Keep on testing, this experiment is not ready
After being dismissed by the board of medical science for her unorthodox practices, Dr. Psik managed to procure a secluded allotment to continue her work. Under the guise of an increasingly popular ‘Escape Room’ she coerces test subjects to enter chambers to undergo her experiments. Test subjects began to expire from over exertion during the trials – but being as resourceful as she is, Dr. Psik has found a use for all those fresh cadavers. Now the dead live once more as a reminder that no-one can beat The Experiments.
We normally steer clear of franchises like ClueHQ but on this occasion it was the only room in the location we wanted, so we gave it a try. Bit of an odd location this one as it is above a bath shop.
When inside you enter a large waiting area with standing tables and TV screens. You and any other groups waiting are shown an intro video explaining rules etc and then they lead you away to your room (cattle?).
You start The Experiments blindfolded and you are lead into the room. The only reason for the blindfold is that you walk through a later room so they don’t want you to see any clues prematurely. A short voice over plays and then you’re free to begin.
This room was dark, dark enough that to see some clues you needed a torch, which of course they didn’t provide. So this room was hard, not because of the puzzles but because you couldn’t see them.
We were getting our bearings and working through a puzzle and we’re starting to work out where to go when all of a sudden the GM gets trigger happy and basically tells us how to do it! Unfortunately this was a trend that continued throughout the room.
I wouldn’t say this was a bad room but a poor GM, puzzles that didn’t fit and were obviously time fillers it was enough to make us leave feeling cheated. This room served as a reminder why we try to avoid franchises, and we’re unlikely to try ClueHQ again.
PUZZLES
There was a mixture of puzzles in the room, some were simple, some were stupid, some made no sense at all, and some were basically just mathematical challenges. I’d like to say we at least found one puzzle clever or original but unfortunately I can’t.
IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN
The room had one or two bits which probably fitted with the theme but basically it was just a couple of big rooms put together with a few puzzles on the walls. I think they have probably made it as big and spacious as possible so they can fit more people in and obviously increase their revenue. Like I said before though, if you’re going to make a room this dark then you must provide decent torches.
GM/CLUE SYSTEM
Clues and nudges were delivered over TV screens in the rooms. Unfortunately poor decisions by the GM on when to give clues made for a un-enjoyable experience. I could understand if we were low on time, but we got out with plenty of time.
ANYTHING ELSE
This room does have a live actor. But the appearance is brief and other than a small jump scare, this is not a scary room.
Success / Failure
Final Rating:
Team: 5 people
Address: 402 Hook Rise North, Surbiton, Kingston Upon Thames, KT6 5AT
Website: https://cluehq.co.uk/kingston/
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