Other World Escapes: Journey to Xibalba (Portsmouth)

A lot to explore!

The ancient Mayan gods await you with a brand new challenge – The Journey to Xibalba (Shee-Bal-Ba)! Battle your way through dense jungle and enter the ancient ruins to make your way to the underworld. The trials have been set. You have been chosen. Do you think you will ever return?

If you frequently end up on Review the Room checking out our thoughts on games, you’ll probably have noticed how much I love a temple game. I’m not sure why that is, but it’s probably something to do with a childhood spent watching Legends of the Hidden Temple and desperately wishing I could be a contestant. Journey to Xibalba is a game that we had been hearing wonderful things about, and given the theme, was very much on our radar. It was just finding the time to visit.

Back in August we set off on a road trip to attend a friend’s wedding and detoured into Portsmouth to play one game – The Western Job at The Real Escape, and discovered that not only is Other World Escapes nearby, it is actually directly across the street. Sadly, our detour to Portsmouth that day was just a pit stop, but it wouldn’t be long (less than two months) before we set aside a day to venture back to Portsmouth for a little bit longer, and pay a visit to Other World Escapes.

We arrived at the venue ten minutes before as requested, and didn’t even have to knock before Ross was outside to greet us. We confirmed our booking and stepped through to reception where we stowed our things in the provided lockers. From there, it was a trek up the stairs, followed by the most thorough health and safety briefing I have received, complete with a waiver to ensure you understand just exactly what you’re in for.

With our waivers completed, it was time to don our hard hats (which must remain on for the duration of the game), and with a final word of warning, or perhaps advice, the entrance to the temple was revealed and we were off on a Journey to Xibalba.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

Crawling through the entrance of Journey to Xibalba was like crawling straight into the set of my favourite childhood television program. The attention to detail in the set was impressive, particularly as we made our way through the temple, but it had more to do with how the game flowed that gave me flashbacks to the 90’s. Journey to Xibalba is incredibly physical, so make sure you wear proper adventuring attire. Climbing, crawling, small spaces, dark spaces, low ceilings… this has it all. (But don’t worry, it’s about as scary as The Goonies.)

Often when I write a review, I talk about the journey the game takes us on. This game has “Journey” as part of its name, and it truely lives up to the promise. Not only were we taken on a journey to Xibalba, but rather an adventure, with challenges, surprises, and yes, even an actual journey. The narrative flowed through the game, and the challenges evolved out of the set so organically that everything simply flowed as we progressed through the game, eventually saving the Mayan people.

PUZZLES

Amazingly, The puzzles in Journey to Xibalba use no English language at all, and in true temple raiding style, the puzzles are much more physical and tactile in nature. Figuring out how to interact with the surroundings was often one of the biggest puzzles, and a recurring theme. Hidden mechanisms instead of padlocks added an element of magic that helped to keep us immersed in the game.

Chunky props that we could play with and physical challenges gave Journey to Xibalba an adventurous feel, but that’s not to say you need to use your strength and not your brain. The challenges also incorporated an elements of logic, observation, pattern recognition, and even some maths, as well as a hefty amount of teamwork and communication.

The game ebbed and flowed with moments of linearity that suddenly exploded into an entirely open structure with puzzles that could be solved in any order, until we reached the inevitable choke points, then opened up again, making this an ideal choice for teams of any size.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

Ross was a delight from the moment he welcomed us to the venue. While he was covering serious subject matter in his briefing, he was still light hearted and amusing in his delivery. But most importantly, he ran our game flawlessly, ensuring the gods smiled upon us favourably and offered assistance at just the right times.

I feel like the gods of ancient South American civilisations are always portrayed as vengeful and blood thirsty, demanding human sacrifices, lest they set off a volcano. But perhaps that’s just the Aztecs. Thankfully, the Mayan gods in Journey to Xibalba were helpful, even when we were being somewhat stupid. (No really. We said what we needed to do out loud, didn’t do it, then proceeded to ask for a clue. Not our brightest moment.)

Sometimes the gods provided little nudges, sometimes a little humour, and they were always happy to help… provided you asked in the right way. Their help came in the form of a disembodied voice, but it was always clear, and just enough guidance to get us moving.

ANYTHING ELSE

My favourite theme is a temple, and I’m always excited when a temple game lives up to the possibilities the theme provides of creating a true adventure. Journey to Xibalba does exactly that, and provides (up to) 90 minutes of pure joy.

Success/Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 2 players – escaped in 1hr 2 mins

Address: 239 – 241 Commercial Rd, Portsmouth PO1 4BJ

Website: https://otherworldescapes.com/