Review: Encrypted Escape - Biker's Revenge

RATING: 4 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 12:33

This place may look like the diviest dive bar in town, but let me assure you, we didn’t travel back to the mid 90’s for a free round.

Story

It’s 1996 and an outlaw gang has made their way into Reading. They have caused mayhem everywhere they go for the last 10 years. Drugs, guns, pillaging, brawls, etc…if it’s illegal, they have their hand in it. The police haven’t been able to infiltrate this tight group and now they are recruiting kids from the neighborhood and terrorizing your city.

You are part of the local motorcycle club and the police have requested your help to stop this dangerous gang. For the last 2 years you have been undercover and have finally been left alone in their club.

The time has come to take the evidence to police, but you only have 60 minutes before they come back.

The police will be waiting to help you, but they can’t do anything without evidence. Get the evidence and get out… FAST!

Biker’s Revenge may not have an in-depth story, but it is well entrenched into all aspects of the experience. While we appreciate Encrypted Escape doing something different from the common tropes we’ve seen time and time again, it definitely wasn’t the strongest element of this experience.

Before we enter, an actor in a police costume gives us, essentially, the above story and says she’ll be right outside when we get the evidence to put them away. Unfortunately, you don’t uncover any new information along the way, and there weren’t any twists or plot developments.

Scenic

This game not only felt like it took place in a dive bar, but it felt like it was a hangout spot for a gang of local bikers and they are literally due to arrive at any moment. No square inch seemed out of place. There were road signs hung all over the walls, a fully furnished bar complete with beer taps and glasses, and a cash register.

There was a small stage area complete with instruments, a complete bar with stools, a gun rack and other appropriate adornments on the restaurant tables, bar and wine glasses. It felt like they could open this place up as an actual bar. A classic rock and 90’s country/rock soundtrack played in the background which added additional authenticity.

While it lacked a second room, it almost made more story sense without. If a second room was added, it would have broken the feel of this being a real place.

When we finally escaped we were greeted with a surprise light show and an audio based conclusion to the story.

Puzzles

Biker’s Revenge implements its puzzles well enough that at first glance, you really don’t notice them. Of course, there are puzzles, but you only start unraveling them as you search around the room.

The variety was also great. We were shooting targets, solving logic puzzles, rearranging things to uncover hidden messages and even playing instruments. Almost every puzzle was hands-on and felt fun.

Biker’s Revenge was semi-linear, or maybe linear-branching and the design of the puzzle structure really helped push us from challenge to challenge. There were a lot of things to solve and work on, and importantly they didn’t feel like filler at all.

Along the way we needed to find four pieces of evidence to put away the biker gang. This clever approach makes it so there’s always multiple puzzles being solved, all the while having a direct connection with the story.

Overall

On the surface, Biker’s Revenge seems like nothing more than a “catch the bad guys by finding clues” game. But what Encrypted Escape has pulled off here is a real achievement and the end result feels like so much more than that.

From start to finish, the level of fun and interactivity Biker’s Revenge provides is nearly unmatched in the area. From the attention to detail in the scenic design to the cleverly integrated puzzles, Biker’s Revenge is a dive worth taking.