RATING: 6 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 7:09
This is the best hour you’ll ever spend alone on the internet. [We know what we said.]
Miss Jezebel’s Tea Party is an existing, physical escape game at the venue’s brick and mortar location – retrofitted to be offered as a live, online remote play experience. Although altered slightly to better flow in this new medium, the game is, at it’s core, essentially the same as what guests will find should they visit 60out in person. That fact not withstanding, this game is so heavily reliant on interaction that it merits playing more than once. You can find our companion review of the brick and mortar version of this game here. To read our Pro-Tips on how to best enjoy this new Remote Play genre, click here.
NOTICE: THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES ADULT SUBJECT MATTER OF A SEXUAL NATURE.
You are cordially invited to the residence of a killer, an assassin of men who’s showing no signs of stopping. Can you and your friends survive her ‘hospitality’ and collect all the evidence against her before this bizarre black widow traps you in her web for good? Come experience 60out’s wildest, weirdest, and raunchiest adventure against the devious debutante herself at Miss Jezebel’s Tea Party!
With Miss Jezebel’s body count well into the double digits, it’s time for someone to bring this murderous mistress to justice. This mission is going to be risky, or even downright dangerous. So naturally someone else should do it.
Thankfully, that someone is a private investigator with the perfect in: Miss Jezebel’s latest Tinder date. Players act as the investigator’s eyes and ears inside the home, directing them in the search for important pieces of evidence regarding the black widow’s crimes in an effort to finally serve a warrant on this devilish debutante. More importantly, they become a bug in the ear of the physically present detective, guiding their interactions with the eccentric socialite herself. This at times awkward triangle creates for some hilarious antics as players are forced to come up with off-the-cuff answers to Miss Jezebel’s questions while also maintaining the facade that there’s only one guest attending this dinner party.
Not only do these collaborations help players feel like they’re directing a movie, but they almost serve as puzzles in a sense, as different choices – such as multiple possible means of distracting Miss Jezebel during the course of the investigation – could have vastly different results. Miss Jezebel, portrayed by a skilled improvisational actor, always has the perfect response to whatever detectives come up with and helps keep the game standing tall no matter how old it gets. You heard me.
Despite being a wealthy heiress (thirty-seven times over), Miss Jezebel clearly has no intentions of squandering her inheritance(s) on such unnecessary trivialities like a mop or vacuum cleaner. Her modest home is cluttered, run-down, and absolutely filthy.
Of course, that’s not to say that the “lady” of the house doesn’t allow herself certain pleasures: an elegantly adorned monkey head, covered with gemstone-studded earrings and pendants, is mounted on the living room wall; a veritable feast of obviously innocuous vegetables such as eggplants and pickles has been quite literally dumped onto a serving cart; and a glorious red velvet sofa adorns Miss Jezebel’s private chambers, where players will undoubtedly wish to sit and take a load off.
All of these elements perfectly combine to give a clear picture of what flies caught in this spider’s web can expect. Although Miss Jezebel’s home might be modest, it’s clear she’s beginning to grow accustomed to life in high society and will do anything (or anyone) to keep her newfound status. It’s one of those rare situations in life where looks can be deceiving, and size doesn’t matter. Right ladies?
While players will certainly find different challenges to overcome in Miss Jezebel’s residence, the game’s brilliant design at times turns the luxurious lady herself into a puzzle as aspiring investigators determine how to distract, deceive, and at times seduce their host. It’s a brilliant mix of normal escape room elements, immersive theater, and a game of clue that all come together to create one of the most memorable evenings players will ever have with a “woman.”
Directing an awkward Tinder date gone wrong is only the foreplay, of course, and investigators may just find themselves joining in on the fun from afar via impromptu phone calls with Miss Jezebel herself. It’s these interactions that truly bring the experience to life and turn simple “pick up an object and move it somewhere else” puzzles into true mind-benders that make this game hard, as players figure out how to maneuver around their omnipresent host without being caught. After all, displeasing the mistress of the house would be a very bad idea.
Miss Jezebel is not the only bizarre character players will interact with over the course of the evening, either. Gloria Hole, Miss Jezebel’s nosy, loud, and quite emotional next door neighbor, is all too happy to share information with investigators, for a price. While her demands seem quite simple, they’re more complex than players may realize and require some of the most out-of-the-box thinking we’ve ever seen in either an escape game or immersive theater attraction. As investigators will soon come to realize, this mission is going to be longer and harder than originally expected. That’s a penis joke.
There’s just no getting around the fact that Miss Jezebel’s Tea Party is one of the most outlandish, unique, and downright fun games players will ever encounter. 60out has done an incredible job of adjusting and adapting a game that heavily relies on audience participation and interaction into a remote play experience that, while different, still retains its wit, charm, and off-the-cusp humor. Case in point, we’ve intentionally left the raw screen shots uncut, including our video windows in each of the pictures simply to show the expressions Miss Jezebel plastered across our faces from start to finish.
Miss Jezebel’s Tea Party is also one of those rare escape games that feels like you could play it over and over and get something different each time. The depraved dame herself is portrayed by several different actors (of differing genders, we might add) who each bring their own individual twists to the character. Although it functions well as an escape game, it’s truly the interactions players witness (and, at times, have intimately) with Miss Jezebel herself that make this experience profoundly unique.
The game’s story, while functioning as a traditional “find-the-evidence” murder mystery, comes to life in spectacular fashion thanks to these interactions. True to form, everything is focused on Miss Jezebel. From the moment she answers the door for her potential Tinder date, to every time she reemerges from the kitchen, each reveal carries magnificent weight as players wonder what information she has to share, what unpleasant task they might need to complete, or what lewd sexual innuendo might spring past her lips. The game is so fresh, so outlandish, and so unusual that a tried-and-true theme feels completely fresh and new.
It’s also rare to find an escape game that so perfectly combines its puzzles with the narrative that they don’t even feel like puzzles at all. While there are certainly a few tasks that will require genuine brain power, at times the question on players’ minds will simply be “how do we do this without Miss Jezebel noticing?” In a way, Miss Jezebel (and Gloria Hole, by extension) serve as puzzles themselves, perfectly marrying escape room elements with interactive theater and easily satisfying fans of both.
Miss Jezebel’s Tea Party is a perfect example of a game that can cater to anyone (well, anyone over the age of 18). While its brick and mortar version might demand physical interactions with the lecherous lady herself, those that don’t perform well in front of crowds can find solace in directing the action from afar. Similarly, those that live for those interactions are still free to have them, and can even have a little private time with Miss Jezebel herself if they so choose (and it’s not even a 1-900 number!)
While most escape games are targeted toward a more general audience, Miss Jezebel’s Tea Party tucks things in an entirely different direction with a raunchy, adults-only game that feels fresh and new. 60out first took a gamble erecting the brick and mortar version of this game at their Los Angeles location, and are now determined to create the next big sensation online in a hilarious remote play version. They’ve completely succeeded: Miss Jezebel will truly leave players stimulated, gasping for breath, and begging for more. We’ve reached the climax of our sexual jokes.
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Venue: 60out
Location: Los Angeles, California
Number of Games: 3
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 5 people
Group Type: Private / You will not be paired with strangers.
Cost: $45 per person
We thank 60out for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.