RATING: 2 Keys RESULT: Loss REMAINING: X:XX
A game show where no one really wins.
A tech-driven experience full of bright colors and flashing lights, with a competitive aspect that will keep you on your toes. We’ve taken some design risks, so keep an open mind and become the next contestant!
Bored with The Price Is Right? Less than thrilled with Family Feud? Contestants who have tried it all, finding themselves looking for a new thrill are invited to come on down to the most secretive game in town.
Details are hush hush but what’s known is that willing participants will be divided up into two teams. Each team will then be placed into their own room filled with puzzles, completely identical to that of the opposing team’s. The catch is that each group can’t see what the other is up to and the team who completes each task first gets the most points and the order of operations is completely up to each group.
With the grand prize of an all expenses paid trip to New Haven, CT, it’s going to take a lot of quick learning and on-the-fly strategy to outwit the other team and get the most points to take home the win.
The Game Show promises an experience full of “bright colors and flashing lights”, a staple of televised contests from time immemorial. Disappointingly, the first impression provided is rather dull and lackluster. The vibe is less professional game show and more things an amateur DJ would purchase from a discount store to add visual flair to their next sweet sixteen gig.
LED ropes, some flashing lights with various colored gels, and an old monitor with graphics that appear to have originated in the late 80s. Sure, they light up, but even with these visual embellishments, the world of The Game Show still feels drab and uninspired. Even the show’s host is less than impressive, depicted in video’s on said monitor with only a white sheet as a backdrop.
There are many escape games that can pull of DIY charm and still create an immersive and believable experience. In fact, some of the most clever games find ways to use limited budgets to their advantage, incorporating them into the storyworld. Unfortunately, The Game Show takes an ambitious scenic swing that it seems it just didn’t have the resources to pull off.
Contestants are quickly thrust into the world of The Game Show with what seems to be nearly a dozen tasks to choose from. Falling into roughly two columns: puzzles and mini-games.
The puzzle category is often relatively straightforward, such as reaching a certain limit on an applause meter or reflex tests.
The mini-game category, however, require contestants to quickly learn a new set of rules and internalize a strategy in a matter of seconds. Several mini-games involved some level of interaction with the opposing team. Without going into specifics, these type of games ask contests to either take a surefire point guarantee or risk it all for a much larger reward. This is a time tested scenario that ratchets up the tension on nationally televised fare, yet when applied to the fast paced dynamic of escape games made it feel too rushed and chaotic for us to truly find any satisfaction in executing a strategy. Mini-games that required learning a new set of rules piled up quickly and, for us, the gameplay never felt smooth and intuitive.
Although there are many games to choose from, teams are generally only able to activate and complete one at a time, as controlled by a switch panel on the wall. This resulted in all contestants huddled around a single puzzle, even when it only necessitates the attention of one or two teammates. This bottlenecked the flow, creating many dull moments of standing around, questioning where all the fun was hiding.
We really wanted to love this one. In fact, it pains us to write such a negative review. In a world increasingly saturated with cookie cutter premises for escape games, we were excited to embark on an adventure that was willing to take some big creative risks and offer an interesting twist on a well established formula.
Sadly, The Game Show struck out on nearly every level with drab scenic, puzzles that were often both too simplistic while still requiring overwhelming amount of instruction required to properly on-board players to the experience. Additionally, a mid to late game paradigm shift that nearly nullifies the entire experience up to that point left us scratching our heads.
Having played other games at Escape New Haven, we know they are capable of creative engaging experiences. We think this one just got away from them. We hope they continue to try new genre-pushing ideas that work within their abilities to execute.
#AndyForgotToTakeAPic
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Venue: Escape New Haven
Location: New Haven, CT
Number of Games: 4
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 8 people
Group Type: Public / You may be paired with strangers.
Cost: $26 per person