Classic escape room fun!
The Udabaga Tribe are the last known human cannibals on earth. Whilst investigating their strange way of life you have inadvertently been captured! So, unless you want to be on the menu tonight, you better find a way to escape before the giant cooking pot comes to the boil!
It had been a few years since we last visited the Bodmin location of Housetrap, and in that time, they’ve completely changed the games they have on offer. When we were last there, it was Seance and Aquarium, but they have now been replaced with Tribe, and Killjoy.
This trip was a bit of an impromptu long weekend away, and we’d already played at the other (Gnome World) location of Housetrap where we played Abducted and Camelot. The Bodmin venue of Housetrap is on an industrial estate with not much around, but there is a nice bakery just around the corner that we used to refuel before our adventures began.
When we arrived we were able to park right outside the entrance to the venue, and on entering, we were greeted by our host, and the creative mind behind Housetrap, Trev.
Our first game was Tribe, a game we knew nothing about. Actually, we didn’t really know anything about any of the games at Housetrap. In the waiting area we watched a video about health and safety, and the story. We were then led down the corridor and were asked to wait outside the entrance. At this point, we were separated, well Liz was, Sarah and I stayed together and then we entered the room a few moments after Liz was safely tucked away.
IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN
Tribe had a wonderful jungle-like feel and that spread across the whole space, I actually really liked it. The theming was spot on and I can see this being a really fun game for the whole family (ok, we’ll ignore the whole cannibalistic tribe thing).
All the spaces we encountered felt like they were right out of a jungle setting, and interestingly most of the game was visible from the start, which gave insights into what was to come next. Space was a little tight at the start, but this soon opened up into a much bigger area, and as a team of three, we had no issues moving around.
The one thing I always forget about games is whether there was ambient noises or music being, but I don’t remember complete silence in Tribe, so I’m going to assume there were at least some noises being played (in addition to the tranquil noise of running water in the room).
If accessibility is a concern then you may want to check with the venue on what can be done, as not all of this game is accessible. At least one member of your team will need to be comfortable climbing quite a steep staircase.
PUZZLES
I really enjoyed the variety of puzzles in Tribe: searching, observation, teamwork, physical, decoding, and logic. We started off a bit slow but once we got into our rhythm we found that the puzzles in this game really clicked with us and we were soon flying through the jungle, enjoying every minute.
All of the puzzles were in some way linked to the jungle, or things you would expect to find in a jungle, and generally didn’t feel out of place. We did slow down on a couple of puzzles but that’s because we were trying to solve them before we had everything we needed, but the puzzles were fair and signposting was good.
I even managed to shortcut one puzzle, not on purpose, but it happened – “Give monkey tool. Monkey use tool”.
GM/CLUE SYSTEM
I really need to get better at remembering the names of our hosts. We get the name, make a note to remember it, then seem to swiftly forget it. I feel like her name may have been Ellie? We’ll go with that (Ellie, if you’re reading this and your name isn’t Ellie, I’m sorry).
Ellie was wonderful and made us feel welcome, and then like superstars when we got out. We didn’t need any help in Tribe (at least not that I can recall), so we gave her a pretty easy ride. But after the game she was able to give a thorough debrief, so she was clearly paying attention.
In the other games we played at Housetrap I seem to remember clues coming through TV screens, so let’s go on the assumption that’s how they would have come through in Tribe too. (Note to self. Take better notes!).
ANYTHING ELSE
Although not the biggest or flashiest game out there, we clicked with the puzzles in Tribe and I would actually say it’s possibly my favourite game at Housetrap (including the now closed games we played before). Our last visit was ok, but we didn’t really enjoy it like we wanted to, but the new cohort of games at Housetrap have really elevated them in my eyes, and they’re now a company we would (and will) recommend in Cornwall.
Success/Failed
Final Rating:
Operation Puzzles Room Design GM/Clues Excitement
Team: 3 players – 31mins
Address: 7 Paardeburg Rd, Bodmin PL31 1EY
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