A lighthouse without stairs – phew!
The Smeastone Lighthouse has been lit for hundreds of years, keeping traveling ships safe and helping spot any smugglers trying to sneak goods onto the shore.
Tonight, your smuggling crew are inbound with the jackpot, but they’ll only go unnoticed if you can do what time has not – turn off the light!
Arrangements have been made and the lighthouse keeper is away, but only for an hour. Get in quick and end up rich!
We’d visited Escapism Plymouth before and had a good time, so when we saw that they had opened up a couple of new games we decided to make another day trip. Plymouth is an easy location for us to get to on the train and it makes for a relaxed day out. On our previous trip we played; Breadcrumbs, The Missing, Radioactive, and Legacy. This time we were back for Wrecked and Forge.
Escapism is one of those venues that feels very new and clean, really the only thing it is lacking is somewhere comfortable to sit (there are window sills, but they’re not overly comfortable). It’s also a pretty accessible venue too, Wrecked is listed as being wheelchair accessible though always best to check in advance if you have any concerns – there is one part of the game where someone would need some amount of movement.
When we arrived we were warmly greeted by the team. They were doing the briefing for another team so we just moved down to one side until it was our turn. The health and safety briefing was given by the reception desk, and then we were shown to the room by our GM, who proceeded to deliver our mission briefing. With that out of the way, we were shown into the room, a short video played and we were on our own.
IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN
Unlike some venues we’ve played at, there is no ‘set overspill’ into the entrance way. The entrance to Wrecked is just a black door with a sign on it. I do like it when the set spills out into the entrance way, but at the same time, having a simple black door adds to the mystery more.
First impressions of Wrecked were good. The first space we encountered was small but there was plenty to steal our attention and the set design was spot on. The spaces we encountered followed the story and I must say I was pleased that we found a lighthouse without an abundance of stairs!
I can’t recall if there were any ambient noises or music playing to assist with the immersion, but everything else felt in keeping with the theme. It was also nice that it was thematically dark but not so dark that it became a challenge to see what we needed.
PUZZLES
As you’d expect from a lighthouse, Wrecked had a mixture of padlocks and tech and I can’t recall any items in there that felt out of place. The game was also non-linear in many places and had multiple puzzle paths so it would be a good choice for a larger team, or teams that like to split up.
Wrecked had a good variety of puzzles; searching, observation, maths, physical, logic, and wordplay. We didn’t really have many issues in this game, in fact we were on the verge of asking for a hint when we noticed there was something in the room that somehow both of us had completely overlooked. Once we found that, it was plain sailing once again.
We did find one puzzle felt a little ambiguous and took us longer than it should, and in hindsight it probably needs tidying up a little to make it more obvious what you actually need. We knew what we had to do but due to this minor issue we couldn’t actually solve it and it really slowed the game down for us.
Another issue we encountered was that at one point we did something in the game which triggered something else on the other side of the room. But because it made no noise at all, we wasted probably another five minutes or so wondering what to do next.
Oh, and if you’re worried when I say ‘maths’ puzzles were included, don’t worry it was pretty simple and a digital notepad was provided so you could write down your notes.
GM/CLUE SYSTEM
Our GM, was lovely and enthusiastic, like all of the staff at Escapism Plymouth. I can’t recall if we needed any clues, but I have a feeling that we may have needed a nudge at one point just to tell us to turn around as we completely missed something that we had done.
When clues/nudges were sent in, they were delivered on the screen (that also showed the countdown timer), and were accompanied with a loud thunder clap noise.
ANYTHING ELSE
Wrecked was a fun game, with enjoyable puzzles and a good flow. The first games we played as Escapism Plymouth were good, but it looks like they are always looking for ways to improve.
I enjoy the games at Escapism Plymouth, they always put good effort into their sets and they create games that will easily convert new players into enthusiasts.
Success / Failure
Final Rating:
Operation | |
Puzzles | |
Room Design | |
GM/Clues | |
Excitement |
Team: 2 players – escaped in 39:58
Address: 17 Bretonside, Plymouth PL4 0BB
Website: https://www.escapismplymouth.co.uk
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