RATING: 5 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: 22:52

A refreshing, edgy twist on this timeless tale leaves us literally responsible to reanimate Frankenstein’s monster itself.

In the mystical world of steam machines and airships you have only one hour to revitalize a the legendary monster and unravel Frankenstein’s mystery.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of unique themes. Add to that the fact that growing up, I was always an equally huge fan of the classic Universal monster movies and this game quickly became a must-see attraction for me.

Komnata Quest gives the well-known story an interesting spin with a decidedly steampunk adaptation which in execution actually works surprisingly well with the classic Frankenstein subject matter.

But more over, it’s the active role for which it casts its players that makes Doctor Frankenstein all the more compelling. This isn’t just another escape mission. We’re here to quite literally become mad scientists, building to the actual reanimation of the body of the Frankenstein Monster!

Doctor Frankenstein sets a unique tone with the mashing of two distinctly different worlds – the cold stone feel of the Gothic world one instantly comes to expect when discussing a classic monster movie and the warmer browns, coppers and golds that are the mainstay of a more edgy steampunk palate.

Doctor Frankenstein’s laboratory space becomes a clever a mixture of vintage looking scientific technology and and manual machines, lined with gears and cranks which when triggered successfully power electric lightbulbs that spotlight your success.

It’s certainly not the first thing I’d envision when thinking about how to depict the Frankenstein story, but at the end of the day it solidly proves that different takes can yield some really cool results.

Doctor Frankenstein begins with players first needing to find a way into his laboratory himself. Once they successfully manage to open the medieval-style gate protecting his secrets, all focus shifts towards Frankenstein’s life work, lying there completely lifeless before you – but this time, it’s up to you to literally reanimate the monster.

The puzzle flow herein take a very unique twist at a milestone steps approach. Each of the four major milestones throughout the game actually reanimates a different portion of the Frankenstein Monster’s body. Successfully achieving each objective in the proper sequence will fully reanimate the corpse, allowing the animatronic figure actually sit up and roar back to life!

The gameplay throughout Doctor Frankenstein was logical and intuitive, and worked well to keep us captivated in the storyworld. There were several times the puzzle flow had us running back and forth from one room to the other, which further added a sense of energy to the game.

Doctor Frankenstein delivers a really cool game concept enhanced by a classic, well known story, but spun in a whole new and fresh way. The puzzle flow worked solidly from start to finish, while it’s milestone structure kept us always clearly focused on what we had left to solve.

The payoff of actually reanimating Frankenstein’s Monster will long go down as one of the coolest escape room moments we’ve seen, and provided a solid climax to both the story as well as the gameplay itself. It’s also one of only a handful of times where we’ve seen an animatronic figure utilized (well) within an escape game.

On paper, the monster itself really is unnecessary to the execution of the game, and is a feature many other venues may have omitted; the fact that it’s there just the same is a testament to Komnata Quest’s clear understanding of the value of and importance of story in an escape room experience. That type of dedication to the storyworld makes all the difference between a good or great game and a game which is one of the best. Simply put, it’s why Komnata Quest continues to be one of our favorite venues in the United States.

Show your support for Escape Authority and get social with us:

Venue:  Komnata Quest

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Number of Games: 16

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 6 people

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

Cost: $39 per person (minimum two) or $30 per person (for groups of three to six)

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