Bolted Escape Rooms: It’s not Fair (St Austell)

Ying and Yang

Join us for what promises to be a week of fun, thrills and laughter as the fair rolls into Boltsville for its 50th year… a time for joy and celebration, right? WRONG! This year things seem different, very very different… Children are complaining that the prizes can’t be won, the food prices are criminally high and the newest attraction is leaving them full of terror and fleeing to their homes as fast as their little legs will take them, crying “it’s not fair!

We think it’s about time that the residents of Boltsville take matters into their own hands. We’re going to wait until dusk, sneak into the fair as it closes for the night and win all of the prizes for the children… … and while we’re there, we need to get to the bottom of what it is that’s scaring the wits out of everyone who visits… it can’t be THAT terrifying, can it? Are you in..?”

We headed down to Cornwall for a few days of rest and relaxation for a special birthday. One thing that was not on the agenda was escape rooms, we were taking a break. So naturally, by the end of the week we had played 7 games, dammit. Most of the companies we played at were ones that we had heard about before, but Bolted was new to us and we didn’t know anything about them.

There was no missing their venue though; located at Par Market and with a HUGE sign outside saying ‘Escape Rooms’, we knew we were in the right place! Par Market is an interesting place and we’d definitely recommend having a stroll around it either before or after your game. Oh and another bonus with this location, there is a lot of parking!

We arrived at our allotted time and were greeted by our host, and one of the owners, Tom. For a company we knew nothing about, I was impressed with our first impressions at Bolted. A comfortable waiting area, nice decoration and attention to detail, lockers for personal effects, toilets and drinks and snacks available to purchase – what more could one need?

Our first game here was No Honour Among Thieves, and we were able to go pretty much straight into It’s not Fair, well once we had our briefings anyway. The briefings took place in the reception area and then we were escorted down the corridor and shown into the room, where our time then began.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

This is very much a game of two halves, at least in terms of set design. The first half is exactly what you’d expect from a ‘fair’ themed game, the second half…well… let’s just say it’s very different and not something we were expecting. When it started, we thought it was a family friendly game, but it took a bit of a turn and the latter part would probably steer it away from being suitable for small children.

Being totally honest, I’d have probably enjoyed this game just as much if it had started, and ended in the first room – it was just so joyful. If you’ve ever been to a small village fair in the UK then you’ll find a lot of what you see in this game to be quite familiar. Although as the game progresses, things take a much darker turn and that warm and fuzzy feeling disappears rather quickly, and is replaced with suspense, mystery, and darkness.

I’m not sure if this game was particularly new, or it was just well looked after, but nothing felt like it was run down and there were very few (if any) signs of wear and tear. I can’t recall if there was any music being played or not – I really should take better notes – but I am pretty sure there was music, as I recall being engrossed in this game.

PUZZLES

The set of ‘It’s not Fair’ was lovely, and fortunately we found the puzzles worked in tandem with the set to create an experience that was 100% fair. We managed to accidentally set the record for this game, not because we were trying to be quick, but because the signposting was great and everything just clicked for us.

Most of the puzzles culminated in combinations for padlocks, retrieving a key, or perhaps triggered some tech, but thanks to the previously mentioned signposting, we always knew what code went where. There’s nothing worse than having a code and having to try it in seven identical padlocks!

The puzzles in this game were varied, both in terms of theme and type; observation, searching, logic, wordplay, and audio made up the bulk of the puzzles, but they were certainly not in short supply and we had plenty to keep us going.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

I’ll be honest, I don’t remember the clue system for this game at all. That could be because we took terrible notes, left it too long before writing the review, or simply because we didn’t actually need any help. Going on the clue system from their other game, I would assume there was a screen in the room that clues would have been displayed on.

Tom greeted us on arrival, and acted as our GM for the first game we played. I can’t recall if he was our GM for It’s not Fair, but he was certainly there when we had finished. Like I said, we didn’t need any help, but it was clear from our after game chat that he was paying attention, as we had a nice and thorough debrief after.

ANYTHING ELSE

I went to Bolted with zero expectations, and came away pleasantly surprised. It’s not Fair was my preferred game of the two there, thanks to the lovely set and great twist. I’d have no issues in recommending stopping by if you’re in the area.

This is not a horror/scare game in the traditional sense, but there could be a moment or two that may catch you out if you’re a little skittish – but ignore that, still play it.

Success/Failed

Final Rating:

Team: 2 Players – 29:52 taken (a new record)

Address: Stadium Retail Park, Par Moor Rd, Saint Austell PL25 3RP

Website: https://www.boltedescaperooms.com