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

Note to self: Beware of werewolves while traveling alone in the woods.

Before Moonrise is a remote play version of an existing, physical escape game at the 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 Escape New Haven in New Haven, CT. To read our Pro-Tips on how to best enjoy this new Remote Play genre, click here.

While hiking through the woods, you and your companions are beset by a sudden storm. Taking shelter in an abandoned cabin, for a moment you enjoy the illusion of safety. But outside, the storm grows in strength, and the full moon begins to rise…

We find ourselves guiding a lost hiker into an dusty, abandoned cabin because who doesn’t like some light trespassing? Upon closer inspection, the cabin reveals itself to not be as ordinary as it looked from the outside. There are many hidden, and seemingly magical, secrets behind its walls.

The hiker becomes panicked and flustered as he hears howling coming from outside the cabin. Are those coyotes… or is it a werewolf? The curse needs to be broken before moonrise, or our new friend will be in grave danger… while we sit comfortably from our homes.

Before Moonrise begins with the lost hiker standing outside of the dimly lit cabin. As he gains entry, the inside has impressive wood walls from floor to ceiling… the kind of wood that can almost be smelled through the computer screen.

The inside is sparsely decorated, but what abandoned cabin isn’t? A small cast iron fireplace sizzles and illuminates the cabin, and the lights decorating the walls are made from antlers of various animals. A grandfather clock sits neatly in the corner.

A large family tree covers one wall of the cabin. Presumably, this is the family that used to reside here. Something seems amiss. What kind of secrets could they be hiding?

As the hiker wanders further into the cabin, he finds a room with a rusted water pump in the corner. In the center of the room, there are stepping stones with crystals laying on both sides. This is definitely not an ordinary cabin.

Before Moonrise has a wonderful flow to it, and some of the puzzles truly are magical. While we tend to have a good grasp on how technology in escape rooms works, a few interactions had us gasp “how did they do that?”

As the hiker is guided to safety, the steps along the way are intuitive, and it is rare that it is not clear what to do next. However, there are a couple instances where a puzzle would have been easier to solve in person instead of digitally, but that is not a fault of the game itself.

While most of the steps throughout Before Moonrise are organic to the story world, there is one puzzle that is out of place. That is not to say it is a bad or confusing task, but it does not connect to the story like every other part of the game does, making that part of the experience a bit… dicey.

The final step allows the player to make a choice that effects how the story unfolds. While either option allows the player to “win”, it made us more connected to the game and the character by giving us that selection.

Escape New Haven has brought us an extraordinary experience to this new digital escape room medium. After having played several avatar-led escape rooms, we have found that the host of a game can greatly effect how the game translates online. Our fellow hiker at Escape New Haven made for an exceptional experience with his witty comments and acting as if he had never previously seen the cabin. One moment that particularity stands out was when the hiker heard Montu barking in the background, and he became skittish of the tiny werewolf.

While we have seen many “cabin in the woods” style games, Before Moonrise still manages to feel fresh. One might expect a cabin game to be mostly lock and key, but that is not the case here. The use of technology merges seamlessly with the story world in a magical and unexpected way. This game has us scratching to see what else Escape New Haven produces.

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

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Venue: Escape New Haven

Location: New Haven, CT

Number of Games: 4

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 6 people

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

Cost: $59 per game

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