Review: Monkey Mind Escape Rooms

RATING: 3 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 16:31

This office gives a full world tour: African safari-themed décor, European time zones, an Australian explorer… all while in New England.

Story

In this safari-themed adventure, help your friend, Bob, locate a precious diamond before time runs out! This is a classic-style escape game, great for all ages and abilities.

Bob, last name unknown, is apparently one of the most prolific explorers in the world. His office, located conveniently in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is where he has called his good friends to help him out. In a video message, he tells us (in his… curious… Australian accent which was definitely a choice) that he found a giant diamond while in Africa but he’s found himself in a little bit of trouble.

This diamond that is definitely not a blood diamond at all was actually taken from an unknown group of absolutely not cartel members who have detained Bob. They have graciously given Bob’s friends an hour to locate it or else Bob will come to an untimely end. At the thirty minute mark, they allow him to send another message so he can emphasize, in a very calm and collected manner, that his fate depends on the diamond being found.

That is the entire story: Bob took a diamond, got it back to the States, was kidnapped, and now his friends must find it. That is, however, where the story begins and ends. Those video messages are all we get to convey the storyworld.

Scenic

The office is a single room with an African safari theme. What this really means is that there is a zebra print rug, photos of animals one might see on a safari tour on the walls, and a few percussion instruments that have Afro-Cuban origins (a set of bongos and a conga drum, both of which are believed to have originated from Bantu immigrants to Cuba).

Outside of the animal prints and pictures, it is a generic office room. There is a desk with a computer, a table and chair set, and a particularly uncomfortable pleather couch.

For a safari-themed office, there are several things that are lacking. African fashion and style are renowned for bright, beautiful colors and bold patterns. There also tends to be a lot of décor with masks and pottery or vases that are all story-driven. Bob’s office is very beige. There is one small mask on the wall, but nothing linking to any type of storytelling in the banners or photos. For someone who enjoys exploring Africa as much as Bob does, he is lacking quite a bit in the world of design.

Puzzles

The puzzles in this game at least sort of line up with the story. Many of the numeric combinations tie back to things like expense reports for trips to various African countries. But almost all of the puzzles are physical locks. To Bob’s credit though, no two solutions are found in the same way. One might require math, another could be audio based to hear the combination, etc.

One potential issue is that several of the lockboxes are identical; however, the solutions are fairly linear so there are very few times when investigators will have more than two puzzles to focus on at the same time.

But, there is also the chance that a party (particularly with more experienced folks) may solve one of the late stage puzzles in the beginning of the game that could potentially cause confusion. To cause further possible discombobulation, there are quite a few physical props that do not play a part of the room which can also cause some frustration when there are not many problems to work on at any one given time.

Overall

There is not a ton of story or scenic here, and the puzzles are fairly basic. However, Monkey Mind specifically bills this room for beginners. The game is low stakes (sorry, Bob!) and the friends of Bob aren’t trying to find their way out of a trapped temple. There is a single goal, with a linear pathway to find solutions. There is no deep lore to try to decipher. There are no scary noises or spooky elements.

While experienced puzzle solvers will breeze through most of the locks, individuals of all ages who might be new to the escape game world will still be able to find their way to the diamond without too much trouble or too many hints. And if seekers DO find the diamond, Bob is so delighted he lets his friends have a part of his fortune, with each person walking home with a small diamond as a souvenir. (Disclaimer: please do not try to pawn the diamond at a jeweler as it will not go well.)