Escaparium: Wardrobe for Sale (Montreal)

A LOT more than you may expect

Antique wardrobe made of authentic maple wood that belonged to the famous writer Mr. Jack.

The wooden planks have retained the essence of the legends told by his works often stored on these shelves.

Will give life to your home, thanks to its simplistic rusticity.

No delivery, to be picked up on site.

Escaparium has been on our escape room wish list for a little while now, but when the TERPECA rankings were announced in December 2023, and the company had not one, but two games in the top ten, with a third coming in at number 28, it moved from wish list, to must-visit list. Fortunately, we were overdue for a trip to North America to visit friends and family, making it easier to justify the trip abroad.

Two of those friends were happy to tag along for the games, so we made a nice little trip of it. But since our friends had played only a few escape games prior to this trip, we didn’t want to overwhelm them, and kept our visit to Escaparium reasonable, with only four games: The Lost Island of the Voodoo Queen, The Forgotten Cathedral, Magnifico’s Circus, and of course Wardrobe for Sale. We decided to take on Voodoo Queen as a warm up on our first evening in Montreal, but our second day was reserved entirely for escaping, and we would be starting bright and early by investigating a mysterious Wardrobe for Sale.

We did exactly that, arriving the requested 15 minutes early and making ourselves comfortable in the spacious waiting area. But it wasn’t long before we were cheerfully greeted by Maya. Once she confirmed that we had an appointment to view the wardrobe, we went over some ground rules, and then it was time to decide if we wanted to buy a wardrobe.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that it definitely took longer than it should have for us to discover the first secret of the Wardrobe for Sale. But once we did, it became a truly magical experience. First off, the set is beautiful, and somehow manages to become even more impressive as the game progresses, and makes this game truly feel like an adventure.

Wardrobe for Sale almost felt like a game of two halves. The first half was very traditionally “escape room” with a multi-linear structure that seemed to be positively rammed full of puzzles. It almost felt like a collection game with how many puzzles there were. But halfway through the game, things shifted a bit, and the narrative aspect of the game took over, making the second half of the game feel much more linear, although there were still a few opportunities for the team to investigate and work on things independently from one another.

But the narrative is what truly sets this game apart from others we’ve played. With cinematic, video game-style cut scenes, there was no chance of anyone missing out on the story, which is actually rather deep and touching. The game built upon itself, increasing the stakes right up until the incredibly satisfying finale.

PUZZLES

The puzzles we encountered, whether in the first section of the game, or the later section, fit perfectly not only into their surroundings, but also the narrative. The sign posting and telegraphing were spot on, making every task a joy to tackle and solve.

At the start there were puzzles that touched on everything from logic problems and fun tactile challenges, to tasks requiring close observation and even a bit of searching, there were puzzles to suit the strengths of everyone in the team, and the sheer volume of puzzles set a frenetic pace between the narrative cut scenes.

The second half of the game had an entirely different feel, with puzzles that felt much more closely tied into the narrative aspect, and therefore crucial to our mission. While these still followed a familiar sort of escape room-style logic, they felt more organic – like they had evolved out of our surroundings, rather than simply challenges put in place to bar the way.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

The clues we received in Wardrobe for Sale were delivered in what is possibly the most charming fashion I have ever encountered. In fact, our wonderful little forest helper, Moss, was so cute I often wanted to ask for help even when we didn’t need it, just to have another sweet little interaction. Moss, and of course, Maya behind the scenes, were also excellent at their jobs, knowing just when to nudge us back in the right direction if we went off on a tangent, or giving a proper clue whenever we stumbled.

But it wasn’t just Moss with us through the doors of the wardrobe. We encountered an entire host of characters, and I would be remiss in my duties of chronicling our experience if I neglected to mention just how fantastic they were as well.

ANYTHING ELSE

Wardrobe for Sale is utterly charming, and as deep as it is whimsical. There is a reason it was named the 7th best game in the world in 2023. And after spending the time investigating it, I will unequivocally say, yes, I would like to buy the wardrobe for sale.

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 4 players

Address: 5545 Boulevard des Rossignols, Laval, Québec, Canada H7L 5S7

Website: https://www.escaparium.ca