A rare multiplayer, non-linear experience
A member of the Clueminati has infiltrated the NASA Headquarters in Clueston and stolen an important transmission that may hold the key to unlocking secrets of the universe. Can you work out who the undercover Clueminati member is and retrieve the stolen transmission before they’re able to get away?
I’ll be honest, when we think about escape rooms, ClueHQ aren’t normally the first location we go to, not because they’re bad, in fact, we’ve had some good experiences at the locations before, it’s just normally there are better options out there. That thinking is why it has taken us so long to get around to trying their online game.
ClueHQ like to build a theme through their experiences and they have continued that strong theming online with the ‘Hunt for the Clueminati’ storyline. As we had heard good things about the ClueHQ online rooms from friends and fellow bloggers (thanks Brit of an Escape Habit), we decided to bite the bullet and give it a go.
CONCEPT/EXECUTION
One of the rarest items in the world right now is a non-linear online escape room, and somehow ClueHQ have managed to create one. We’re used to rooms where teams see the same screen, or have to share a screen but they always involve working on the same puzzles at the same time. ClueHQ have redesigned the online experience and every member of your team (up to 4 devices) can access and interact with whatever they choose and team members can solve puzzles simultaneously.
The concept of this game was good, and the execution was very nearly perfect. There were some puzzles where images were used and it just felt like it was missing something, and looking back I think it was missing the ability to be able to drag and drop and interact with items on the screen.
We tackled this experience as a team of two and it was great that we were able to split up and work on different puzzles, but even in a larger team there would have been plenty of things for us to do and no-one would have been bored. When one person completes a task it opens up new ones that are available to everyone on your team.
Often we will complete an online game and when we get to the end, despite having solved all the puzzles, we will still feel like perhaps we missed things that we should have spotted. ClueHQ have thought about this so when you (hopefully) successfully find the Clueminati member, a video plays that recaps all the evidence that should have pointed you to them – a nice touch, and like a debrief in a physical escape room.
PUZZLES
The theme of this game was set around ‘space’ and it was nice to see that all of the puzzles fitted in with it well. ClueHQ have managed to fit in the usual sort of puzzles you may expect to find in a physical escape room, logic, observation and a little bit of mathematics (but not too much).
We were actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of these puzzles and if you were working in a larger team then I’m sure there would be at least one puzzle that each player would like and could work on quite happily.
The main mission of the game is to identify who you think is a member of the Clueminati and this is a ‘do or die’ scenario where you only get one chance to get it right, so many sure you are really sure who you think it is before you accuse someone.
Entering the solutions to the puzzles is well thought out. For most puzzles, there are multiple answers needed and rather than just telling you you’re wrong, it tells you how many of your entries are wrong – a nice touch that saves a lot of frustration. You can also see what you are typing which avoids the issues of not noticing a typo.
CLUE SYSTEM
Each individual puzzle has its own clues so it is always easy to know where to go if you need help. Unfortunately, we didn’t actually look at any of these so we’re not sure what they contain but, seeing how well thought out everything else was, I’m sure there would be enough of a nudge to get you back on track. If you get really stuck you can send them a message on their Facebook page, but I can’t imagine you’d need to do that.
FINAL THOUGHTS
ClueHQ have done a great job in providing an online escape experience that teams can all participate in at the same time and solve puzzles simultaneously. With a couple of tweaks to how you interact with the puzzles and it would be pretty close to perfect.
The booking system feels a bit odd as you book for a specific day to play, don’t worry, this is still fully online and self-contained with no interaction with a live person, they just do this to avoid the server getting overloaded and ruining your experience.
TOOLS REQUIRED
- Internet Connection
- Pen and Paper for taking notes
Final Rating:
Puzzles | |
Concept/Execution | |
Clue System | |
Value for Money | |
Enjoyment |
Team: 2 players
Time Taken: 01:03:00
Website: https://cluehq.co.uk
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