RATING: 6 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 21:13
Lurking in the shadows of an ever-changing labyrinth hides a beast so terrifying that it redefines the very notion of what horror can be. And now, it knows you’re here…
You were having a wonderful vacation when you and your friends decided to participate in a very exclusive Temple Tour — which was way more boring than you thought it would be. Across from your last site however, is a large military base. You ask your guide about it and are met with frantic denial that only pushes you to a higher level of curiosity. You sneak away from the tour and find an opening in the fence. You’ve found your way inside but you realize quickly that this may not have been the best idea. There’s something going on here — some sort of twisted science and you and your friends have stumbled your way into being the newest test subjects for PROJECT: MINOTAUR. Can you make your way out of the base before you encounter the experiment’s namesake?
Every group has that one friend who always seems to get into trouble while traveling. But this time, there’s no waking up in a fancy hotel room after a wild night of over-indulging. This time, misguided urban explorers find themselves waking up with a blindfolded hood over their heads, locked separately within two dark, cold, confined cells somewhere at the pit of a highly classified military facility. And while frantically struggling to piece together memories of just how things got to that point, the blood-curdling roar of a primal beast shakes the entire compound right to stone foundation.
The reality immediately hits that while this fool-hearty group of tourists may be alone in their own cages, they’re anything but alone within the facility. Even through the darkness, one thing is clear: this is not a question of who is out there, but what.
If captives are able to calm their nerves long enough to reunite, the wickedly unnatural truths about this secret military compound become more and more apparent. Something very, very bad is happening here – and whatever it is, it was created by choice. And now, it’s loose.
And it’s hungry.
Make no mistake, this isn’t just some escape game storyline. The Minotaur beast is very real, and it’s absolutely in there – somewhere – amid those tight quarters, perhaps waiting around any blind corner. The Minotaur also doesn’t follow the familiarly comforting rules of most escape games or haunts. This monster can grab you, and, given the chance, it absolutely will. And if it catches you… well, don’t let that happen.
Project: Minotaur is an incredibly immersive storyworld made real by multiple live actors as it unfolds organically – and at times horrifically – in ways no traditional escape game could ever match. For those urban explorers fortunate to survive long enough, the secrets uncovered along the way will build the adventure toward a pulse-pounding climax that pulls back the curtain on this mysterious military compound and the monsters bred within.
But, and we aren’t just saying this for dramatic effect, there is no guarantee that everyone will survive this terrifying experiment unscathed. Read into that however you’d like.
The classified military facility that houses the Project Minotaur experiment encompasses a massive footprint in its own right. But its perilous pathways feel infinite thanks to a clever assortment of moving walls and constantly changing doors.
The Minotaur’s labyrinth is, in and of itself, a living beast. It constantly learns your methods and evolves – by literally changing its physical layout repeatedly – to hinder any hopes captives may have of ever escaping. The compound is dark, and sounds echo throughout. Every corner is yet another blind turn, and it’s almost impossible to ever see from one end of a hallway to the other.
Its tiled laboratory walls are smashed and shattered, often with claw marks or horn gouges leaving them crumbling in a state of disrepair. Even with the lights on, this compound is terrifying.
But you don’t get the lights on.
And the Minotaur can see in the dark.
Project Minotaur is what Quest Room brands as “Thrill Theater.” It’s designed to blend escape game-style puzzles with intimate immersive theater-flavored character interactions. Like everything about it, Project Minotaur takes that approach to the extreme.
Of course, there are puzzles throughout the horrifying world of Project Minotaur, but they are certainly less of its focus. This is an experience unlike any other, and the tasks that captives are required to complete in what may be their final minutes further make that storyworld a chilling reality.
In case you haven’t figured it out by now, Project Minotaur is an extreme example of a truly terrifying attraction. The funny thing about being in tense, frightening situations is that doing even the simplest things can instantly become a thousand times harder under such pulse-pounding pressure. Quest Room finds the perfect balance of thought-provoking challenges mixed with hair raising scares to make every step within the experiment that is Project Minotaur feel organic and authentically real.
