RATING: 2 Keys          RESULT: Win           REMAINING: 3:32

The Jersey Devil! What the Hell have we gotten ourselves into?

The Jersey Devil has returned to his birthplace in the secluded Pine Barrens and you’ll become his next victim if you can’t stop his centuries old reign of terror. This room is not suited for children or anyone who doesn’t want to be in a dimly-lit and scare-filled cabin.

Trapped in an old cabin, the only way to ward of the evil bipedal horse-bat creature of lure is to assemble a statue of his likeness before time runs out.

Unfortunately, there is very little evidence of a storyworld woven through Cabin of the Jersey Devil. Although the story’s concept is very promising, the execution is rather poor.

This game contains little story progression in what could have been an exciting tale of battling a local legend.

Scenic is Cabin of the Jersey Devil’s strongest feature. That being said, it is far from perfect. Upon entering the cabin, adventurers are immediately drawn to the large demonic horse head hanging from the wall. This is definitely the game’s feature set piece, and is quite impressively designed. The dark wooden walls and floors also give the Cabin a rustic appearance which fits the theme well.

Several areas in Cabin of the Jersey Devil are quite worn out. Many props are beat up and in need of replacement, most notably the devil statue itself. Worn down scenery definitely hinders the immersion in this game, as do the drop ceiling and overhead fluorescent lighting.

An interesting scenic decision comes in the form of slightly spoiling the games only big “reveal”. While it provides a neat and necessary glimpse into the adjacent space, it leaves out any opportunity to explore a new game space mid-adventure. Without this opening, the reveal would have been far more compelling; due to its presence, however, the resulting expansion of the space is rather mundane.

Puzzles in Cabin of the Jersey Devil are a mixed bag. Some are quite clever and satisfying upon completion. Others require fairly significant logic leaps to complete.

One task in particular was especially egregious, and it is unlikely that anyone could independently comprehend it. For this reason, it is almost guaranteed that adventurers will need to use hints to have a chance at escaping from the Jersey Devil’s clutches.

At times, we were being carried along by the game master out of necessity, such that our ultimate win was not as satisfying as it could have been.

One task that adventurers work up to throughout the game has a nice tie-in to the storyworld, but overall puzzles tend to exist independent from the game’s theme. Several worn props made a few challenges significantly more difficult than they should have been. Multiple puzzles felt as if they were designed more to take up time than to truly challenge adventurers’ intellect.

On the whole, Cabin of the Jersey devil is an average escape game that could be significantly improved with a little bit of TLC. A few scenic touch-ups and some minor puzzle changes would go a long way and could make this game fall solidly into 3 Key territory.

Although this game markets itself as “scare-filled” and “not for children” we did not find it to have any frightening elements whatsoever, and believe that it is appropriate for all age groups. Unless adventurers are scared of the dark or startled by the occasional thunder-clap sound effect, they should be perfectly fine.

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Venue: Exit 4 Private Escape Room

Location: Glassboro, NJ

Number of Games: 4

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 10 people

Group Type: Private  / You will not be paired with strangers. .

Cost: $28 per person

We thank Exit 4 for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.