RATING: 5 Keys          RESULT: Win           REMAINING: 15:03

♫ Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, it’s work from home we go! ♫

Seven Dwarfs: Mining Mission 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.

One year has passed since the seven dwarfs helped Snow White defeat the evil queen, and now they’ve retired to a quiet cottage deep in the forest. But happily ever after is never that easy, and evil is rising once again! The evil queen’s followers plan to use the poison apple to bring about her malevolent return. Snow White has tasked you to destroy the devious fruit once and for all, and rumor has it that the only way to rid the world of its evil is to cast it into the very center of the earth.

The classic story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is one of the most iconic fairy tales of all time. You may think you’ve heard all there is to know about this happily ever after – but, what happens after ever after?

It turns out this tale didn’t have quite the happy ending we all thought. The Evil Queen is still lurking in the woods, waiting to lure the Fairest Of Them All with one last poison apple. The dwarfs, who are a little busy working in the mine (Get it? Because they’re miners?) need help destroying the poison apple once and for all. But with an object so evil, it must be soundly vanquished in the only sure-fire way known throughout the land: tossing it into the magma core at the center of the earth!

Seven Dwarfs: Mining Mission begins with an absolutely adorable, custom animated preshow video that plays out as though the very pages of a storybook have come to life. Set to a compelling and memorable rhyme, it instantly catches up would-be miners on everything that’s happened since “happily ever after,” setting the tone perfectly for a whimsical, wonderful, and entirely unique storyworld that lies ahead.

Every inch of scenic from floor to ceiling brings the fantastical world of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to life. The styling is distinctly cartoon – transporting apprentice miners visiting from the real world into an almost 2D, hand-drawn universe, expanded into physical form.

The mission begins in the Dwarfs’ cabin, with wooden floors, bold accent trims and a colorful cobblestone fireplace, all capped, appropriately, with a straw-thatch roof. The dinner table is half set for seven hungry little men, with their tiny work boots neatly arranged in their individual lockers ready for another hard day’s chores.

Accompanying them there, and whistling while we work, the iconic mine spans several additional rooms. Stone wall textures and a colder color palette evoke a sense of being deep underground, while twinkling gem stones shimmer and glow from even the darkest of corners.

Should miners be brave enough to venture to the earth’s core to complete this mission, a ride upon actual mine carts will let them truly have a ball getting there – immersing them deeper into not just this storyworld, but quite literally the earth itself.

The Seven Dwarfs take work seriously – and it shows. Every little step they take along the way is so authentic to the over-arching theme that each puzzle furthers the narrative flow. Tasks feel so organic to this fairy-tale-come-to-life that it’s at times difficult to even notice that they are puzzles in the first place. Every step is something the Seven Dwarfs’ helpers might actually be tasked to do.

Setting the dining room table, preparing lunchboxes for work, and even making pies for dessert flows smoothly with a smile and a song. Some tasks might even require the coordination of multiple sets of little hands – working together in both physical actions as well as communication-based teamwork.

Some puzzles involve digging for sparkling gems, while other more daring feats end with a bang. No one said life in the mine would be easy!

The purpose of this Mining Mission is clear: Destroy the poison apple, once and for all. To do it, the Dwarfs’ helpers will need to physically board their own individual mine carts and steer them straight toward the center of the earth, leading toward a finale task that perfectly climaxes the entire storyworld.

When running in Remote Play mode, Improbable Escapes makes excellent use of some rather unique techniques that greatly aid the digital flow for players working along from home. Upon accessing each new room within the physical space, the gamemaster gives a sort-of guided tour of each new discovery, highlighting the location – and types – of locks, which objects can move, which are static, and providing a sense of overall orientation. What results is remote players having the closest thing to the bearings they might possess had they actually been there in person. Of course, countless high resolution images of objects and puzzle pieces unlock as players discover them remotely, guarded by themed passwords that help streamline the digital flow.

Seven Dwarfs: Mining Mission manages to stay so true to the storyworld of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but at the same time, create its own unique chapter, never read before, that can only be found at Improbable Escapes. What results is a captivating narrative that both surprises and delights, leaving players eager to see what’s around each twist of its mine tracks.

Improbable Escapes masterfully takes inspiration from a known intellectual property while crafting it into their own completely unique, stand-alone theme. This is the very definition of how to use an existing theme the right way.

Our team played Seven Dwarfs: Mining Mission remotely from our respective homes in different states, a country away. Beyond the obvious comments about what a unique opportunity that creates, there’s an even more brightly shining gem to be dug up here: This was genuinely the first time where, after playing a game remotely, our team unanimously agreed that it’s something we would have absolutely loved to have the chance to experience in person. I’m wishing, every remote play game could evoke such a smile.

*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 7 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.