Room Escape Artist

In October we published a lot of content, up to 10 posts a week some weeks! With the team traveling the globe, we have a lot of exciting reviews and thought pieces we can’t wait to share with you, so I decided to publish at a faster clip. I expect we’ll keep this up for a while. That makes this digest even more important (and harder to make!).

If you don’t have time to read everything, we totally understand. Scroll down for the highlighted must reads: our Golden Lock winning escape rooms reviews (plus 1 jubensha!), selected other exceptionally interesting escape room reviews, our favorite episode from each podcast, and the best of this month’s commentary.

The Best of Spooky Season

Over on Instagram, we’ve been talking about spooky season all month! While the season officially ended yesterday, you can still play all the great games highlighted in the clips below. Plus, we’ll have more horror reviews publishing throughout November!

Reviews

🔒 Golden Lock Winners

4 Escape Rooms + 1 Jubensha:

Abduction 6: Tortugas, Abduction Badalona (Badalona, Spain) – Packed with adventure, nostalgia, and delight, Abduction 6: Tortugas was the ultimate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tribute. Abduction successfully blended their signature physical style with the best of escape room interactivity to create a unique form of urban exploration. (Review by Matthew Stein)

Blood Moon Pact, Twist n Turn Studios (play-at-home jubensha) – Blood Moon Pact stands out by designing for discovery rather than secrecy, giving players meaningful incentives to share. This game sets up players to succeed at every step, from the accompanying video guide, to the theatrically designed player interactions. It’s also emotionally impactful. (Review by Peih-Gee Law)

Magic Universe, Mad Land (Madrid (Algete), Spain) – With massive sets, jaw-dropping reveals and whimsical puzzles, Magic Universe was a one-of-a-kind, magical experience. Even after 2.5 hours, I would have gladly stayed longer to go through every ‘WOW’ moment again. (Review by Cindi S.)

Nevermore, Nocturne Adventures (Hickory, NC) – Nevermore is a love letter to Edgar Allan Poe that interprets the poem “The Raven” as a series of well-crafted, hands-on puzzles woven through a story about overcoming grief. In addition to fun gameplay, Nocturne Adventures has created an immersive experience with impeccable technical execution. It’s the rare spooky basement that we didn’t want to leave. (Review by Emily Hall and Peter Gwinn)

The Tomb: Raiders of the Sword, Revo Escape (Toronto, Canada) – The Tomb: Raiders of the Sword proved that end-to-end diegetic gameplay in an escape room is possible. This tomb exploration simulation embraced high levels of physicality, tactility, and exploration. It was not just about the puzzles; it was equally about the adventure. (Review by Matthew Stein)

Escape Rooms

Doors of Divergence: Charlotte (A Discussion) (Charlotte, NC) – Doors of Divergence: Charlotte is closing. But you don’t need to rush to play it because it’s not the same as it was in New York. (By David Spira)

El Laberinto (The Maze), Descifra Escape Room (Madrid, Spain) – If you’ve ever dreamt of stepping into the strange mind of M.C. Escher, check out El Laberinto at Descifra Escape Room. (Review by Matthew Stein)

Play-At-Home

The Archives of Trevosa (browser-based game) – The Archives of Trevosa was one of the most impressive creations I’ve seen emerge from a game jam. I wholeheartedly recommend this free language translation puzzle game to all puzzle lovers, linguaphiles, and mystery solvers. (Review by the REA Hivemind)

Podcast

Tokohal & The Japanese Puzzle Scene (REPOD S12E3) – This interview with Japanese puzzle and experience creator Tokohal is an exploration of cultural similarities and differences.

PG’s Playhouse 55: Diplomatic Immunity (ft. Gretchen McCulloch) – Together with Lingthusiasm’s Gretchen McCulloch, we solve word puzzles and learn about diplomatic immunity!

Recommendation Guides

• New: Vienna, Austria

Commentary

The Rise Of Escape Room Drama – Escape rooms are more than horror, adventure, and family fun. The increase in the number of dramatic escape rooms show industry evolution. (By Richard Burns)

The Secret to The RECON 26 Game: Adaptive Design – We outline 5 areas where adaptive design enables a large scale ARG-style game like we have a RECON to succeed. (By Mark Larson)

WTF is a Full Contact Escape Room? – If you watch Crowd Control on Dropout TV, you might be wondering WTF is a full contact escape room? Here’s the answer. (By David Spira)