Split Start Games add a unique layer to an experience’s puzzle flow. With teams beginning, as the name implies, separated into two or more smaller groups, the immediate goal becomes finding a way to communicate, allowing both sides to work together towards reconnecting. Split Start Games come with an added risk – if one side’s puzzles are even slightly more difficult, or if one side’s team is even slightly less experienced, both could become stuck and unable to proceed. The very best Split Start Games find a flawless balance between challenges and skill sets, creating a unique experience that at no point hinders the forward momentum of the other half of the team.
Escape Authority is honored to announce our 2019 Keys To Greatness – Best Split Start Game winners:
The Undead
(Melbourne, FL)
Escape Room Entertainment’s post-apocalyptic zombie thriller finds a satisfying balance in its Split Start Gameplay by offering each side challenges which are more task-based than puzzle. This clever mechanic keeps the action entirely in world while still inspiring communication through a reinforced concrete wall. Each side of the team must accomplish several of these tasks before reconnecting, but they are objectives attainable to any type of player, and achievable by any level of skill set. What results is one of the smoothest flowing Split Start Games we’ve seen (you know, before all hell breaks loose with that impending invasion of The Undead.)
Click here to read our full review of The Undead.
July 11, 2020 – Escape Authority takes racially intolerant comments very seriously, and as such, in light of those recently made by the owner this former award-winning venue, we can no longer support, recommend or endorse this game. As such, this award has been removed.
This is not a political issue, nor is it a matter of opinion. This is an issue of respect and human decency. We need to do better as a people. The time for that is now.
The Hex Room
(Anaheim, CA)
Cross Roads Escape Games’ debut outing instantly claimed the title of most well known Split Start Game, and perhaps put the sub-genre itself on the map. In a world previously full of “escape the jail” games, The Hex Room is an entirely unique beast. With guests split in five separate chambers, a sixth cast in the role of Detective serves as the intermediary between the group. But while a certain degree of teamwork is absolutely required to escape this horror movie come to life, The Hex Room introduces something that no other Split Start Game had even attempted before it: the ability to leave weaker members of your group behind for dead. That’s right; The Hex Room is quite literally survival of the fittest – a Split Start Game where not only must you work together to regroup, but one where you can quite literally leave weaker players behind if they’re holding you back in your quest to live another day.
Click Here to read our full review of The Hex Room.
Congratulations to our winners of the first ever Keys To Greatness – Best Split Start Game award!
With nearly 1,000 games played across the site, being picked as one of the best three in the country is a well-earned honor to truly be proud of!
With so many deserving games worthy of recognition, our goal is to ensure these Keys To Greatness awards are attainable to all – not just those with blockbuster budgets that might be otherwise out of reach. As such, it’s important to note that with just one exception, a given game can only win in a single category – but every game will still be qualified to win the coveted Keys To Greatness – Best Game award on June 2, 2019.
*Although the games I’ve personally designed are consistently very highly rated by both enthusiasts and newer players alike, I cannot in good conscience nominate an attraction I created. As such, those games and the venues that call them home have been intentionally omitted from consideration for any Keys To Greatness award.
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