RATING: 4 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 1:37
Threats of walking the plank shouldn’t keep anybody from this fun adventure
Ahoy ye landlubbers! Back in the 1600s that scurvy pirate, Captain Mayhem, plundered and looted everybody and everything. Nothing was left untouched by his greed, including you and your mateys. He stole your treasure! Now, you have snuck onto his ship. Will you be able to solve the riddles, clues, and puzzles in order to find and reclaim your treasure before he returns and makes you walk the plank? Landlubbers need not apply.
Captain Mayhem was a pirate well known for stealing everything and anything. It’s rumored that his ship is jam packed with untold riches. After sneaking into Captain Mayhem’s ship, pirate thieves have an hour to solve the ruthless Captains puzzles and avoid his booby traps and find his hidden treasure. If the Captain comes back before the treasure hunters escape then he’s sure to show no mercy.
The Room Upstairs has done a fine job of doing everything they can to disguise and office space as the inside of a Pirate ship. Even before entering the room, the outside is decked out in various nautical themed items which helps set the mood for the game itself. Between the great mood lighting (dark enough that you feel like you might be in the bowels of a ship but not too dark that you can’t actually see what you’re working on) and some great props strewn about (including barrels of rum, an old pirate chest, various nets and desks that wouldn’t be out of place in the middle of the high seas), it’s easy to really get lost in the game and forget that you’re just in a regular office area. Once scallywags uncover the hidden treasure room, the lighting of that area is brighter making it feel like the treasure itself is reflecting and illuminating the area.
There is a large set of drawers at one corner of the room that feels a bit out of place and was just necessary to hold items hidden behind a lock to further the game but even then it was covered in all sorts of smaller props to make it blend in with the rest of the room as much as possible.
Captains Quarters really shines when it comes to puzzles. This escape game is filled to the hilt with maritime themed puzzles. Every game stays on theme and flows fairly well into the next task that needs solving. There are a few puzzles that are common at most venues but The Room Upstairs has done a great job of giving them a fresh coat of paint and changing things around a bit to make sure everything stays on theme. One of these puzzles that stands out involves a giant map and has adventurers follow the path a group of pirates took and connecting each stop reveals the answer to lead you on your way.
Another fun puzzle with a pirate overlay is your typical create a potion and weigh it to get a code to a lock but the bottles used and names of each ingredient made it fit perfectly in the story world. Some of the names were downright hilarious as well.
There was one part that had us landlubbers tripped up for a bit though. After solving various puzzles, a key is discovered and used on a lock. What wasn’t apparent was that the same key was then used on another lock as well. In most escape games after using an item you don’t use it again unless told so part of the answer to a puzzle was hidden for a while without us knowing and we spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out what task was even left to solve and get that lock open before the game master told us to use the same key again. But that’s a minor nit-pick that’s easily solved letting teams know that one key might be used more than once before the adventure even begins.
This swashbuckling adventure might not be the flashiest escape game out there but it is just downright fun. The Room Upstairs really understands puzzles and how to integrate them into the story world. If fellow pirates are able to discover and steal the treasure in time, there’s even a sweet treat waiting for them which adds a level of accomplishment to the climax. Even though Captains Quarters doesn’t break any new ground, it’s a great way to spend an hour and is well worth checking out.
Show your support for Escape Authority and get social with us:
Venue: The Room Upstairs
Location: Elmhurst, IL.
Number of Games: 3
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 8 people
Group Type: Public / You may be paired with strangers.
Cost: $28 per person