Review: Maine Escape Games | Escape Your Fears

RATING: 4 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 22:44

Is there anything more “Maine-coded” than a clown who likes to commit murder? Other than maybe lobster rolls…

Story

A crazed madman is terrorizing the community. People have been disappearing off the streets of South Portland, and you and your team are his latest victims. Now you are trapped in his basement and have one hour to search for clues and solve a series of puzzles in order to find the key to escape before he comes back for you.

Maine is famous for many things: lobster rolls, lush forests, gorgeous oceans… and oh yeah, Stephen King. It should come as no surprise that a serial killer in the greater Portland area has decided to don the persona of a clown. While not Pennywise the Dancing Clown (thankfully), the kidnapped victims are not alone in this chilling game.

As more of the basement opens up, more facts about the deranged lunatic slowly come to light. And he has not forgotten about his current playthings; as his captives make progress throughout each area, he makes his presence known. And he’s not done yet; the killer doesn’t want it to be too easy, so no hints are available. If his latest toys are struggling too much, he may take pity on them to direct their path, but otherwise, they are on their own.

Scenic

The storyworld of being trapped in a basement is very well represented in Escape Your Fears. One thing that really stands out is the attention to detail on a lot of the wooden aspects; the wood doors have different levels of distressing depending on where they are located at the stage of the game. The various set pieces are similarly weathered, indicative of existing in a dank cellar where unspeakable horrors have happened. It’s a really nice touch.

The paint job is also exceptional. The walls have been painted to resemble concrete foundation with water damage, and the specific coloring throughout is expertly done. The lighting fixtures on the walls are all sconces that might be found in a cave or appropriately underground. With the full build of the game being so stellar from the floor up, it makes the generic office building ceiling tiling stand out more than it normally would.

There is not a lot of furniture or set pieces that aren’t specific puzzles. This is a great choice for an abandoned basement… with the exception of a single desk in the center of the room. Where everything else is so well themed and placed in a way that creates a strong visual representation of the empty bunker, the lone piece of furniture feels out of place.

Throughout the game, NotPennywise stalks his guests and can be seen and heard on occasion. It is frightening and it is loud. These interactions add a heavy element of fear, which is fantastic, but please be aware this is part of the game.

Puzzles

For a murderous man, AlsoNotKillerKlown sure does love tumbler locks! They are everywhere and numerous. In fact, there are LOTS of puzzles to solve if survivors want to stay surviving! Escape Your Fears is a large game which encourages the kidnapped visitors to move quickly. Fortunately, none of the puzzles are particularly difficult to solve; they just require the ill-fated captives to move efficiently and utilize their time well. Where there are no clues available until the madman decides to take pity on his targets, it balances the lower challenge of the individual clues and solutions.

There are also quite a few physical aspects that require quick teamwork to be successful. Where so many of the locks can be solved by a single person, it’s a fun change to have some puzzles where working together is a requirement for escape. There is one particular task that may be a struggle for vertically challenged individuals, so it’s a good idea for potential victims to get kidnapped at the same time as a taller friend.

While many puzzles have an overarching theme related to the horror genre, several of them don’t really play into the storyworld. This is one of the difficulties when such a high number of locks are traditional tumbler locks; it’s hard to make everything part of the world when sometimes we get a “because escape game” pathway to a solution. Despite this, the flow of the puzzles is consistent and easy to follow.

Overall

It’s been mentioned a few times, and it’s obvious from the title, but this game will have victims encounter several potential phobias. Escape Your Fears features the following potential triggers: clowns, dolls, darkness, tight spaces, loud noises, and stalking. Maine Escape Games recommends players be 13 or older for this experience.

The overall vibes of the basement hit the right notes of horror without actual danger. There are several shocking twists that are not so obvious given the nature of NotArtEither’s game. There are a few areas that could be tightened to make a more visually complete picture, but all in all, the atmosphere sets the mood for a scary but fun experience. Just be sure to avoid any clowns seen roaming around the streets of South Portland. Or anywhere, really.