The Use of Actors in a game can yield a wide range of results. On one side of the spectrum, an Actor may be a teenager in a rubber mask, trying their best to stay in character between text messages. But on the other side, an Actor could be the secret recipe to take a compelling storyworld and transport it seamlessly into the realm of pure immersion. When executed artfully, the Use of Actors can turn a great game into an unforgettable one, creating cinematic moments that leave guests feeling like the star in their own Hollywood blockbuster.
Escape Authority is honored to announce our 2020 Keys To Greatness – Best Use of Actors winners:
The Study
(Sylmar, CA / Las Vegas, NV / Kansas City, MO)
Upon its debut, The Study shattered preconceived notions of just how an actor can impact an escape game experience. Turning a living character into a physical puzzle, The Study bridges the gap between immersive theater and escape games in a way previously thought to be impossible – and in the years to follow, still does it better than most of its industry peers. Equal parts chilling and thrilling, The Study takes the mysterious maids and butlers of the infamous Tandy household and turns them into memorable staring roles. For Edward’s victims, these loyal staff members may epitomize “hear no evil, see no evil,” but they’re likely to have you screaming bloody murder before all is said and done.
Click Here to read our full review of The Study.
The Courtyard
(Sylmar, CA)
The Basement has dominated ratings across the board since its debut early in the arrival of the Escape Game genre to the United States. With each chapter, they’ve found unique ways to set whole new bars, with two of its games being viable contenders for Best Use of Actors. While The Study perhaps invents the notion of an Actor physically being used as an actual puzzle in the game, it’s The Courtyard that transcends that concept to a whole other level. Every piece of Edward Tandy’s life is degraded into some twisted puzzle, and unfortunately for them, the Actor portraying Quinn is no exception – quite literally becoming a challenge in a warped game come to life. Equal parts adrenaline pumping and psychologically scaring, The Courtyard makes its Actor the star of the show for a reason you may never otherwise expect, and does it in a way that may haunt some guests well after escaping the infamous Tandy Compound once and for all.
Our full review of The Courtyard will be posting soon.
The Man From Beyond
(Houston, TX)
Several venues have aimed to blend the world of escape games with that of immersive theater – and each have seen their own degree of success – but only one venue pulls it off so seamlessly that it can be discussed among such industry peers as Sleep No More or Then She Fell. Strange Bird Immersive is as different as its name implies – and simply put there’s just nothing else like it in the escape game world. A traditionally timed sixty minute game is but a fragment of an over-arching experience that can run anywhere between ninety minutes to a whopping two hours. And like all compelling immersive theater, the true length is often determined by just how interactive you yourself are willing to become with its multiple world class Actors. The perfect blending of atmospheric and physical effects with a compelling narrative script and improvisational acting, The Man From Beyond not only brings the spirit of Harry Houdini back from the great unknown, but with it inspires our sense of wonder and imagination with the proof that no escape game ever again need be “just an escape game.”
Click Here to read our full review of The Man From Beyond.
Congratulations to our winners of the second annual Keys To Greatness – Best Use of Actors award!
With more than 1,000 games played across the site, being picked as one of the best three in the country is a well-earned honor to truly be proud of!
With so many deserving games worthy of recognition, our goal is to ensure these Keys To Greatness awards are attainable to all – not just those with blockbuster budgets that might be otherwise out of reach. As such, it’s important to note that we have, as much as possible, limited games to winning a single category – but every game will still be qualified to win the coveted Keys to Greatness – Best Game award, as well as the Keys to Greatness – Remote Play awards.
*Although the games I’ve personally designed are consistently very highly rated by both enthusiasts and newer players alike, I cannot in good conscience nominate an attraction I created. As such, those games and the venues that call them home have been intentionally omitted from consideration for any Keys To Greatness award.
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