A Twist of Time is the 13th game in a collection of avatar-led games created by YouEscape in Athens, Greece.
Format
Style of Play:
Online native experience (can NOT be played IRL)
Avatar controlled by the players
Light puzzle hunt
Required Equipment: computer with internet connection, pen and paper
Expect to have multiple tabs open, plus Zoom, and to be switching back and forth between everything. Multiple screens would also be helpful.
Recommended Team Size: 2-4
Play Time: 70 minutes
Price: $30/month for a YouEscape Patreon membership which includes 1 game per month
Booking: book online for a specific time slot
Description
Once connected to Zoom, players get a brief introduction from the gamemaster. Then they are given a link to a Google Drive folder as well as a camera feed of boxes to unlock and props to interact with. The game begins by examining the contents of the folder, solving the puzzles within (sometimes by using outside internet resources), and following the puzzle path from there.
Editor’s note: YouEscape recommends players start with their easier games and progress through the games in order. Here are our reviews of some of their earlier games.I elected for REA to jump to a later game to see more of the series. Some of the writers contributingto this piece had more experience with YouEscape than others.
We enjoyed YouEscape games even before we could play puzzle games only from home. YouEscape games were puzzle-y and creative. Their delivery was rudimentary, but charming.
In the middle of a pandemic, these games are a delight.
Electromagnetic Fields had the charm of previous YouEscape games and some unusual interactions that we’d never see in a real-life escape room.
I’d still love to see YouEscape refine the props further. Additionally, Electromagnetic Fields had a rough final puzzle that felt like it was floating in the strange gap between puzzle and outside knowledge… but it still managed to work.
Overall, YouEscape remains a charming way to play games with friends that you can’t physically see. YouEscape has no shortage of competition at the moment, but while many of these remote games will disappear when escape rooms can reopen, we expect that Nick will continue streaming from his table.
Who is this for?
Puzzle lovers
Players with at least some experience
Why play?
Interesting puzzles that you wouldn’t see anywhere else
The always charming delivery of Nick, YouEscape’s creator
Story
Everyone had said that we couldn’t build our own submarine… but we’d done it anyway.
Unfortunately while on a voyage, our compass had broken. If we didn’t get it fixed, that little problem would prove our detractors right by killing us. We couldn’t have that now, could we?
YouEscape created a free demo to help entice more puzzlers to play their Google Hangouts-based escape games.
It was quick, but emblematic of what YouEscape was all about. If you’re curious about YouEscape, read a review of one of their full games, Elements.
YouEscape has waded into some interesting waters where they’re creating unusual puzzle games designed for play in-browser.
This style of game is best for people who would love to play escape rooms together, but cannot because they live too far away from one another.
I’d like to see YouEscape continue to push the boundaries of what they’re producing, as I think that there is a lot of untapped potential in this format.
If clever puzzles made from unusual inputs are one of the bigger draws of escape rooms for you, then you should give YouEscape’s Demo a try. It might not be a mind-blowing experience, but I really get a kick out of playing an escape room with friends in London from the comfort of my dining room and pajamas.
Who is this for?
Puzzle lovers
Geographically dispersed friends
Players with at least some experience
Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
You can puzzle with friends from afar
It’s affordable
YouEscape does some clever stuff
Tips For Visiting
You will need a computer than can comfortably handle at least 6 browser tabs and a video chat without freaking out, a stable Internet connection, a microphone, and a notepad (physical or virtual, but we found physical to work best).
We recommend that each player use their own computer, from their own space, and communicate through Google Hangouts. This allows each player to move between the tabs/ windows as they’d like.
Contact YouEscape to book your session, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, & good night.
Location: the Internet
Date Played: January 19, 2019
Team size: 1-4; we recommend 3
Duration: 75 minutes
Price: $30 per team (regardless of player count)
Ticketing: Private
REA Reaction
YouEscape’s online escape game format allowed us (New York) to play an escape room with Ken Ferguson of The Logic Escapes Me (London) and Yolanda Chiu of Asia Escape Game (Taiwan). The four of us are rarely in the same part of the world, let alone the same escape room. This was the true beauty of YouEscape’s format.
Playing an escape game in a web browser using Google Hangouts, Google Drive, and other assorted web apps came with its own quirks and obstacles. Still, the low price point and ability to play with friends across the world was wonderful.
