RATING: 3 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 21:44
The Crystal of Death possesses the power to destroy the world and bring lots of… death.
The Crystal of Death. An ancient relic revered by all those who deal in the matter of the occult. In the wrong hands, this sacred crystal has the power to bring hell on earth and end the human race as we know it. The crystal is currently possessed by Maya Conway, a powerful witch predestined for the dark arts. This mysterious vagabond was once our friend and confidant, but is now our sworn enemy. Tarot card reader by day and evil coven leader by night, Maya Conway protects the crystal using all means in her power.
Your objective is to sneak into her Den and take possession of the Crystal of Death before Maya Conway returns and summons dark powers. Do you and your daring teammates have the guts and willpower to enter the Den of the Occult, locate the crystal, and escape in time to save yourselves and humanity? The future rests in your hands…
Teams of heroes, looking to protect the Earth from dark magic and sorcery, embark on this quest for the Crystal of Death. In the possession of the good, the Crystal can be contained and controlled. However, in the grasp of evil, only destruction and chaos will come from this special relic.
Maya Conway, a former ally turned enemy, possesses the Crystal of Death, and rumor has it, stashed it hidden somewhere in her own apartment. The only way to protect human life as it exists is to break into the apartment, decipher the clues and puzzles built to obscure the artifact, and return it safely out of the grasp of the evil coven. Now is the time for action.
Upon entering the apartment of Maya Conway, very little seems out of the ordinary. A standard wooden desk sits in the middle of the room. Tapestries, photographs, and bookshelves adorn the various walls in the office. Even a quaint Victrola sits on a small table in the corner of the room, a touch of elegance and agelessness to this otherwise basic cultist apartment.
Conway’s office, to the naked eye, would appear generic at best. The foreboding only sets in through the details. Cult themed books and novellas line the shelves; even every cabinet and frame seems to have a secret tucked inside. One entire wall is covered in small keyholes, required for gaining access to the secret lair inside the apartment.
Hidden within the depths of the Maya’s humble abode lies a chamber dressed fully in black, disturbingly decorated with Ouija boards, candles, and various arcane terms painted across the hideaway’s walls. The Den of the Occult doesn’t thrust heroes into its ritualistic and mystic feel immediately upon beginning their quest, but provides a slow unwrapping of these elements as they venture into the bowels of the enemies quarters.
Escapedom gets the point across with their design of this experience, but there remains something to be desired from the scenic choices in The Den of the Occult. Overall, the sense of danger and foreshadowing is mild at best, which is unexpected with an escape game so named. Lighting is plentiful in the main room, which limits the suspense that can be conjured. While it does get darker with the expansion of the space, there is still so much light bleed that the immersion never completely sinks in.
The Den of the Occult presents several unique puzzle moments that connect the hero intruders to the storyworld. The use of whiteboard markers, tarot cards, keys in the wall, and street maps all provide entertaining puzzles that increase enjoyment while introducing new twists to relatively standard escape game puzzles.
While some challenges give their own unique spin in positive ways, others turn out to be moderately tedious in execution. Multiple brain-teasers involve a large amount of “busy work” to arrive at one simple digit in a combination – think of a relatively meticulous paint by numbers that must be completed in order to display the digit: seven.
Playing with Ouija boards is ever an entertaining element for escape games, and The Den of the Occult provides investigators with an opportunity to tap into the other side with their use of these mystical mats. Unfortunately, the technological aspects of these puzzles are a bit of a letdown, as the boards themselves are a bit touchy, and can require assistance from the game master to complete.
The puzzle connected with determining what to spell out on the Ouija boards also lacks any critical deciphering, and ultimately makes the last string of solving lead to a bit of a letdown in the end.
Escapedom’s The Den of the Occult is best categorized as a solid median escape experience. The immersion and scenic design is decent without breaking any ground. The puzzles are generally enjoyable, yet tend to lean towards the menial at times. The staff is very friendly and accommodating, and Escapedom contains an exceptional waiting area/pre-game lobby enveloped in red curtains, classic lamps, and black leather chairs. While The Den of the Occult doesn’t blow us away, it can certainly provide an entertaining experience on a night of escaping.
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Venue: Escapedom
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Number of Games: 3
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 6 people
Group Type: Private / You will not be paired with strangers.
Cost: $28-33 per person (depending on group size)