RATING: 4 Keys          RESULT: Win           REMAINING: 6:03

Abracadabra! Alakazam! Presto! One of these must work to recreate Farazan’s infamous magic act…

All magician’s have secrets, but The Mystifying Farazan has one secret that goes a little deeper. Farazan performed his last show during the 1893 World’s Fair. As he disappeared from the stage, the rare and valuable Queen’s diamond that was on display at the fair also vanished! Neither to be seen again! Can you solve this century old mystery?

Did The Mystifying Farazan pull off the greatest disappearing act of all time? Is he responsible for stealing the Queen’s diamond and running off to live off his newfound riches happily ever after?

Now, 126 years later, Farazan’s famous tricks are on display for the first time since the World’s Fair. All three acts from his magic show are being showcased in a dimly lit museum, and we’re lucky enough to have tickets to the exhibit.

Maybe if we recreate the now infamous performance we will learn the true fate of the Queen’s diamond. But we must hurry… we got here late and this museum is closing up in just one hour!

One pitfall about the storyline is that it is told mostly through a fairly wordy video played at the beginning of the game. The screen the video plays on is in the game room itself, so we found ourselves a bit distracted by the intricate surroundings we were about to explore.

The Magician’s Secret takes up a smaller footprint than the other games at Solve It Sherlock, but don’t be fooled into thinking that means it’s any less impressive.

At first, the dimly lit space feels a bit eerie and ominous. Once the lights came on we found ourselves in a small, colorful, and intricately detailed museum.

Several of The Mystifying Farazan’s acts are positioned throughout the exhibit, begging to be explored and toyed with. Most notably, museum goers will be drawn to the magician’s giant card trick and “Wheel Of Death”.

All of the scenic within The Magician’s Secret is perfectly aged to evoke the feeling of the 1893 World’s Fair. What really stood out to us was how the main props were distressed visually and haptically, but functioned as if they were brand new. Many escape games are run down in the wrong way – this was run down is all of the right ways.

A museum exhibit about a mysterious magician lends itself perfectly to fun puzzle designs, physical tasks, and showmanship.

The Magician’s Secret takes visitor’s back in time and allows them to recreate The Mystifying Farazan’s act one trick at a time. Each portion of the act becomes its own puzzle, creating a great flow with benchmarks to know how close you are to solving the mystery.

Early on in our efforts to recreate Farazan’s show we were faced with his favorite card trick. This particular puzzle required reading typed clues on three pages of paper that revealed how to perform the trick. We found this to be vague and somewhat confusing, as portions of the clues could be interpreted in different ways. A rewording of this puzzle could help to move the game along at a faster pace.

The remaining acts were much more intuitive, but no less challenging. Museum guests will have the opportunity to manipulate the Wheel Of Death – and act that requires precision, patience, and communication. Although we got one idea stuck in our head and couldn’t see through it to realize the correct path to take, we thoroughly enjoyed this unique activity.

Every puzzle in The Magician’s Secret stays true to the storyworld. The tasks pair with the aesthetic of the game to transport players into an immersive and believable environment. The recreation of Farazan’s act culminates when players have the opportunity to perform a real magic trick. This ending puzzle may have startled us slightly, but was a great way to finish the game and solve the mystery!

Solve It Sherlock has created a special game in The Magician’s Secret. Working with a small footprint, this experience packs a solid punch of both satisfying puzzles and a very believable environment.

There were some flaws in the game, most notably the wordiness and ambiguity of one puzzle. However, the intuitiveness of the rest of the game help to overshadow that one challenge. Upon entering the museum, we first noticed a large Zoltar machine and were quite excited to get to interact with it! While Zoltar does come into play throughout the game, we truly would have loved to see him incorporated a bit more. Using that machine as the hint delivery system would have further enhanced the immersiveness of The Magician’s Secret.

The Magician’s secret is suitable for all ages, although the puzzles may be difficult for younger groups. Solve It Sherlock notes that the game is designed for 1-4 players. 1-2 additional players may be added by calling and reserving.

Solve It Sherlock puts a lot of emphasis on their scenic, and it clearly shows here. With possible future plans of expansion, we are very excited to see what comes next for this exciting company!

Venue: Solve It Sherlock

Location: Neptune, NJ

Number of Games: 3

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 4 people (1-2 additional players may be added by calling and reserving)

Group Type: Public / You may be paired with strangers. (Private games available for an added fee)

Cost: $29 per person, $39 per person for private bookings

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