RATING: 4 Keys           RESULT: Win           REMAINING: 15:29

You won’t find any roaches or bedbugs at this motel.

Although this review focuses on its limited Remote Play run, Motel continues to operate as an existing, physical escape game at the the venue’s brick and mortar location. Despite being 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 Locked Room in person. To read our Pro-Tips on how to best enjoy this new Remote Play genre, click here.

Your old friend Mr. Thompson has come to Budapest to attend a conference. You haven’t seen each other in ages, and decide to catch up over dinner. At the end of the night, you return home, and Mr. Thompson heads back to his motel room. As of this morning, however, you haven’t been able to reach him at all. This isn’t like him at all. Upon looking into the situation further, you realize that Mr. Thompson is not the first person to disappear in this particular motel room. You try to pay him a visit, but the receptionist handles your request quite suspiciously: you have only an hour in the room before the staff has to do their cleaning for the next guests. Investigate the room, and find Mr. Thompson!

Motel starts out innocently enough, with teams investigating a seemingly normal guest room. Of course, things take a turn for the worse as players discover this bed and breakfast isn’t quite as innocent as it appears. There’s a great sense of progression in the game’s story as investigators move through the room, culminating in a foreboding reveal about Mr. Thompson’s rather unfortunate fate.

Motel ends somewhat abruptly upon discovering your dear friend, and we found ourselves wanting just a bit more from the story about why all of these people keep going missing, and more important, who’s behind it all. While certainly a climactic cliffhanger that could possibly result in a sequel game, Motel gets to the best part of the story but never reveals its secrets and leaves escapees wanting just a bit more.

From the moment the camera turns on, players find themselves in what feels like a genuine motel room, and a nice one at that. It’s clear that this is a particularly nice place to stay, which makes its sinister side all the more surprising.

This particular motel room contains everything players might expect to see: a large bed, generic artwork, and a mini fridge. A TV affixed to the wall acts as not only a form of entertainment, but also as controls for various fixtures in the room.

Despite being a seemingly mundane location for an escape game, Motel offers some great hidden reveals that blend in perfectly with the room’s decorations, providing some wonderful “wow” moments as players find themselves exploring unexpected locations.

One such area comes as a complete shock, taking players off guard as dark secrets are revealed behind a seemingly ordinary door. It’s a jarring change that comes to great effect and enhances the mystery surrounding Mr. Thompson’s disappearance.

Motel’s puzzle flow works well with its story and scenery, providing clear and concise puzzles that fit the location. This helps keep the game moving as players are unlikely to find themselves wondering what their next task should be.

Many of the game’s puzzles work well within the storyworld and make use of items in the room in surprising and unexpected ways. This keeps players on their toes despite puzzles leaning toward the easy side and makes each task all the more exciting to solve.

Contrary to what players might expect from its bedroom setting, Motel’s puzzles are mostly tech driven. In fact, many of them are so excellently designed that they almost blend into the room, disappearing into the overall flow of the game and drawing players even deeper into the narrative.

A great game for beginners and experts alike, Motel’s puzzles come naturally and make great use of the room in often unexpected ways. There’s a great mix of both visual and tactile puzzles that lend themselves well to the remote play experience, though if players are anything like us they’ll be wishing they were in the room in person in order to play with the giant touchscreen monitor that, yes, is an integral part of the game.

While players will undoubtedly come to find out the fate of Mr. Thompson, there are a few unanswered questions by the game’s conclusion that we wish had been explored further. While perhaps a sequel is in order to wrap up some of the loose ends of Mr. Thompson’s disappearance, Motel’s current ending could benefit from a clearer climax and leaves players wanting to know just a bit more about what can only be described as a shocking chain of events. 

Motel offers a cohesive escape game experience with logical puzzles that fit the space, fully immersive scenic, and a story that’s darker than it appears on the surface. Locked Room impresses with their dedication to putting escapees into what feels like a real scenario, and we can’t wait to learn more about the mysterious side of this motel.

*Montu, Escape Authority’s VP, Dog Business™ and lead home game correspondent endorses the opinions found within this review.

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Venue: Locked Room

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Number of Remote Games: 0

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 6 people

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

Cost: Locked Room has discontinued their Remote Play offerings, however, Motel remains available to play at their brick and mortar location.

We thank Locked Room for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.