RATING: 5 Keys          RESULT: Win           REMAINING: *not timed

Being arrested is just more fun when you’re with all of your friends. Err… not that we would know.

Escape From Iron Gate isn’t just an At Home game; it actually serves as a bit of a sequel to The Escape Game’s popular brick and mortar attraction, Prison Break. The experiences, however, couldn’t possibly be more different in all the right ways.

The Escape Game managed to break through the crowded At Home game field by creating something completely fresh, different, and fully replayable. Prison may not be the first setting you think of when envisioning a festive celebration, but make no mistake, Escape From Iron Gate is the ultimate party game.

Beginning in a box lined inside and out with retro-style graphics synonymous with The Escape Game’s corporate branding, it’s clear that Escape from Iron Gate is a premium quality product. Inside, its contents are on par with the most highly regarded board games on the market.

The board itself is thick, durable material that unfolds to an impressive 16×20″ size. Every inch of that space is put to use, from its plan-view depiction of the prison’s overall layout, to several puzzles hidden in plain sight, and even a few secret passages if inmates are lucky enough to locate them. Not everything you see will be used in a given play through, because, like actual prison, every day is unique (again, not that we’d know.)

Playing cards are of medium thickness, but don’t feel like they’re at risk of accidental creasing. Each features rounded corners, vibrant colors, and a somewhat glossy professional finish. And there’s a lot of them – 634 to be exact! They’re split between puzzles, actions, “lucky” (which can sometimes be a bit of a misnomer), common, and rare items as well as gate cards.

Also in the box are eight colorful wooden playing pieces, four regular plastic dice, two oversized custom wooden dice, a small hourglass, themed stationary, pencils, and a decoder card for hints.

Escape From Iron Gate is not a traditional escape game in a box, although it has glimmers of one throughout its prison break. Instead, this experience can best be described as a Frankenstein-ed combination of some of the most popular styles of games, all joined into one. It’s part puzzles, it’s part charades, it’s part Pictionary, it’s part riddles, it’s part idioms, it’s part luck, it’s part strategy – all at the same time within a single box.

If that sounds like a lot, well, it is – but it works surprisingly well once would-be inmates are used to the rules of prison life. Unsurprisingly with so many components blended together, there are quite a few of those rules, and, at first, they can admittedly be overwhelming. Escape From Iron Heights is one of those instances where sticking with it is worth the effort. Once the gameplay mechanic begins to click, it quickly becomes incredibly fun and very competitive. (It’s worth noting that the game does also include a link to a video version of the rules, presented and animated similar to one of The Escape Game’s preshow videos prior to one of their brick and mortar games. Although we started there, the entirety of our cellblock agreed they were much harder to follow than simply reading the manual and digesting the information at our own pace.)

Inmates begin by serving hard time in their cells. In order to escape Iron Heights, they’ll need to break through four different gates that divide the penitentiary into distinct zones: the Cellblock, the Yard, the Cafeteria, and the Warden’s Office. Opening those gates will require unique combinations of items gathered from throughout the facility, including common themes like soap, cash, and yes, even cake – all the luxuries of prison life (again, not that we would know.) Those items can be obtained through luck, puzzle solving, acting or drawing skills (all determined by a roll of the dice) and even through trades with other inmates. And the rules of those trades? Well, this is prison, after all. It’s not like they have to be fair.

Escape from Iron Gate is such a fresh, fun twist on At Home escape games. Far from the traditional linear puzzle solving track one might come to expect, this game is certainly quite different – and, as such, might not be for everyone. But – if interacting, outperforming and outwitting your friends is your idea of fun, Escape from Iron Gate is the most fun you’ll ever have while incarcerated. (Again, and this cannot be overstated, not that we would know.)

We do wish there was an option that allowed a two player mode, because it’s not always easy to gather a small group. Just the same, it’s not at all uncommon for a party game to cater to larger numbers, and, when they’re amassed, the results are inspired.

Best of all, unlike traditional At Home escape games, Escape From Iron Heights really is infinitely replayable. With 300 puzzle cards and 150 different action cards, the combinations are endless. From there, the variety expands exponentially with each new inmate your sentenced to serve time with; the dynamic between players and personality types is ever-changing, meaning even the same puzzles or actions are certain to play out very, very differently.

We’ll never admit to most of our time spent behind bars, but Escape from Iron Gate is an experience we’ll share again and again. (Luckily, lots of our friends are also criminals.)

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Venue:  The Escape Game

Location: At Home Game

Number of At Home Games: 1

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 45-60 minutes

Capacity: 3-8 people

Group Type: Private / You will not be paired with strangers (but if you are, call 911 immediately to report a home invasion.)

Cost (at Publish Time): $25.56 (Amazon.com)

We thank The Escape Game for inviting us to play this game. Although a complimentary copy was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.