RATING: 3 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 25:45
There has been another murder. What a dark time we live in. Luckily the most experienced crew of cold case crackers is on the scene!
A young, bright, successful college student has been found murdered in her apartment. You and your team have been called in to investigate the crime scene.
Time is of the essence to find this brutal killer before he strikes again. Will you find out his motive and be able to stop him? You begin in her bedroom. The clock is ticking…
It’s never good news to hear about another murder – but luckily the most experienced police investigators slash game players are on the scene, ready again to solve a mystery in under an hour. We’re starting to think the actual detectives just must not be trying very hard!
CSI: Homicide checks off all the boxes you’d probably expect from a murder mystery – conspiracy, secrets and a bloody body outline. It’s perhaps not the most original story we’ve heard, at least not after hearing it so many times before, and as such it isn’t quite as effective as we’d like in immersing us into its world.
Escape Room Entertainment took a modest scenic approach in CSI: Homicide, and it worked well enough. The very purple bedroom of our victim is stocked with what you may come to expect in an “apartment game” – a dresser and closet each stocked with some Good Will clothing, a few books on a shelf and the bare minimum of knick knacks to give the space that “just lived in enough” feeling.
The bedroom itself is big – perhaps even a little too big. It’s almost a bit difficult to accept it is an actual bedroom given its large and in truth, sparsely decorated presentation.
The second room – more of a large closet – serves as a secret science lab. On paper, I realize that sounds a bit wonky – but in execution it actually connects to the victim’s science-centric background n the storyworld. Just the same, it’s execution is very plain; a small lab desk, some a periodic table poster and not much else lends branding of “science” rather than “broom closet.”
CSI: Homicide’s puzzles are fine, albeit not entirely memorable. They certainly flow smoothly from start to finish, always remaining logical and intuitive in their progression. As such, the game progresses at steady pace – something that will please enthusiasts while also make it appealing to newer players.
When it comes to storyworld connection, CSI: Homicide’s puzzles are a bit of a mixed bag. Though all fun enough, many feel a bit more like “puzzles for puzzles’ sake” than they do an organic extension of the established narrative, even as vague as that narrative may be. Ultimately though, our investigation does indeed lead us to uncovering the name of the killer – offering an in-world climax that ties the experience together.
At the end of the day, CSI: Homicide is an example of “theme matters.” The game itself is fine, and though light on story, it does build to a narrative-driven climax. But when you’ve seen a similar theme so many times, in so many places, it’s oftentimes a bit difficult to be left wowed in the process.
CSI: Homicide is one of Escape Room Entertainment’s original rooms, and as such it becomes a bit more forgiving that it would be a bit more basic in flare. It has since been replaced with a rebooted version, CSI: Homicide – Case Reopened, with slightly modified scenic and puzzles, but an overall similar flow.
Importantly of note, Escape Room Entertainment has improved and evolved a great deal since their early crop of games. This venue has grown to be our favorite on Florida’s east coast – home to some stellar 5 Key games such as The Undead and Miss Ellie’s Sweet Shoppe.
Show your support for Escape Authority and get social with us:
Venue: Escape Room Entertainment
Location: Melbourne, Florida
Number of Games: 4
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 8 people
Group Type: Public / You may be paired with strangers.
Cost: This game has ended its run at the venue.
We thank Escape Room Entertainment for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.