Incoming Transmission was a sprawling space epic in the vein of Star Trek.
We’ve learned to count on Austin’s 15 Locks/ Perplexium to produce creative and unusual escape games that tinker with the formula. They did just that with Incoming Transmission.
Image via Perplexium
This space-based escape game was less about discovering a physical space and puzzling through it. It was more about learning the ship’s systems and using them to traverse the universe, completing missions and solving the problems of alien species. This escape room felt more like a giant control panel than a puzzle room.
This structure meant that Perplexium was able to produce a replayable game with plenty of dynamic missions to tackle.
With gameplay that felt more like a hybrid of video gaming and some tabletop gaming, Incoming Transmission could be the perfect game for your team or it could fizzle. We enjoyed ourselves and could imagine going back for a second go at space travel if we’d finished playing out the other escape rooms that interest us in Austin.
If you’re a little intrigued by all of this and near Austin, Texas, then you should beam aboard Incoming Transmission. At the very least, you’ll be in for an novel ride.
Who is this for?
Adventure seekers
Story seekers
Scenery snobs
Sci-fi fans
Players with at least some experience
Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
Unusual, replayable game structure
Great set
A humorous script
Story
As cadets in the fleet, we had been beamed aboard the SS Adventure. We had to get the ship running and then traverse the universe to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly solve intergalactic problems.
Image via Perplexium
SettingÂ
We were beamed aboard a Star Trek-inspired spaceship with an angular, futuristic aesthetic, complete with dozens of blinking lights, buttons, switches, and dials… all of which were active game components.
Image via Perplexium
Gameplay
Perplexium’s Incoming Transmission combined standard escape room gameplay with atypical elements. It had a moderate level of difficulty.
Incoming Transmission could be played in “story mode,” which combined more typical escape room-style gameplay with video game-like elements. It could be replayed in “points mode” which opened up the star system and allowed crews to go off and have a real-life video game-like adventure without some of the more tangible escape room moments.
The gameplay was similar to something like Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.
Core gameplay revolved around figuring out how to interact with the environment, following instructions, and communicating.
Image via Perplexium
Analysis
âž•Â The spaceship set was interesting and beautiful.
âž• As we brought this ship to life and completed missions it reacted with different effects. These upped our excitement about the missions and our feelings of triumph.
âž• There was a heavy video component that involved alien characters appearing on a large screen to ask for help, make demands, or threaten us. It was both Star Trek-y and funny… kind of like The Orville… but without dick jokes.
âž• We enjoyed the escape room-style gameplay of configuring the ship. We especially enjoyed operating the ship’s transporter.
âž– The gameplay often felt more like following instructions than exploring or solving puzzles.
âť“ The second act of the game took place at consoles, much like a multiplayer video game. It was fun, but the novelty wore off quickly. We would have liked more puzzle variety or a quicker pace during this segment. Reactions to this segment will likely vary based on individual player preferences.
➖ Incoming Transmission lacked an intense boss flight. The gameplay felt one-note, even as our ship came under fire. We would have liked to build toward the climactic battle.
âž• The replayable “points mode” concept was interesting. There were so many console-based puzzles packed into the game that we could return again and again to play though the challenges from our consoles aboard this intergalactic ship.
Tips For Visiting
There is a parking lot.
This room involves crawling, ducking and tight spaces. At least one player will need to do this.
This room includes flashing lights, fog, and loud noises.
Book your hour with Perplexium’s Incoming Transmission, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Book
Disclosure: Perplexium comped our tickets for this game.
The Play House offered some interesting puzzles. It was a search-and-puzzle escape room, with quite a bit of stuff to sift through in a minimal set. We weren’t huge fans of the rummaging (there were a lot of diapers). This was also complicated by playing the game in darkness with flashlights.
That said, we especially liked when Escape Space Games had repurposed children’s toys into puzzles.
If you’re in San Marcos and need a puzzle fix, check out Escape Space Games.
Who is this for?
Locals
Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
Fun puzzles
Story
We found ourselves trapped in a daycare after hours. The lights were out… and the toys wanted to play with us.
Setting
We were in a child’s bedroom and playroom in darkness, with a few flashlights. The room was populated with tons of toys, diapers, and the kind of furniture that one would expect to find in the bedroom of a tiny human.
