RATING: 4 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 27:53
Little brothers are supposed to be annoying, but that throne is ours! And no, we won’t share!
You are the elder sibling born into a Royal family. It was your birthright to inherit the throne upon the King’s death, but an evil secret plan executed by your younger brother and some corrupt castle guards has left you exiled from the kingdom. The corrupt guards were given strict orders to capture you if you ever returned to the castle.
When the King and Queen died, your tyrannical brother ran the kingdom into despair. Disgusted by the decline of a once-prosperous and peaceful land, you decide to risk your life to set things right.
Disguised as a pauper, you’ve managed to make it back to the castle undetected, and with your knowledge of the secret passages in the castle, you’ve made it into the King’s Study. In the next sixty minutes, you need to find proof of your birthright and escape undetected before the castle guards return.
Good ol’ sibling rivalry comes to a head in this quest to regain what is rightfully ours. We must prove that we are worthy of sitting on the King’s throne by making our way through the castle and accomplishing the one task that only the true heir can pull off.
Upon entering the Royal family’s castle, we were immediately struck with nostalgia for our younger days. After all, we did grow up within these walls.
Speaking of walls, we were happy to discover that our brother has not removed any of the original construction. Every wall within this castle is made of real genuine tile. It’s cool to the touch, visually appealing, and creates the exact aesthetic we’d expect to see in a wealthy castle estate.
The King’s study is richly decorated with family portraits, beautiful stained glass windows, solid furniture, and of course a giant suit of armor.
What really stands out in the scenic here is the theatrical lighting. From the flickering lanterns mounted on the walls, to the large candled chandelier, to the faint glow sneaking in through the stained glass windows, each fixture helps bring this space to life.
The scenic falters just slightly with the use of labels throughout the game as well as by having a “ye olde calculator” used at one point. While both of these diminish the immersion of being in an old castle, the rest of the game meets a level of quality that makes us forget about the labels and modern machinery.
It is evident that the team at Expedition Escape has taken great care to create an ambiance that is both beautiful and true to the storyworld.
Quest for the Throne showcases a truly great puzzle flow from start to finish. Future Kings need to complete plenty of steps to regain control of the throne, but every single one leads logically to the next.
We found ourselves quickly fall into one of the best puzzle solving rhythms we’ve had in any game, which made for a fast paced adventure. One physical challenge that required us to cautiously slow down was perfectly placed within the timeline of the experience. This puzzle, affectionately known as “The Divorcer” required communication, teamwork, and focus.
There is a healthy mix of super low-tech clues and solutions paired with several more magical moments to keep everyone engaged. Quest for the Throne follows a fairly linear path which makes this better suited for smaller or mid-sized groups. There is one puzzle in particular that can only be worked on by two or three players, and therefor could create a bottleneck for larger teams.
The challenges culminate in a satisfying reclamation of our rightful seat on the throne. Little brothers are supposed to make life difficult, but we’ll get the last laugh this time!
Quest for the Throne is a great game that shows Expedition Escape’s ability to learn and grow as they expand. An attractively detailed set pairs with intuitive puzzles to really bring the story to life. In fact, this adventure had such an intuitive flow that we managed to beat the all-time record by reclaiming the throne in a mere thirty two minutes and seven seconds! Now, that’s not to say this is an easy or short game, it just happened to fall right in our wheelhouse of puzzle solving skills. Even with only being in the castle for a half hour, we left completely satisfied with the amount and variation of challenges contained in Quest for the Throne.
One unique and super customer friendly promotion is the “Expedition Escape Passport”. All players receive their own passport and get a game specific stamp upon completing any of the adventures at either the King of Prussia location or its sister venue in Montgomeryville, PA. Three stamps earned within a six month period can be traded in for one free item from their Expedition Gear merchandise shelf!
Venue: Expedition Escape
Location: King of Prussia, PA
Number of Games: 4
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 10 people
Group Type: Private / You will not be paired with strangers. Must book at least 4 tickets.
Cost: $27 per person
We thank Expedition Escape for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.