No more teachers; no more books
Location: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada
Date Played: April 8, 2019
Team size: 4-8; we recommend 3-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $30 CAD per player
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock *
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Sauve Qui Peut’s Final Exam was surprising. We had been told that it would be more physical and it absolutely delivered. This escape game was all about agility, dexterity, and teamwork.
This was a truly different game that asked us to to take some risks as we explored its eccentric gameplay. We had to climb a ladder and crawl… and there were confined spaces. Not everyone had to crawl or enter tight spaces, but everyone needed to climb and the tight crawlspaces were where Final Exam was most interesting.
Along with this experimental gameplay came some frustrations. One core mechanism was particularly quirky. Another key moment was muddied up by a bit of unnecessary confusion.
All-in-all, this was a nutty game. While we were a bit dubious of it in the opening act, we grew to love it. We recommend it to anyone near Montreal with the willingness to explore this strange maze to its fullest.
Who is this for?
- Adventure seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Agile players
- Any experience level
Why play?
- To experience a crazy puzzle construct
- Unusual design elements
- Playfulness
Story
We had all aced our final geography examination, but our teacher suspected that we had cheated. We’d earned our grades fair and square, but he’d failed us anyway.
To avoid summer school, we’d plotted to break into school, hack his computer, and clear our records. Failure of any kind was not an option.
Setting
Sauve Qui Peut’s Final Exam opened up in a schoolyard at night. It was a fenced in play area beside a brick wall. It wasn’t the most elegant of sets, but it absolutely conveyed schoolyard.
From there, we climbed our way into our classroom… and beyond that, well… spoilers… really strange… really fun spoilers.
Gameplay
Sauve Qui Peut’s Final Exam was a standard escape room that required more physical prowess than most escape rooms. It had a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, puzzling, communicating, and maneuvering around tight spaces for significant periods of time.
Analysis
➕ Final Exam had a playful premise that made returning to school fun.
➕ Final Exam incorporated physical solves including dexterity and agility. We especially liked how these solves required teamwork. One physically skilled person couldn’t solve these puzzles alone.
➖ In one instance, different clue paths jumped over one another, resulting in unnecessary confusion.
➕ While Sauve Qui Peut telegraphed some of the early gameplay, they surprised us with a reveal that changed the nature of the game. It was elegant and exciting.
➕ Final Exam felt video game-y… in a fun way. This entire aspect of the game was unexpected.
➖ While many of the puzzles made sense in the schoolyard and classroom theming, others felt arbitrary and oddly our of place, given the theming.
➖ We solved one puzzle correctly, but the solve didn’t trigger because our choice of tool was correct, but off by a fraction of an inch. This slowed the roll of our momentum.
➖/➕ Final Exam ended anticlimactically. Because of the teamwork aspect of the final puzzle, we weren’t all together when we freed ourselves from the classroom, having cleared our names. One person stepped into freedom triumphantly without the rest of the team. That said, the exit was designed such that everyone who wished to experience the unusual element of Final Exam had the opportunity to explore this.
❓ *The entrance door to Final Exam was never locked. There was also an emergency exit door at a particular juncture. That said, Final Exam required at least some players to spend time in confined spaces. Not everyone will be comfortable with these spaces or their emergency exit options.
Tips For Visiting
- There is metered street parking.
- This game is more physical than most escape rooms. Everyone needs to be able to climb a ladder. At least 2 people need to be able to crawl.
- You can play this game in English or French.
Book your hour with Sauve Qui Peut’s Final Exam, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Sauve Qui Peut comped our tickets for this game.
