RATING: 6 Keys          RESULT: Win           REMAINING: +8:00

♫ Oh, a pirate’s life is a wonderful life, a-rovin’ over the sea; Give me a career as a buccaneer, it’s the life of a pirate for me! ♫

Neverland: Heist on the High Seas is a slightly modified version of the existing, physical escape game at the 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 its core, essentially the same as what guests will find should they visit Improbable Escapes in person. To read our Pro-Tips on how to best enjoy this new Remote Play genre, click here.

The notorious Captain Hook has captured your group and locked you in the brig, deep in the bowels of The Jolly Roger. When dawn breaks the nefarious villain will make you walk the plank, but a new friend has offered you a way out… and she knows where Hook keeps his treasure map. While the crew sleeps you’ll take control of the ship, set a course for the second star to the right and head straight on ‘til morning! You have 60 minutes to dodge Hook’s clutches, find your way to Neverland and escape with riches untold.

Don’t delay.  As those familiar with Neverland will know… the clock is ticking.

Treasure hunting always comes with its dangers, but there are some chests of gold which should forever be considered off limits. So, when a band of Lost Boys gets together to search for the riches of Captain Hook, it should probably come as no surprise that they wind up locked in the brig aboard the legendary Jolly Roger.

With Peter Pan missing for weeks, the chance of escape seems darker than the sky without a second star to the right – but hope is not entirely lost. A faint sparkle from fluttering pixie wings may be the key to getting out of the brig – but even Tinkerbell herself doesn’t possess the magic to pull off this Neverland Heist.

Like always, the Lost Boys will need to band together and out-think Captain Hook at every turn. Charting a course to Neverland is just the beginning of this fairytale come to life.

Neverland: Heist on the High Seas exists within two distinct and vastly unique worlds. Beginning in the brig, Lost Boys find themselves aboard The Jolly Roger. Porthole windows offer views across the seemingly endless ocean as the iconic ship sets sail with pirates at the helm.

Ornate wooden finishes creek as the old ship shows its weathered age, held together by thick nautical rope lines. Barnacles and seaweed creep over the sides in their own attempt to overtake the captain’s quarters. The interior space is dominated by a staircase up to the bridge, where Hook himself steers The Jolly Roger into battle (when he isn’t sleeping soundly, of course.)

Once docked, the ship makes port in Neverland. A rope bridge offers a precarious crossing to dry land, and acts as a portal into a whole new whimsical world.

The shores of the island are appropriately lined with a sandy beach, shaded by the branches of large, over-hanging trees creating a leafy canopy above. Rocky cliff faces extend from the legendary Skull Rock, forming a sort of fortress that keeps Neverland safe from invading pirates. Meanwhile, Mermaid Cove, hidden within a massive seashell, evokes a sense of wonder about the enchanting magic that surrounds this island.

Beginning trapped in the brig and doomed to walk the plank by morning, Lost Boys must find a way out. With the key about a foot out of reach, it will take deeper thought to defeat Hook this time… or perhaps, all it takes is just believing in fairies.

In the first of several puzzle-driven genuine “wow!” moments, Tinkerbell quite literally flies around the Jolly Roger – returning with the key to freedom. But getting away from Hook and his bumbling band of pirates has always been the easy part; locating his treasure will prove a much greater challenge.

Along the way, tasks exist entirely within the storyworld, furthering the narrative in a delightfully cartoony way. From bribing a hungry parrot to building an authentic treasure map, every second is steeped in a combined sense of whimsy and adventure.

Steering The Jolly Roger to set sail for Neverland opens more than just a passage off the ship; along with it comes even more challenging puzzles left by some of the island’s residents, including the Mermaids, who are known for trickery. Their collection of seashells may well hold the secrets of the ocean itself.

Like a classic game of ‘Following the Leader,’ Lost Boys will need to band together and be worthy of their post with a tee dum, tee dee, a teedle ee do tee day on their quest to find the keys to Skull Rock. Sure, they don’t actually need to march around with those as the words they say, but I think we can all agree it’s more fun that way.

Improbable Escapes previously wowed us with Seven Dwarfs: Mining Mission – the first game at their new Wonderland location, so it should come as no surprise that we set sail for Neverland: Heist on the High Seas with the loftiest of expectations. While that can sometimes put an attraction at a disadvantage, Improbable Escapes truly did chart a course past the second star to the right and straight on ’til morning.

Neverland: Heist on the High Seas is another brilliant re-imagining of a classic fairy tale we all know and love, given its own unique twist that makes it a completely original story that can only be experienced here. Improbable Escapes took everything that worked with Seven Dwarfs: Mining Mission – embracing recognizable public domain characters, expanding their universe in a whole new direction and bringing it to life with scenic and effects that feel suited for a Disney dark ride – and then they did even better than before.

There are few games we’ve played remotely that were so charming and special that they left us wishing that we had the chance to have played them in person. Simply put, Neverland: Heist on the High Seas sits among the very top of that short list, and thanks to the magic of Remote Play, its suddenly accessible to people around the globe. This family-friendly adventure appeals to all ages, but offers a genuinely distinct challenge that will make it a pulse-pounding race toward the finish, even for the most seasoned of players. In the end, no matter the range from novice to experienced, spending barely an hour in Neverland may just leave one wishing that you, too, could never grow up.

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

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Venue: Improbable Escapes

Location: Remote online play at home, broadcast live from Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Number of Remote Play Games: 3

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 14

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

Cost: CAN$74.99 + tax for up to 5 people (CAN$10 per person for each additional player)

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