RATING: 5 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: 9:00

Who intentionally sneaks into an asylum? We do!

Secret Patient is a remote play version of an existing, physical escape game at the venue’s brick and mortar location – retrofitted to be offered as a live, online 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 Claustrophobia in person. To read our Pro-Tips on how to best enjoy this new Remote Play genre, click here.

United States, 1963. The usual daily routine in the newspaper office violates a strange phone call. Someone named Michael claims that he has evidence of criminal, simply inhuman experiments with patients at a local psychiatric clinic. Such material is a dream for every journalist! A meeting with an informant has already been made, and it seems that this time you have a real bomb in your hands! But soon the sensation will turn into a dangerous weapon directed against yourself … Too powerful people are involved in the story, and they are ready for anything to get rid of the “unnecessary” witnesses.

As a team of journalists, it is imperative to get to the bottom of the strange happenings at the local asylum. It is crucial to sneak inside undetected and talk to the informant. This can make or break a journalists career – at least we can always fallback to reviewing escape rooms.

After some digging and expert detective work, it is discovered that the best entry location is the hospital’s laundry room. Starting there will hopefully lead to finding a clean way to unfold this story of the Secret Patient once and for all.

Journalists begin their detective work in an area that resembles a laundromat. There are several washing machines and a clothes dryer along with baskets and a couple shelves on the walls. The room is sparsely decorated, and it is not yet apparent that the team of journalists has entered an asylum.

What starts as a fairly modest space grows into a massive building with two floors – something that is not evident until the entire space becomes accessible. There is a long, eerie hallway with doors on both sides and gray painted walls. Claustrophobia expertly suspends belief as investigators are transported to a hospital that they hope to never visit outside of a zoom call.

Secret Patient incorporates many cut-scenes that the game master is able to activate. These videos are professionally produced and add a layer to the experience that many remote-play escape rooms are missing.

Secret Patient contains both standard escape room tasks such as scavenging and decoding symbols, as well as ones that seemingly work best in a virtual environment.

As journalists, we have to use our keen observation skills while talking to patients through their room’s windows. Luckily, the cut-scenes can be replayed by the game master when if crucial information happens to be missed.

In true journalistic fashion, the final puzzle requires deducing who the killer is from clues gathered along the way. This is where well written notes come in handy. While Claustrophobia could have made the conclusion a little less ambiguous, it does require thinking outside the box just like real-life detectives.

Secret Patient takes place in a believable story world where a team of journalists must uncover the truth about the happenings at the local asylum. The game space is large with professionally crafted cut-scenes that greatly add to the experience. Since the game is broadcast from Russia, you may be wondering if it can be played in English? Thankfully, it can, and our game master had exceptionally good English as well.

While we have played several other asylum games during our escape room career, this experience is not just a typical white-padded cell with cliché puzzles – it is much more than that. Since many games in this genre are scary, it is worth noting that Secret Patient is not. Claustrophobia has added yet another immersive and enjoyable virtual experience to its repertoire.

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

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Venue: Claustrophobia

Location: Remote online play at home, broadcast live from Moscow, Russia

Number of Remote Games: 16

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 6 people

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

Cost: 700 ₽ per person (minimum 2)

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