Straight to the bar!
Can you help the sheriff find the hidden moonshine distillery? You need to find the location, recipe and who’s recipe it is! You have 60 minutes before the bartender comes back!
We were away for a long weekend and looking for a stop halfway between home and Tenby to break up the drive, and The Escape Game Swansea just happened to fall in the perfect position on the map (okay, it was a little bit further than halfway, but still ideal.) Of course, being who we are, we can’t just stop for one game, but thankfully The Escape Game Swansea had four to choose from.
We had already managed to avoid the Zombies in Prison Van, escape Alcatraz, and narrowly avoided death by serial killer in Hostel, but after a short respite in the comfy reception area, complete with a refresher of the slick Health and Safety video brief, it was time to be transported back in time to the Wild West to track down some moonshine.
Our host, Georgia, did one final sweep of the room before collecting us from reception and leading us to the door to Wild West. We stepped over the threshold into the space, and stepped into another world. Following a short story from Georgia, it was time to get down to business.
IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN
Wild West is the latest game to open at The Escape Game Swansea, and it shows. The set design has been taken to the next level here when compared to their earlier games. The space here has been lovingly crafted, with clever touches to make it feel like an old world saloon; all it’s really missing is a tumbleweed.
Of the games at the venue, this is the one with the most light-hearted theme. Wild West has a slightly linear flow to the game, but there was so much to take in and explore that it almost doesn’t feel linear. There are one or two moments with parallel puzzle paths breaking up the flow further, and plenty of searching to be done, making the game ideal for those looking to play in a larger group. Of all the games at The Escape Game Swansea, this is also the one that evoked the strongest feelings of adventure and discovery as we progressed through. The atmosphere was ever-present, but Wild West was effective at building the tension, and providing a clear progression of the game, culminating in some surprising reveals and a delightful conclusion.
On the other hand, in stark contrast to the other games at The Escape Game Swansea, Wild West felt “busy.” The set dressing was done in such a way that one of the challenges of the game was separating actual puzzles from the scenery. Some of the set dressing was also presented in such a way that they felt almost like red herrings. As experienced players, it was easy to ignore things until it became clear what was a puzzle, but I can see less experienced players becoming very hung up on things that have no relevance to the game. Of course, even as an experienced player, I had my own issues with the puzzles.
PUZZLES
I am going to be a little blunt – I had a love/hate relationship with the puzzles in Wild West. Some were absolutely beautiful in their simplicity, with perfect logic and excellent signposting. Others managed to enrage me to the point where I wanted to throw a tantrum like an over-tired three-year-old.
Wild West was our fourth game of the day, so perhaps we were tired and this is on us (one was definitely on me), but for me, the frustrating puzzles far outweighed the fun, and I can’t help but think that a few of them might need to be taken back to the drawing board. They all had the bones of good puzzles, but there were certain things that let them down along the way. One in particular is in major need of rethinking, considering the effect that a rather prevalent virus has on one of the five major senses. We struggled enormously with this puzzle, to the point where we had to be given the answer as one of our clues, and at the time we played, we had still managed to avoid C-19, so I can only imagine how much worse it could be for others.
However, the puzzles that worked flowed beautifully, and were a pleasure to solve. A blend of padlocks and hidden tech gave the puzzle mechanics some variety, and there was plenty of variety in the puzzles to allow at least one to appeal to just about everyone. Simple observation, a bit of searching, codes and cyphers, not to mention a few more tactile tasks kept everything interesting.
GM/CLUE SYSTEM
The Escape Game are one of a few venues I’ve home across in the UK that limit players to the number of “Free” clues they allow. Teams that play here can request up to three clues without penalty. Additional clues come at the price of an additional two minutes being added on to the final escape time. I get the reasoning behind this (it can’t be fun as a GM having teams request a clue for every single puzzle), but to me it adds a sort of pressure that doesn’t really need to be there – especially when a game isn’t clicking. Thankfully, GM-initiated nudges aren’t counted in your clue total – only those that are actively requested by the team.
Georgia was back as our GM for Wild West, having seen us through the previous three games. Normally, any clues needed would be delivered through a screen in the room. This was slightly different for our game though, due to some issues with the WiFi. Fortunately, walkie talkies were available to fix the issue of communication, and hints were able to be requested and delivered without a hitch. And I’m pretty sure we used at least all three of our freebies, so I’m immensely grateful for that.
ANYTHING ELSE
I wanted to love Wild West, but unfortunately it left me feeling just a bit flat. However, I wouldn’t let that stop you from playing. Despite my issues with it, Wild West was the strongest of the games at The Escape Game’s Swansea branch, and there were a few moments of pure puzzling joy.
Success/Failed
Final Rating:
Operation Puzzles Room Design GM/Clues Excitement
Team: 2 players – escaped in XX minutes (we can’t remember)
Address: Unit 2B, Samlet shopping centre, Samlet Rd, Llansamlet, Swansea SA7 9AG
Website: https://www.theescapegame.co.uk/
Leave a Reply