YouEscape had made some significant improvements in game design from the earlier episode that we played last year. They incorporated a few incredibly clever interactions that only worked because we were playing online.
Last time around we played with one of our regular local escape room teammates. This time we played with friends from afar and that was way cooler (sorry Lindsay). If you have friends who live too far away to join you in a real-life room, give YouEscape a try. It’s great for far-flung puzzle lovers.
Who is this for?
Puzzle lovers
Friends who don’t live in the same place, but want to play together
Players with at least some experience
Players who are comfortable navigating between browser tabs and through Google Docs
Why play?
You can play with friends on the other side of the world (we did!)
Puzzles that you won’t find in traditional escape rooms
The challenge of instructing interaction with physical objects
Fun reveals
Story
We were poisoned, lost in a dense forest, and running out of time. We needed to signal for help.
Elements had a similar set up with the addition of a backdrop behind the props, which added ambiance.
Gameplay
YouEscape’s Elements was an atypical escape game played over the Internet by a remote team giving the gamemaster verbal commands. Elements had a high level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around observing, instructing, communicating, puzzling… and navigating various web-based content.
Analysis
➕ Many of the puzzles relied on sets, props, materials, or constructs that wouldn’t work in a real-life escape room, or a play-at-home escape room. They only worked in an Internet-based escape room.
➕ Elements had a meaty middle chapter. We “traveled” to a remote place and entered this set. While it would have been too busy for a real-life escape room, where players would have had too many items to touch, move, and destroy, it worked for the well-clued puzzles in the Elements. It was a fun place to puzzle around in.
➖ The first chapter didn’t play to the strength of YouEscape’s Internet-based gameplay. A good puzzle was made much more difficult by the need to visualize and instruct, and not in a fun way. To solve it, we really wanted to handle the puzzle components. Additionally, by starting off with this section, there was no onramp to help players familiarize themselves with the format and pick up momentum. It was a rough start.
➖ We struggled with each having only one screen. We were constantly moving back and forth between tabs. If a teammate had instructed the gamemaster to move a prop while we were working something out in front of information in another tab, we might look back at the props to find everything had changed. We found ourselves continually wanting to put various puzzle components side by side, but there wasn’t a good way to do that.
➕ The gamemaster manipulated all the props. If a lock didn’t open, it wasn’t user error. Our gamemaster tried every wrong combination so that we could see whether or not the lock would open. This was a nice touch because he could have just told us that we were wrong.
➖ Our gamemaster told us at the onset how we would send the distress signal to be rescued from the forest. We think there’s opportunity to have the players figure this out as they play. That would create an exciting aha moment.
➕It was fun to send our distress signal and watch the culmination of our efforts unfold in the final scene.
❓ The YouEscape format added a challenge of communication between the players and the gamemaster. Some of us enjoyed the puzzle of how to instruct the gamemaster to manipulate objects. Others preferred the puzzles to be in the puzzles.
❓If you’re not a native English speaker, Elements would be an especially challenging game. In addition to English language puzzles, it required constant communication between players and the gamemaster over the video call.
➕/➖ The Patreon subscription model is great if you want to play monthly… and a hindrance if you want to experience a one-off game or want to play only a few times a year. At $30 per month for a team, it would be less expensive than a real life escape game, but more expensive than many play-at-home boxed escape games. If you’re looking for teammates, there is a $10 per month option where you will team up with other Patreon backers, which could be neat. Your mileage with the Patreon model really depends on your play preferences.
Tips For Visiting
You will need a computer than can comfortably handle at least 6 browser tabs and a video chat without freaking out, a stable Internet connection, a microphone, and a notepad (physical or virtual, but we found physical to work best).
We recommend that each player use their own computer, from their own space, and communicate through Google Hangouts. This allows each player to move between the tabs/ windows as they’d like.
Have a notepad on hand and take screenshots liberally.
Book your hour with YouEscape’s Elements, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
YouEscape will offer Magnum Opus as part of the Game Hall at RECON (August 22-23, 2021.) If you’re interested in playing this game, or any of the other amazing experiences offered, grab your ticket to RECON here. Hope to see you there!
Escape room video conferencing.
Location: the Internet
Date Played: October 20, 2018
Team size: 1-4; we recommend 3
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $30 per team (regardless of player count)
Ticketing: Private
REA Reaction
And we have another new escape room format!
