XScream Escapes: The Corpsewood Killer (Ashford)

We survived the Corpsewood Killer (with ease)

You wake up to find yourself and your companions locked away in what appears to be a basement the last thing you remember was that you and your group were out camping in Corpsewood…

The police have been searching for a serial killer around the area, who for many years remained out of reach. A very illusive killer who never leaves a trail… a police detectives worst nightmare!…

First disappearances started almost 25 years ago, not long after bodies began to turn up…

Little is known about the killer other than the fact that he’s meticulous about his kills. Police know only that he kidnaps people around the area, takes them somewhere, murders them and then places the bodies somewhere they will likely be found. It is believed that he works alone, periodically following the same routine with all his victims and only one thing is certain, he doesn’t want to be found!

All your possessions have been taken from you and you feel drowsy:
What happened when you went to sleep?

Have you been captured by the notorious Corpsewood killer… or is this all a crazy dream?

You and your group must figure out where you are and how you can escape before the time runs out and the the killer returns for you!

What better excuse to get together with friends than to visit an escape room or two? With half the team living in Ashford, it seemed like a sign when XScream Escapes opened their doors. If you want a bit more info on the general operation, check out Gord’s review of Bedlam. For now, I’ll just get straight to the point.

As you’d expect from a company called XScream, their rooms are horror themed. My biggest complaint about horror themed rooms is always the lighting; it seems that in order for something to be creepy, it must be poorly lit. Corpsewood Killer was no different. Yes, before we were escorted down the hall, complete with ominously flickering lights, we were armed with little torches, though these were pathetic at best. (It’s getting to the point where I may just start taking my own torch with me, just so I can see what I’m doing. Maybe I’m just getting old though.)

Despite the darkness, I did very much enjoy the room. As usual for me, I allowed my team to get to work, while I explored a bit. It was rather bleak though, and there wasn’t much to explore, being the den of a serial killer. The room wasn’t linear, and we were able to divide and conquer.

I have noticed this with both of the main rooms at XScream, which I like, but I know others will find frustrating: you will continue to use the entire space throughout your game, so you may not necessarily have everything you need to solve a particular puzzle at first. This did cause some of us to focus on elements of the game for longer than we perhaps should have, as the solution was easily reached once we had more information.

This was a really enjoyable room, but no real wow factors for me. Despite being a new company, XScream Escapes is well run, professional, and with a solid set of rooms to choose from. I look forward to seeing more as they prepare to expand.

PUZZLES

Puzzles here weren’t especially inventive, nor were they particularly difficult (in my opinion). There was a fair amount of searching, combined with puzzles that require logical thinking. One thing this room wasn’t short on: padlocks. In general, the puzzles did seem to fit into the theme, though they weren’t there to further any of the narrative, and generally were interesting enough to keep us busy.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

Having never been inside a serial killer’s pad, I’m not really qualified to comment on the authenticity. But, it definitely felt grimey, and creepy, so I could quite easily believe that the Corpsewood Killer might just be waiting to pop through the door. The serial killer theme is one that is done quite frequently, and I think it’s because this is one instance where, actually, padlocks don’t necessarily detract from the experience, as I could believe that a killer locks up all of his tools…and cupboards…and freezers… Perhaps the only thing that really broke the immersion was the screen used for the briefing, clues, and timer.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

Clues were delivered via a TV screen, should you need them. I don’t think there was anything we particularly struggled with, but I have no doubt our GM would have chimed in had we struggled.

ANYTHING ELSE

While this is horror themed, it isn’t particularly scary. Just a bit dark, with the occasional creepy noise, and perhaps one jump scare, just for fun.

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 5 players

Address: Enterprise House, Ashford Rd, Ashford TW15 1XG

Website: https://xscream-escapes.com