Escapism Plymouth: Forge (Plymouth)

A game of two halves

The King commissioned a fantastic sword as prize for his grand tournament, but the sword and the Blacksmith are nowhere to be seen. With only an hour until the start of the tournament you’ll have to search your master’s forge to find where he’s hidden his finest work.

Once you find the sword, there are ways to enchant it to win the king’s favour… if you have time!

We’re always excited when a new company pops up in our local area, and while Plymouth isn’t quite “local,” it’s a relatively short and straightforward train journey. So when Escapism Plymouth opened, it wasn’t too long before we hopped on an early train and made the journey southwards to play the games they had on offer at the time: Radioactive, Breadcrumbs, Legacy, and The Missing. But less than a year later, suddenly the venue was offering not one, but two new games, and it seemed a shame to put off another visit. Thus, it was another early morning train ride for us down to Plymouth.

This visit began with a bit of Lighthouse sabotage in Wrecked, and after a quick break for a milkshake from the nearby Five Guys, we ventured back to Escapism Plymouth for the last game on the list: Forge. Escapism Plymouth feels clean, if a bit corporate, but the staff have always been friendly and enthusiastic, and this visit was no different. When we arrived back after our short refreshment break, we were warmly greeted by our GM (and the owner of Escapism Plymouth), Joe.

Having played the other games at the venue, and one just an hour earlier, we were able to dispense with an extra health and safety brief, and instead went straight to a quick chat about escape rooms before heading down the corridor to the entrance to Forge. Joe opened the door, we stepped over the threshold and back in time.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

Joe quickly ran through the game specifics and the story of the missing sword, but it wasn’t long before he departed and the hunt for the missing sword was on. The sounds of a blacksmith’s workshop accompanied us as we found ourselves diverging off on two parallel puzzle paths, but then coming back together as we reached the inevitable choke points.

The set was well designed, and easily accessible, although there were a few tighter areas that would be difficult to allow all players to be included at points if large teams decide not to take advantage of the non-linear sections of the game.

The narrative of the game was there, and while the puzzles didn’t contribute to the story, there was still a flow to the game. That flow stuttered a bit as we hit the halfway point, but once we figured out where to go next, we quickly picked up steam, becoming reimmersed in the game as we approached the grand (and rather satisfying) finale.

PUZZLES

Escapism have classed Forge as a game of “Dynamic Difficulty,” but what that means in reality is that it is a game of two halves. If you complete the first half of actually finding the sword, you win the game! But if you have time to spare, then there are the extra tasks to complete to enchant the sword to further please the king. Splitting the game in this manner gives teams the best of both worlds: those new to escape rooms have plenty of time to secure a successful outcome, and the puzzle fiends get loads of content. And there was a pretty reasonable amount of content to be had.

A blend of padlocks and tech kept things interesting, along with some hidden secrets in the game. Logic, observation, wordplay, pattern recognition, and of course, some searching, all made an appearance – essentially, the escape room classics. But Escapism Plymouth have put their own spin on them, and the puzzles were thematic and fair, allowing for some nice little “ah-ha!” moments when something clicked.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

Escapism Plymouth use the tried and true method of clue delivery via a screen in the game. These clues are always accompanied by a noise to ensure players know to actually look at the screen. In Forge, this happens to be a shout of “My Apprentice!” as one might expect when an apprentice blacksmith is being a bit dim.

Thankfully we weren’t terribly dim apprentices, but Joe did have to chime in once or twice to ensure we didn’t head off on a tangent (as we are known to do). Help was always received in a timely manner, and it’s clear we were being watched closely enough that he could tell when to chime in to avoid any frustration due to something silly…like not searching properly.

ANYTHING ELSE

Escapism Plymouth have delivered another solid and satisfying game. With the dynamic difficulty (i.e. extra puzzles) in Forged, this game is a sound choice whether you’re an experienced puzzler, or looking to try your first game.

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 2 players – escaped in 36:28 mins

Address: 17 Bretonside, Plymouth PL4 0BB

Website: https://www.escapismplymouth.co.uk