Vexing Vacation
Location: Warwick, Rhode Island
Date Played: December 15, 2019
Team size: 4-8; we recommend 3-6
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $29 per player
Ticketing: Public & Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Vanishing at The Velmont was a delightful, beginner-friendly escape room filled with clever puzzles and interactions.
The biggest drawback to this escape room was that throughout the game nearly every prop, wall, and surface felt unfinished. It was generally clear where we were and what we were interacting with, but few items were built to a degree that sold Riddle Room’s fiction.
Ultimately, this is a fun game – and for us, that’s what matters most. We’re glad that we played. We think that this would make a phenomenal initial introduction to escape rooms for newbies. The issues of polish didn’t change the fact that Riddle Room crafted some incredibly cool moments. If you’re in Rhode Island, this game is worth playing.
Who is this for?
- Story seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Any experience level
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- Great, beginner-friendly game design
- A number of fun interactions
- Clever and unique puzzle design
Story
We had always wanted to spend a night in the legendary Velmont Hotel, but it was always far too expensive for us. After a series of strange disappearances occurring in a particular room, the rates had come down… so we figured, why not?
Setting
Vanishing at The Velmont took us through a few different spaces within the Velmont Hotel. Each space had a unique look and feel and progressed along a logical path.
The overall build quality was heavily variable. The setpieces ran the gamut from really cool and solidly constructed to flimsy and shoddily built. Most everything in this game had a neat concept behind it. We wished that the level of construction was more consistently strong.
Gameplay
Riddle Room’s Vanishing at The Velmont was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and puzzling.
Analysis
➕ Vanishing at The Velmont had lot of content, but a progressive difficulty curve. The first act was straightforward and taught us how to play the game.
➕ Riddle Room constructed multiple unique puzzles into Vanishing at The Velmont. They generally involved custom-built mechanisms. They were unusual and satisfying to interact with.
➖ There was opportunity to add finish and polish to many of the props. For example, cut down on handwriting, except where justified by the story, and refine some associated audio in cluing. Additionally, too many setpieces looked unfinished.
➖ Although Vanishing at The Velmont had a lot of excellent puzzle content, it relied a little too much on key-for-key-style solves.
➕ Vanishing at The Velmont provided opportunity for collaboration and sharing. When we repeated an interaction with an interface, instead of feeling tedious, it was a moment for another teammate to have a go at a nifty prop.
➕ Riddle Room justified a classic hint system with one sentence of story.
➖ In order to follow the story, we needed to read quite a bit. We couldn’t feel the story arc through gameplay alone.
➕ We moved through multiple sets in this game. We enjoyed the variety in layouts, set designs, and puzzle types.
Tips For Visiting
- There is a parking lot.
Book your hour with Riddle Room’s Vanishing at The Velmont, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Riddle Room comped our tickets for this game.