After all, there’s no more important puzzle to solve than simply finding a way to escape alive.
Quest Room has long been one of the industry’s most innovate brands, and even taking into account the impossibly high bar they’ve set for themselves in the past, Project: Minotaur is their shining crown jewel. There’s immersive games, and then there’s Project Minotaur. There’s horror games, and then there’s Project Minotaur. This experience simply exists on a whole different level, and more over than that, other contenders don’t even come close.
If you’ve read up on this experience before, you no-doubt have heard stories of just how extreme it can be. While there is a bit of truth to that, we’d like to set that record straight to assuage some concerns. For starters, on Quest Room’s own site, Project Minotaur’s page carries a warning disclaimer unlike any escape game you’ll find, stating, in part, “you may be bruised, scraped, get liquids on you… the actors in the room may physically interact with you in a non-harmful manner. If you have neck, back, or knee injuries that prevent you from crawling, climbing, enduring any fast and sudden movements, or if you have severe claustrophobia we do not recommend playing.”
Obviously we aren’t going to share any spoilers – especially for a game as epic as this one – but that doesn’t mean we can’t be clear on a few things. Yes, the talk of bruises, etc, is completely real. They are, however, often fully self-inflicted. Project Minotaur is a terrifying experience, and more frightening than the scares (and there’s a whole lot of them) is the psychological component that will eat away at your very psyche. Project Minotaur’s storyworld is so tangibly real at all times that your brain is constantly telling you to run. Don’t. All those bruises you hear people mention? Almost every one of them is a result of someone turning a blind corner, seeing the massive Minotaur beast and hauling ass in the other direction, oftentimes face first into the nearest wall. So once more we’ll stress, do not run, no matter how much your brain tries to tell you that you need to.
As for the other things that stand out, yes – you may get dirty, and speaking from personal experience I walked out covered in blood. Thankfully it was not my own, but it is all part of the experience. That’s why Quest Room provides each urban explorer with a full jump suit and knee pads. It’s also worth noting that on a personal level, I actually am quite claustrophobic. Project Minotaur’s experiments only involved one task too narrow for me to handle – and, importantly, it only needs to be accomplished by a single member of the group. As for the tunnels, although they will require crawling, they are wide enough and high enough that they don’t feel uncomfortably cramped; it’s just enough to bring the storyworld to life without sending someone like me into a claustrophobic panic attack – but of course with any physical condition, your own mileage may vary.
And while we’ve talked a whole lot about the Minotaur in the room, let’s end by addressing the elephant that’s locked in there with him. Yes, Project Minotaur is an attraction that carries a premium price tag. Its base price is $400 for a small group, and with more players, the lowest it goes is still $100 per person. Here’s the thing – Project Minotaur carries a premium price tag because it’s an unimaginably premium experience. There are very few instances where it’s easy to say an escape game is worth $100 each. Perhaps it’s just the Stockholm syndrome talking, or maybe a little bit of survivors guilt after pushing my friend straight into the Minotaur’s wild grasp, but this experience could be priced even higher and still be worth every penny.
For returning players, Project Minotaur offers a special ‘Replay’ mode, designed specifically for them to bring along some first timer friends. The labyrinth will further change, and those repeat guests may be given… unique choices… about how to interact with it. But we’ll save that story for another day.
Escape games provide us all a fun place to leave reality behind. Project Minotaur opened our eyes to the extremes that reality can be, then thrust us into a living nightmare that we’re still trying to wake up from.
Venue: Quest Room (Hollywood)
Location: Los Angeles, California
Number of Games: 4
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 100 minutes
Capacity: 8 people
Group Type: Private / You will not be paired with strangers.
Cost: $99 – $198 per person depending on total party size.
We thank Quest Room for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.
