretch those puzzling braincells in a new way in the Puppet Heist.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level
• Families
• Techies
• Muppets fans

Why play?

• Adorable Muppet-inspired world
• Novel puppet-based interactions
• To immerse yourself in a live video game feeling experience

Story

We had joined up with a conspiracy of puppets to steal the ancient artifact: The Hand of Life. The plan was set, and it was our duty to get the job all sewn up.

Setting

Our warehouse infiltration started in the loading dock. The large set was realistic, yet the characters were puppets and some details were thus puppet sized. The set had big props for unique tech-driven interactions.

Gameplay

The Bureau’s Puppet Heist was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around puzzling, interacting with large set pieces, thinking outside the box, communicating, observing, and making connections.

Analysis

➕ The way the themes were portrayed in the gameplay was adorable. This included different puppet interactions, puppet sized items, and the puppets themselves. Interacting with these puppets brought life into the experience and tied the story and puzzles together.

➕ /❓ It took some time for our team to figure out the way The Bureau wanted us to think in terms of gameplay mechanics. When we understood how to solve the room, the game flow was fantastic and whimsical.

➖ The beginning of the game lacked gating and signposting. The on-ramp puzzle should have taught us how to think, but instead felt like a logic leap. This first interaction was only clued by a once-triggered clue that wasn’t clear enough.

➖ The puzzles in the first half were generally under clued. One puzzle in particular lacked lighting and had a janky input mechanism that fell flat, causing our team to stall even when we knew the correct solution.

➕ Once we figured out how to approach the puzzles, the second half of the game was a ton of fun and full of large physical interactions. The use of space in regards to the puzzle location was clever, allowing for fun and quirky communication puzzles.

➖ Details matter. There was a mouse cursor showing on a looping video that played in the space. This could easily be edited out.

➕ Puppet Heist was filled to the brim with adorable and hilarious puppet puns. This was such a unique take on adding humor to the gameplay. Plus, it’s accessible to all generations. The Bureau truly nailed the puppet theme through and through with these charming details.

Tips For Visiting

• There is plenty of parking on-site

Book your hour with The Bureau’s Puppet Heist: The Hand of Life, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: The Bureau provided media discounted tickets for this game.