Room Escape Artist

Rise of the Fungi is an atypical avatar-led, live streamed escape game with music numbers and puppets, created by Headlock Escape Rooms.

Format

Style of Play:

• Avatar controlled by the players
• Includes video segments

Who is it For?

• Story seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level

Required Equipment: Computer with internet connection

Recommended Team Size: 2-4

Play Time: 90 minutes

Price: £75 for up to 6 players

Booking: book online for a specific time slot

Description

This is the prequel to the beloved game The Keeper & The Fungus Among Us.

Similarly it is a Zoom-based game with standard avatar-led gameplay… except your avatar is a hand puppet and the game area is a series of changing miniature dioramas. It also includes videos and a bangin’ soundtrack.

Note that original and the prequel can be played in either order.

Cara Mandel’s Reaction

I. Love. This. Game. That should be the whole review (but I doubt my editor would go for it.)

Rise of the Fungi was an absolutely worthy follow-up to its delightful predecessor, The Keeper and the Fungus Among Us. With adorable handmade sets and puppets, clever puzzle scenarios, and rocking musical numbers, if these elements don’t sell you on experiencing this wholly unique game then I don’t know what will. Gather up a group of puppet-loving friends and sign up for a spot immediately. I’d encourage you to play the first installment before this one for… reasons that will become apparent upon completion. I will say, however, it’s not a mandatory pre-requisite as this game could technically stand on its own. Kudos to the creator on another fantastic game and I hope you get the behind-the-scenes tour afterwards! I’ve chatted with him a couple times now and can safely say he seems like a FUNGI! (I’ll see myself out…)

Matthew Stein’s Reaction

With The Rise of the Fungi, Headlock Escape Rooms has again demonstrated the continued creative merits of the virtual escape room medium. This whimsically puppet-filled interactive musical comedy was a patchwork of so many things I absolutely adore: silly voices, punny songs, carefully crafted tiny details, and simple yet creative puzzle-fueled dopamine hits.

My praise for The Keeper & The Fungus Among Us applies equally to The Rise of the Fungi — demonstrating that the musical escapist masterminds of Headlock Escape Rooms are no one-hit wonders. Though The Rise of the Fungi maintained a similar aesthetic to the original, it also displayed a number of improvements and upgrades, including better lighting, some shiny tech experiments, and more mechanical puzzle components.

While the colorful cast of characters in The Keeper & The Fungus Among Us still has my heart, The Rise of the Fungi was a more than worthy successor. Do not sleep on either experience.

David Spira’s Reaction

The Keeper & The Fungus Among Us was released to near universal praise in 2021 because its unique blend of puppets, original music, puzzles, and remarkable production value were startlingly amazing.

I for one was deeply burnt out on virtual escape rooms in late 2021 and I immediately fell in love with it. Years later, I still believe that The Keeper & The Fungus Among Us was among a tiny handful of pandemic-era masterpieces. Today, it remains one of the very few virtual escape rooms that I still recommend.

This brings me to the question of 2024: Could Headlock Escape Rooms do it again?

The simple answer is yes. Rise of the Fungi looks, feels, and plays exceptionally well. The puppets are wonderfully charming, the puzzles feel smart and well tested… and the sets, camera work, music, cut scenes, and performances were all on the level of The Keeper & The Fungus Among Us.

A few years removed from lockdowns, I still don’t feel nostalgic for virtual games… if it isn’t exceptional, I don’t want to play it. Rise of the Fungi was exceptional.

If there was one thing that I wanted from Rise of the Fungi that it didn’t deliver, it would be a meaningful, player-focused innovation on its concept. There were noticeable improvements in operation, but Rise was playing with the same concepts and mechanics as Keeper… but here’s the truth: when your bag of tricks is this stellar, it’s worth it to dip into them again.

If you haven’t played both of these games, you’re missing out.

If you enjoy The Keeper & the Fungus Among Us, we hope you’ll check out our interview with creator Joel Head on The Reality Escape Pod.