Not your ordinary escape room
A Private Investigator, neck deep in a case. He was found in his office late last night, the walls soaked with warm blood and ill intent.
The other cops see no sign of foul play, just a man at the end of his tether. But you’re not like the other cops: You’re detectives. Gritty, hard boiled, and not so quick to take things at face value.
What really happened here? What did Max discover? How – and why – did he die? We need you to find out.
Edinburgh and Glasgow have a reputation for solid escape rooms, and we have been meaning to make a trip back to Scotland for some time now (and not just because I am addicted to Macaroni Pies). That reputation is well-deserved, and the day started out strong with three games at Locked in Edinburgh (The Secret Lab, Space Academy, and The Cutting Room), but some of the games we were most looking forward to were the games from relative newcomers to the Edinburgh escape scene: Case Closed.
Now that they have two games, Case Closed operate under an interesting concept; they have two completely different games that occupy exactly the same space*, and they switch between these games weekly. From a business perspective, it’s kind of genius: although the games don’t run concurrently, you can have repeat customers without actually needing any extra space. From a local player’s perspective, this is also great, because you can play one, and then arrange to play the other when it suits you. From the enthusiast point of view, however, it makes things tricky. When you like to collect games like Pokeman, (gotta catch ‘em all!), and you’re not often in the area, it takes a monumental amount of planning to ensure you can fit both games in. In our case, the dates for our trip to Scotland were chosen specifically around the schedule for the games at Case Closed; if we timed it right, we would be able to play The Murder of Max Sinclair on the final night before it was swapped, and then catch Radio Nowhere on the way to the airport five days later. And that’s exactly what we did. *since writing this review, Case Closed have changed their setup and both games now have their own spaces
We made our way out of central Edinburgh to Leith, and after treating ourselves to a rather tasty pizza, we found ourselves outside the entrance to Secret Solstice Games, the board game cafe that is the home of Case Closed. Since we were a little early for our game, this was incredibly convenient, as we were able to head inside, chill out, and have a coffee while chatting with Bliss, one third of the team behind Case Closed. But it wasn’t too long before our host, Ronan, burst onto the scene. And after a short discussion regarding the unique way in which Case Closed games are played, we were led to the office of Max Sinclair, Private Investigator, and stepped into the darkened space where we learned a bit more about the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.
IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN
As Ronan departed, the lighting changed. As the gloom lifted, we were confronted with a space that could reasonably be believed to be the office of a private investigator. The furnishings were simple, but the lighting and sound design pulled it all together to turn the unassuming office space from a game to a crime scene.
The game format was split into distinct sections, with reports that had to be filed, in order to progress the narrative. This structure allowed us to focus more on what was relevant at the time, rather than get overwhelmed with trying to unlock anything and everything we could see from the start.
Investigating The Murder of Max Sinclair felt almost relaxed – there was no frantic race from puzzle to puzzle but instead, a slow, methodical approach to clearly understanding all of the evidence we uncovered. Until we discovered exactly why Max was found dead in his office, that is. Once we uncovered that little tidbit, suddenly the game turned into an adrenaline fuelled race to the finish, in one of the more unique escape room finales I have had the joy of experiencing.
PUZZLES
The Murder of Max Sinclair isn’t filled with puzzles in the way a traditional escape room would be. Instead, it really is more of a detective game. You’ll need all your wits about you, for the game relies heavily on the team’s powers of observation and deductive reasoning skills. It’s more fun than it sounds, but players that aren’t keen on following the narrative arc of an escape room may swiftly find themselves lost, wondering just how exactly they were meant to get to that conclusion.
The game seems to mimic an investigation, with an exploration of the crime scene in search of evidence, analysing the evidence you find, filing reports with the detective superintendent, and delving deeper into the secrets uncovered. There are, of course, a few puzzles, and these have a familiar sort of escape room feel to them, but The Murder of Max Sinclair certainly doesn’t follow the traditional escape room format.
GM/CLUE SYSTEM
Clues, when needed, came in various forms, whether it was a subtle change in lighting to highlight something we had missed, or just a note through the door. Whatever the manner in which they arrived, they were perfectly timed to ensure we didn’t flounder about for long if we were missing anything, and fit into the game seamlessly to ensure the game was as immersive as possible.
However, it was Ronan’s hosting that elevated The Murder of Max Sinclair from good to great. Ronan was fantastic – enthusiastic, and a joy to chat with, and of course, on top of his hosting game when it came to clues, nudges and his character work. The finale of Max Sinclair is by far the most memorable moment, and it was Ronan that made it so.
ANYTHING ELSE
If I could say one thing about Case Closed and The Murder of Max Sinclair, it’s that this isn’t your usual escape room. But it also isn’t your usual detective investigation either. Whatever it is, it’s 90 minutes of pure fun.
Success / Failure
Final Rating:
| Operation | |
| Puzzles | |
| Room Design | |
| GM/Clues | |
| Excitement |
Team: 2 players
Address: 1 Carpet Ln, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6SS
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