On the one hand, the props and furniture felt accurate… like they may have been migrated from the designer’s home after their child outgrew everything. On the other hand, there wasn’t anything exciting about the setting.
Gameplay
Escape Space Games’ The Play House was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Some of that difficulty was derived from darkness.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, and puzzling.
Analysis
âž– The gamespace was a mess of toys and diapers. It had also been far too long since it had seen a vacuum cleaner.
âž• The gameplay in Play House flowed logically. It had some interesting puzzle content.
âž– When we encountered props that had been defaced with numbers, and painstakingly searched out these numbers by flashlight, we were disappointed to find they were just a red herring, or perhaps they were a ghost puzzle, or maybe they were there by accident? I don’t know.
➕ Escape Space Games turned a few children’s toys into interesting puzzle interactions. One in particular was quite the enigma. This was solid repurposing.
➖ / ➕ We played Play House entirely in the dark, with our phones as flashlights. There was no reason – in the narrative or the gameplay – that the space needed to be dark. This was just a nuisance. It did leave Escape Space Games the opportunity to illuminate when and how they saw fit. To their credit, they seized the moment better than most. But the payoff wasn’t worth the hassle.
âž– *The door was locked, but the game master told us the “emergency code” that would unlock the door in the event of an emergency. We recommend that Escape Space Games print the emergency code next to the lock so that players don’t need to recall it in the event of an emergency. Better yet, we recommend that they upgrade to a “push to exit” button. Since the fire in Poland, this kind of lock-in isn’t acceptable anymore.
Tips For Visiting
There is a parking lot.
Enter through a glass door at the corner of the plaza and walk down a long hallway to get to Escape Space Games.
Book your hour with Escape Space Games’ The Play House, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
[At the time of this review, Escape Hour Austin was called 15 Locks.]
Dead Man’s Cove is one of the best escape rooms in Austin. Here are our recommendations for great escape rooms in Austin.
Worth the doubloons.
Location: Austin, Texas
Date Played: February 1, 2019
Team size: 2-6; we recommend 2-4
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $33 per player
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Dead Man’s Cove combined puzzles and adventure into an epic sea voyage. Through the decor, sound, and effects 15 Locks delivered incredible and memorable gameplay moments.
Image via 15 Locks
While we struggled with the dim lighting, we enjoyed the puzzles. This little ship was jam-packed with them.
Dead Man’s Cove was a highly creative take on the traditional escape room. 15 Locks added tons of details and transformed a game that could have felt like a basic escape room into something magical.
If you’re anywhere near Austin and you’re looking for an escape room adventure, regardless of experience level, you’ll find a lot to enjoy aboard this vessel.
Who is this for?
Adventure seekers
Story seekers
Puzzle pirates
Scenery snobs
Any experience level
Why play?
Exciting moments
Detailed set
Excellent puzzles
The hint system
Story
Our ship was trapped somewhere between the land of the living and the land of the dead. We had to battle mystical evils and navigate ourselves out of troubled waters.
Image via 15 Locks
Setting
15 Locks staged Dead Man’s Cove inside of a cursed pirate ship. The setting was appropriately dim. It used a variety of effects to convey the various ghosts from the ship’s past that we needed to appease or defeat.
Image via 15 Locks
Gameplay
15 Locks’ Dead Man’s Cove was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, puzzling, observing, and making connections.
Image via 15 Locks
Analysis
âž• 15
Locks’ introduction worked really well… and revealed a charming and fun hint
system. We enjoyed taking hints.
âž• Dead Man’s Cove looked exceptional. The wood paneling combined with heavy wood furniture, lantern lighting, choice of locks, and nautical props transported us to these troubled waters.
âž– The gamespace was unbalanced. Since so much of it was beautifully crafted into a specific aesthetic, a latter set felt under-designed in comparison. There was opportunity to do more with this part of the gamespace.
âž• Dead Man’s Cove wasn’t a large space, but it packed a lot of
gameplay.
âž• The puzzles flowed smoothly and solved cleanly.
Image via 15 Locks
âž– The dim lighting was frustrating. Especially given the reliance on combination locks and short passages written in a small font, we struggled with lack of light. A few spotlights on one or two work surfaces would have made a world of difference.
âž• 15
Locks used light and sound to surprise us. Dead Man’s Cove continually
delivered exciting, interactive moments. We enjoyed experiencing these as a group.
