RATING: 2 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: 7:43

Another day, another zombie virus.

This isn’t your typical zombie outbreak. The Zombyte virus is infecting mechanically enhanced humans to create a horde of robo-zombie creatures. Your team of scientists is trapped in a lab with a simple goal: find a cure before the infected zombies find you!

In ZRL: Zombie Research Labs, scientists are tasked with finding the cure against this horde of enemies. In this thirty-minute game, teams must get the power started to isolate and formulate the virus, then access the global mainframe to push it to the grid.

Given the high stakes, none of the tasks at hand felt that urgent. The majority of the plot does make sense, but there are gaps. Data samples must be accessed and scanned, but it is stated that the samples were collected by the team before the game. Why are they locked, and why is there no knowledge of how to access them? Is there any reason they were locked away before scanning the sample? The samples were secured, but how were the codes forgotten? Perhaps the zombies are affecting judgment—some aspects of this situation don’t add up.

ZRL: Zombie Research Labs, contrary to its name, is a single lab. The space is square with white paneled walls, a periodic table, a sealed glove box, beakers, and computers. The floor is carpeted, which doesn’t scream science laboratory. It would be bad to stain it with zombie goop.

The glove box is worn. It made its contents harder to read than it should be.

The energy does not change as scientists progress throughout the game. Except for a few sound effects, the audio and lighting are constant. ZRL: Zombie Research Labs is not a particularly impressive space, but it gets the job done.

The initial impression of the game could suggest an experience that only involves button pushing, but there is more here. The puzzles have a decent variety and encourage exploring the space entirely. Given that the game is only thirty minutes, ZRL: Zombie Research Labs fits in a considerable amount of tasks to complete.

There is a significant puzzle sequence that has potential on paper but doesn’t make sense in practice. Codes are being pulled from every which way, regardless if they make sense or not. See some digits? That is probably a solution. To make matters worse, there is no way to track which codes have been completed in this digital interface, causing researchers to recount their progress multiple times. It is an unnecessary frustration.

This game avoids padlocks entirely and some puzzles are completed entirely on a digital screen. At times, due to the nature of these specific tasks, it feels like playing a video game which takes away from the immersion. Why play an escape game in person if it could have been done on your phone instead?

Arena Sports Issaquah tried to make all the puzzles thematic and relevant, but sometimes it just doesn’t. Is the code from a clock? Maybe, but at least it allows us to access a data sample. In general, the puzzles are on theme and lead to satisfying solutions.

Arena Sports Issaquah is more than an escape game facility. They also have indoor soccer, an arcade, laser tag, sports simulators, and a restaurant and bar. People can spend an entire afternoon here with activities for all ages.

ZRL: Zombie Research Labs provides some nice puzzling entertainment with a passable set and basic story, as long as you don’t think about it too much. It provides a unique addition to the plethora of other activities at the facility.

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Venue: Arena Sports Issaquah

Location: Issaquah, Washington

Number of Games: 3

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 30 minutes

Capacity: 6 people

Group Type: Private / You will not be paired with strangers.

Cost: $18 per person