Walking Dead Vibes

Nobody knows from where the first zombies came from, but it sure changed the world brutally. They overran most big cities in no time. Life as we knew it, changed forever. Some decided to fightback. The military along with some survivors established well defended bases.

You are desperately searching for a safe haven, where you could finally rest for a little bit.

Traveling during daytime seems safe so far, but with the coming of darkness, the creatures emerge from the shadows…

Your only hope is to draw the attention of the army to yourselves and pray for a quick rescue.

However with each passing hour, hope fades away, and darkness set soon…

Race against time! Can you find a safe haven from the rampaging zombie horde before it gets dark? Search through every corner of the ruined city to find a way of surviving.

Having already played Sky Heist at AROOM in Budapest, AROOM were already becoming one of my favourite locations in the city – although admittedly it was only the third company we had so far played at on this trip. But Sky Heist had solid hosting, a lovely reception area, and great set design, so I had high hopes for ‘Deadland’, a zombie themed game that was supposedly light on the horror aspect – very excited for this one.

The waiting area for AROOM is lovely, with a lot of seating areas (three separate seating areas), complimentary tea, coffee and water, soft drinks for sale, foosball table, and some cool retro-style games consoles to help pass the time while you wait for your games.

We were booked in for three games, although we then added an extra later (whoops), so after finishing Sky Heist we had a little time to wait in the waiting area before it was time to take on Deadland. We left our possessions in the lockers provided, used the rather nice toilets, and then were shown a video which stated the rules of the game, and more basically, what an escape room was – if we didn’t know by now, we’d be in trouble!

We didn’t catch the name of our GM for Deadland, but she was as lovely as the rest of the hosts at this venue. Once our time in the waiting area was done, she escorted us out of the building and into the courtyard, where we found ourselves standing outside of a non-descript door.

She opened the door, ushered us inside and then left us. We were on our own. A video played that gave background on the story and our mission, and with that out of the way, it was time to find a safe haven away from the zombie horde!

A few things to note about this game; it’s not particularly scary (as it states on the AROOM website), there is no live actor, and it is most definitely not an accessible space – climbing is essential although not every team member needs to do this, so if you’re unsure, just ask the venue when you book.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

AROOM already impressed us with their first game that we played, and Deadland went even further, possibly moving this into being my favourite game that we played at this venue. The space wasn’t huge in the traditional sense, but it was very well utilised so it felt perhaps bigger than it was. Utilising different levels helped to create a really rather immersive world that was fascinating and exciting to explore.

Ambient noises were being played at all times, which again added to the edgy feeling of Deadland. Also, the lighting was dark but never too dark to see, which was very much appreciated. The darkness was used to add tension and intrigue, and to aid with the occasional jump scare, but it was never there to be an annoyance.

Each space we found took us further into this world, and each felt like it truly belonged there. This game really did make it feel like we were exploring a zombie wasteland, and I was totally invested in it! One central area became pivotal to the game, with us going back and forth a lot, and it had some really impressive design features to keep our attention. There is a vertical ladder in this game that needs to be climbed, so probably best to not get too distracted by all the cool things in the game while you climb the ladder.

One thing that I appreciated about the games at AROOM was that we got closure to our mission. After completing the game, a video played that concluded the story and notified us that our mission was complete. It was a little thing, but it was much more immersive than just the GM opening the door and saying ‘Well done!’.

PUZZLES

For me personally, I felt like the puzzles were secondary to the overall experiences in Deadland. That’s not to say they were bad, far from it, but just the whole experience made this a great place to be. The puzzles were all very fair, although not overly challenging (we got out in a little over 21 minutes), but that’s testament to solid signposting and fair puzzles.

The puzzles all felt diegetic to the world we had entered, and many had us doing real-world tasks that one could realistically expect to do in a zombie apocalypse (except hiding away crying in a corner). Searching, observation, logic, teamwork, communication, basic maths – and one or two tasks that added a lot more fun to the experience.

Solving the puzzles generally resulted in a combination for a padlock, but there was also a good amount of tech that helped to keep things interesting – and everything worked perfectly.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

Our host was lovely and enthusiastic, but when it came to clues, we gave her an easy ride as we didn’t need any (for any of the games we played at AROOM actually). If we had needed help, they would have been on a screen, and we could request them by pressing a button. A picture or text would appear on the screen to let us know if the request for help was received (nice to stop us wondering) and then it would appear on the screen. When the screen wasn’t being used for help it was displaying our timer.

One thing that is controversial, and I’m not a fan of, is that AROOM limits clues to five per game. I’m not sure what happens if you need more. I understand why they do this, as it causes people to stop and think rather than just blitz with help. But for me, it adds an extra element of worry to the game that I think most people could do without. We’re all wired differently, and sometimes you just need help, so I don’t like it when help comes with conditions or limitations.

ANYTHING ELSE

I think this was possibly my favourite game at AROOM. The set was really good, the puzzles were fun, and everything clicked. If you’ve always wanted to live out a zombie apocalypse (with little to no horror), then Deadland is a great choice.

In the four rooms we played at this venue, we got four records – so take that as you will, but I think it shows that the puzzles work, the signposting is good, and perhaps they aren’t the most challenging of games – but the sets really are good.

Success/Failed

Final Rating:

Team: 4 players – 21:50 taken

Address: Budapest, Király u. 14, 1061 Hungary

Website: https://www.locked.hu/en/