Tips For Visiting
There is a parking lot.
Book your hour with 15 Locks’ Dead Man’s Cove, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na…
Location:Â Austin, Texas
Date Played:Â February 2, 2019
Team size: up to 8; we recommend 4-5
Duration: 50 minutes
Price:Â $20.32 per player
Ticketing:Â Public
Emergency Exit Rating:Â [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints:Â [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Escape The Mystery RoomMystery Room All in Adventures builds out escape rooms in malls. The walls partitioning the games don’t reach to the ceiling. The decor is minimal and the puzzles are bolted on rather than integrated into the props. Superhero’s Adventure was full of paper-based puzzles that more or less worked, and locked props, roughly on theme.
Going in with the right (low) expectations, the right attitude, and a fun group of friends, we found some enjoyment brute-force solving our way through all these locks. Your mileage will vary.
All in Adventures is a value question. Is this type of low-budget escape room experience worth $22 for 50 minutes? If yes, go in with the right attitude and find your own fun. If you’re looking for higher production value or more meaty puzzles, look elsewhere. For just a bit more money, you could buy a lot more investment in design and gameplay from another escape room company.
While we were there, our gamemaster/ facility manager had expressed frustration that past escape room enthusiasts hit them with negative reviews, but didn’t understand that All in Adventures was striving to do something different. At the end of the day, the biggest flaw with All in Adventures isn’t their approach to game design, but that they want to be viewed as serving a different niche, without labeling themselves as such.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with a company attempting to target a lower quality and price point. That said, there is no way for a first-time player to realize that All in Adventures is the O’Doul’s of escape rooms. Their tagline is, “Your Ultimate Escape Room Destination,” and by that standard, well… let’s just say that they are no Cutthroat Cavern.
Who is this for?
Walk-ins
Deal seekers
Why play?
To get your escape room fix
You’d rather not be shopping
Story
The intergalactic hero known as the Golden Skateboarder had stashed his spare board on Earth before taking a vacation in the cosmos. Unbeknownst to the hero on holiday, his board was disrupting Earth’s magnetic field.
We had to find the location of his skateboard and send a message, summoning the Golden Skateboarder back to Earth so that he could permanently rectify the problem.
Setting
Superhero’s Adventure‘s gamespace was a single room surrounded by 3/4 height walls. Two of those walls were covered in full-sized decals.
The few props were supposed to evoke a city environment: a blue post office mailbox, a parking cone, a garbage can (filled with garbage), etc.
The set was bare-bones. It served as a container to hold the game’s locked boxes and puzzle content, while evoking a vague superhero theme.
Gameplay
All in Adventures’ Superhero’s Adventure was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, making connections, and puzzling.
Analysis
âž•Â The staff at All in Adventures were energetic, friendly, and engaging. They welcomed everyone entering their doors.
âž– All in Adventures used a call-button hint system. We could ring for help. Unfortunately, the few staff had to oversee the entire facility including the lobby and the teams in the other games. It could take a long time to get a hint, which wasn’t cool in a timed game.
âž– Because the walls weren’t floor-to-ceiling, we could hear everything going on in adjacent games. This was distracting. (We could also hear when the staff were otherwise preoccupied helping another team.)
âť“ It was strange seeing a massive wall decal of a Batman: Arkham Knight press screenshot.
âž– The props were simply containers to gate the gameflow. They looked cheap. Most of the cluing was on laminated paper and not worked into the surroundings.
âž– The puzzles weren’t well thought out. Potential puzzle solutions were just that: possibilities. We never had confidence in our answers, even the ones that did pop locks. The solutions could be overly obvious or ridiculously obscure.
âž– We spent most of our time trying potential puzzle solutions in every lock in the game. Most of the locks had similar digit structures. Because the majority of props and locks weren’t logically connected to puzzles, potential solutions could go just about anywhere. Our gameplay experience felt like a giant brute force.
âž• Superhero’s Adventure included a bonus puzzle. We applaud this effort to make sure that teams who were solving quickly got to spend more time playing. We enjoyed the puzzle. Note that it was far more complex than we’d been conditioned for, based on the rest of our experience in the room, which threw us off for quite some time.
Tips For Visiting
This escape room is located in The Domain.
Park in the adjacent garage.
Book your hour with All in Adventures’ Superhero’s Adventure, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
