RATING: 5 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 9:53
In the dark, atmospheric corners of New Orleans, a stolen love potion ignites a retaliatory curse—and sets off a spellbinding narrative that no one can easily escape.
You and your friends managed to steal Marie’s last remaining bottle of love potion from her parlor. This theft has angered the spirit of Marie Laveau. You and your friend and accomplice, Molly, have been hearing voices calling to you ever since that fateful day. The voices are compelling you all to go to Marie’s resting place, St. Louis Cemetery #1. Molly has a gameplan ready. Can you help Molly with her investigation into Marie’s Voodoo curse and find a way to quiet the taunting voices once and for all?
Molly’s forgotten satchel rests on the floor near the entrance; a quick look inside reveals a small haul of essential supplies designed to assist with this perilous quest. Among her belongings, she left behind a specialized translation device capable of interpreting the cryptic symbols scattered across the cemetery walls. Hopefully, decoding this ancient cipher holds the key to stopping the endless, haunting whispers!
The afflicted must navigate the decaying, abandoned graveyard to uncover hidden clues to escaping this nightmare by locating Marie Laveau’s final resting place and returning what was stolen. Delivering this peace offering might just appease her restless spirit enough to break the spell before time runs out.
Cursebearers begin their journey directly outside the rusted entrance to the oldest cemetery in New Orleans, a site officially closed to the public roughly ten years ago due to rampant vandalism. A mounted plaque identifies several of its infamous permanent inhabitants, including the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte and voodoo priestess Marie Laveau herself. Exposed red brick peeks through the crumbling, white cement-covered walls, while peculiar gold-framed drawings adorn the shadowed perimeter, setting an immediate gothic tone.
Nearby, a storage shed holds garden tools along with the closely guarded secrets to a mysterious ritual. Posters detailing mystical incantations, protective hexes, and nocturnal vigils line the rough wooden planks. Potion ingredients, strange concoctions, and ceremonial supplies fill the rugged cabinets, offering plenty of environmental narrative details to examine.
Walking through the iron gate, a red stone path leads the way deeper into the heart of the graveyard. Burial vaults, some dating back hundreds of years, frame the deteriorating pathways. Vines creep down the stone faces like uninvited guests. More of the mysterious artwork appears among the graves, concealing subtle visual clues required to decipher a secret message.
Upon stepping into Marie Laveau’s tomb, her foreboding presence can be both heard and felt instantly. Eight eerie portraits of women in fine clothing line the walls adjacent to her final resting place. Four small wall alcoves embellished with fleur-de-lis symbols outline her grave, three of which remain noticeably empty. An overwhelming, ominous energy permeates every corner of this sacred chamber.
Not surprisingly, padlocks are kept to a strict minimum in Voodoo Cemetery, allowing tactile and automated magic to shine. The diverse puzzle design offers something for everyone. Many challenges involve physically manipulating, aligning, and positioning artifacts. A secret language must be discovered by decoding cryptic symbols. Several logic tasks require careful attention to detail.
Every challenge is inherent to the storyworld, serving to seamlessly further the haunting narrative. There is a coherent flow to the gameplay, and tasks are appropriate to the thematic context. Furthermore, the non-linear nature of the environment allows for multiple puzzles to be tackled simultaneously, ensuring all interlopers are actively engaged in the sepulchral experience.
Voodoo Cemetery is an immersive escape game that looks, sounds, and feels like an authentic, aging haunted graveyard. Cursebearers are quickly gripped by an escalating sense of urgency, compelling them to interact with the unsettling environment to shatter the hex hanging heavily overhead.
This is one of three current offerings at Clue Carré’s new location in New Orleans, with exciting plans to expand their roster in the near future. If Voodoo Cemetery is any indication of what lies ahead, this new venue is bound to be an absolute scream.
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Venue: Clue Carré
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Number of Games: 3
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 6 people
Group Type: Private / You will not be paired with strangers.
Cost: $35 per person
We thank Clue Carré for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.