YouEscape offers Internet-based escape games. The creator/ gamemaster pointed his camera at a table with puzzle props. We delivered commands that he executed.
We didn’t know what to expect from this one and ended up having a good time. YouEscape is still exploring how to build games for this format, but they are off to a good start.
There’s an opportunity to create something unique this way. In its current format, it’s an affordable way to play an escape game from the comfort of your own home.
If you’ve played all of the games in your area, want to play with friends who live far away, or really love escape room puzzles, give YouEscape a try. They are creating new games on a monthly basis.
Magnum Opus after some iteration.
Who is this for?
Puzzle lovers
Friends who don’t live in the same place, but want to play together
Any experience level
Why play?
A novel escape game format
The challenge of instructing interaction with physical objects
Cooperation across different physical locations
Fun puzzles
Story
The master alchemist had disappeared and it was up to us – his apprentices – to discover why.
Magnum Opus as we played it.
Setting
Magnum Opus was an online escape game where we joined a video chat with our teammates and the gamemaster. The gamemaster’s camera was pointed at a table with all of the game’s props. We only saw a pair of hands reaching in around the camera and doing as we instructed.
The physical props, puzzle components, and locked boxes resided with our gamemaster. Additional instructional materials and puzzle components were organized into folders in Google Drive.
We remained in our own homes, communicating with our teammates and gamemaster through Google Hangouts. We issued commands and he interacted with the props and delivered verbal hints. Repeat until solved.
Gameplay
YouEscape’s Magnum Opus was an atypical escape game played over the Internet by a remote team giving the gamemaster verbal commands. There was a moderate level of difficulty, some of which came from learning how to control the game.
Core gameplay revolved around observing, instructing, communicating, puzzling… and navigating different tabs and windows.
Analysis
➕ YouEscape’s format enabled cooperative gameplay through physical escape room components, across different locations and time zones.
➕ Playing via the gamemaster’s hands was deceptively challenging. In fact, we missed a critical detail in one puzzle for quite some time. I’m sure we would have seen this if we’d been handling the props ourselves. We appreciated how the format added different twists to puzzle solving.
➕ YouEscape designed some excellent puzzles. We particularly enjoyed the opening and closing challenges. Magnum Opus was at its best when we had to explore the props to solve the challenges.
➖ The physical props and puzzles looked like prototypes. There was plenty of room to craft more captivating game components.
➖ Although YouEscape set Magnum Opus against a mystical alchemy theme, that theme was absent or unimportant for much of the experience. With the exception of a few physical components, most of the props and puzzles didn’t draw on alchemy.
➖ Much of the gameplay took place in Google Drive. While YouEscape shared well-organized folders, we found it burdensome to continually switch windows and tabs. We can solve puzzles in documents and browser tabs any time, without a gamemaster in a physical room of puzzles. This portion of this experience didn’t take advantage of what made YouEscape’s gameplay format special: the hands and props. It was also clunky to use.
➕ YouEscape offered a different spin on the escape room concept. We see potential in combining physical props and puzzles with Internet-facilitated player communication. We recommend YouEscape lean into the physical components, upping the intrigue there. Those elements made the format special and introduced interesting new gameplay challenges.
➕/➖ The Patreon subscription model is great if you want to play monthly… and a big hindrance if you want to experience a one-off game. Additionally, the race to constantly generate new content could eventually hold YouEscape back from producing some truly wonderful games, as speed of development will ultimately be in the driver’s seat.
➕ YouEscape is rapidly iterating. A day or two after we played, we received this image of the newly revised “set.” If YouEscape can continue working on this concept, distill their games down to the best interactions, and gather compelling props to facilitate the fiction, they will have a fantastic product.
❓I think this format offers an opportunity to create delicate, messy, or dangerous interactions that are safe when handled exclusively by the game designer, but could never appear in a traditional escape game.
Tips For Visiting
You will need a computer than can comfortably handle at least 6 browser tabs and a video chat without freaking out, a stable Internet connection, a microphone, and a notepad (physical or virtual, but we found physical to work best).
We recommend that each player use their own computer, from their own space, and communicate through Google Hangouts. This allows each player to move between the tabs/ windows as they’d like.
Book your hour with YouEscape’s Magnum Opus, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
