XscapeNow: Oz (Telford)

Our 600th Game! Wooo

The Wicked Witch did not die when she was drenched in water. Her life force and powers remain in a green crystal, and she has captured Toto, Dorothy’s beloved pet dog!

You need to travel back to Oz, and use your brains, heart and courage to finally destroy the Wicked Witch’s powers by throwing the crystal into water. Only then can Toto be released and saved.

Somehow it had been six years since we were last at XscapeNow, when we were in the area to play Sweeney Todd. Since then they’ve been very busy and opened a number of new games so we were very keen to get back and see what they had been up to. We managed to get things sorted and booked in for a trip up north (north to us anyway), and had booked in to play Runaway Train, Battleships, and Oz. Oz was a special game for us as it was to be our 600th game!

XscapeNow are located on an industrial estate just outside Telford, and with plenty of parking on site it really is a convenient location to get to. We had just finished Battleships (lots of fun) and were fortunately able to go straight into our next game – with no need to wait in the waiting area, although a toilet break was much appreciated!

Despite the fact that this was our 600th game, I was very much looking forward to Oz as we had been hearing some great things about it, plus who doesn’t love a nice and light-hearted theme?

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

First impressions were not what I was expecting, but that’s because I wasn’t expecting XscapeNow to follow the story quite as closely as they did – and it made perfect sense. Starting in a room that was really rather ‘normal’ dulled the senses for what was to come so that when we got the reveal to Oz, it was more impressive.

I do quite like it when you enter a new space in a room and while originally you were confined to a small area, you now have the freedom to spread out and investigate everything. We played this game as a team of three, but it can easily accommodate larger teams.

XscapeNow have used the space really well in Oz. Despite there being a huge space to explore, there are lots of smaller spaces to investigate and unlock, and then obviously the final space is on show from the start, you just have to work out how to get into it. If you’re familiar with the world of Oz, then you’ll likely enjoy the many references to the story in this game. Not familiar with the story? That doesn’t matter, you can still get full enjoyment from it.

PUZZLES

So you may be thinking that because this is a pretty set, with bright colours and a lighter theme that it would be easy with regards to puzzles? You would be wrong. The puzzles were fair, and enjoyable, but there were a few occasions where we struggled, and I think that isn’t just a reflection on us, I genuinely believe that the puzzles in this game were varied in difficulty – which is not a bad thing, just don’t expect an easy ride.

The puzzles all fit the theme and story, and revolved around the core elements of the Oz story, you know, like brains, heart, courage and all that. But again, no outside knowledge is needed, and the signposting was generally decent enough to give you direction on where to go next. Saying that, the game did have some elements of linearity about it, but there were also quite a few times where we could be working on different things simultaneously.

Solving the puzzles gave a mixture of results; combinations for padlocks were used, but also a good amount of tech. Another nice thing was there was no difficulty by darkness, for the most part, this game was very well lit.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

Generally if you visit a company that is run by enthusiasts, you’re probably going to have a great experience. They care less about the time, and more about ensuring everyone has a good time – and we certainly did. Callum hosted our earlier game of Battleships, but this time was joined by Gordon, and their hosting was as great as always. Enthusiastic at both the start and end, and we received the help we needed, when we needed it.

Ok, perhaps the clue system wasn’t the more immersive that we’ve seen in escape rooms, but it worked well enough to get us through the game, and that’s what matters.

ANYTHING ELSE

For our 600th game, I think we chose well. It didn’t have the spectacle of some games, but at its heart, it was a fun game, with plenty of courage to try new things, and much brain power required to get through the challenging puzzles.

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 3 players

Address: Units 18-19 Ketley Business Park, Telford TF1 5JD

Website: https://xscapenow.co.uk