The Game Show is one of the best escape rooms around Montreal, Canada. Here are our recommendations for great escape rooms in the Montreal area.
Le Game Show
Location: Laval, Québec, Canada
Date Played: May 11, 2023
Team size: 2-4; we recommend 3-4
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $32.99 CAD per player (adult)
Ticketing: Private
Accessibility Consideration: Players needs to crouch or crawl briefly.
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Immersia takes escape rooms seriously. Entering one of their games – even their older games – you can feel the weight of the worlds that they build. They are an unusual company because everything that they do is about craft.
In The Game Show, we found the answer to the question: “How would Immersia build a typical escape room?”
And the answer was: they clearly are not interested in making traditional escape games. Immersia took those concepts and turned them on their side. They lampooned the clichés, taking comedy as seriously as they have any other genre.
At the end of Escape Immerse Explore Montreal 2023 (our escape room tour), a few different guests pulled me aside and said, “you have to play The Game Show.” I had no idea why, but when I’m told that there is something for me in an escape room, I generally don’t ask questions. And I am glad that I didn’t because The Game Show rewards experienced escape room players in ways that we rarely see. It didn’t reward our skills; it poked fun at tradition. It showed us just how weird escape rooms can get.
In return, I loved it. Not in a, “this is the my favorite game” sort of way. It’s not a mind-blowing experience. It’s an amusing and a novel one, with some rough edges. A few puzzles felt imprecise or underwhelming, and one or two spots would have benefitted from some padding.
Overall, The Game Show is a must play for experienced escape room players in the Montreal area. It’s as novel as it is odd. Approach it accordingly.
Who is this for?
- Escape room fans
- Gameshow lovers
- Comedy appreciators
- Best for players with at least some experience
Why play?
- It’s funny
- Immersia plays with a number of gameshow and escape room tropes
- It’s serious about being silly
Story
In this satirical scenario, we had been cast as candidates on a gameshow… where we were locked into escape room scenarios. With the crows watching, we had 60 minutes to escape!
The Game Show was heavily inspired by the Canadian game show Uh Oh! that aired from 1997 to 2003.
Setting
The game opened in a wild west-themed escape room with wood paneled walls adorned with wanted posters. It looked like one of many such escape rooms we’ve played over the years. From there, we progressed into new stereotypical escape room scenes, entirely unrelated to the scene that came before.
Gameplay
Immersia’s The Game Show was a satirical escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
The set and gameplay made fun of standard escape room themes and tropes. This will be most appreciated by more experienced players.
Core gameplay revolved around observing, making connections, communicating, solving puzzles, and smiling for the camera.
Analysis
➕ The game show set up was hilarious. The introductory video clearly established key characters including the emcee, Captain Punishment (inspired by The Punisher) and us as the contestants. The set up was clear while also being totally ridiculous!
➕ Immersia poked fun at escape room tropes throughout the experience. We especially loved one dexterity puzzle that required expert ingenuity, but was pure misdirection.
➕ The puzzles were engaging. Each scene worked in the game show staging with game show-esque escape room puzzles. These were some of our favorite solves.
➖ In the middle scene, one team challenge was a let down. Knowing how the original design would have pushed players buttons, the modification was necessary, but the current form was dull.
➖ In the final scene, one puzzle wasn’t precise enough, which made it more annoying than funny.
➖ We would have appreciated a bit more padding for a crawling transition.
➕ The concluding video scene that presented our prize for winning… spot on. Hindsight is 2020.
➕ The Game Show was full of Easter Eggs… for escape rooms generally and for Immersia’s brand. In this way players are in the know if they are escape room enthusiasts or just Immersia’s best customers.
Tips For Visiting
- The Game Show is located at Immersia’s Laval location.
- There is a parking lot.
- This game is entirely bilingual (French and English).
Book your hour with Immersia’s The Game Show, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
