RATING: 5 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 19:34
A peaceful mountain getaway, a quaint old cabin AND A GIANT FREAKING BEAR!
What started as a fun vacation getaway quickly turns into a deadly game of escape when you and your group of friends discover a remote cabin in the heart of the Smokies. This cabin has a dangerous secret…a vicious, man-eating Black Bear.
Local legend tells a story of “Goliath”, an abnormally large and powerful ravenous black bear that has claimed the cabin as part of his territory. He has taken the lives of many intruders and longs to prey on anyone who dares cross his path. If you can escape in time, you may have a chance of surviving a run in with Goliath!
Headcase Escape Adventures serves up an incredibly unique story of a giant, rampaging bear named Goliath – and in the process drops us right into the middle of the action, and the danger. The sense of urgency is as clear as the rumbling roars of the beast in the distance, getting closer and closer.
Goliath, the game, stays true to the story created for Goliath, the bear, at all times throughout our vacation-turned-survival-mission in that rustic old cabin in the woods. We’re left to fend for ourselves out of reach from the nearest park rangers to board up the cabin and set a trap to catch Goliath in one of the most clever finale moments we’ve seen yet if we ever hope to escape.
Goliath is a fairly large scale game for Headcase Escape Adventures – spanning four different rooms – five if you count the outhouse (come on, it’s the mountains!) Beginning outside the cabin, we feel the grass under our feet before stepping up onto the porch.
Inside, wooden walls evoke a rustic mood while the floorboards quite literally squeak beneath our feet (yes, intentionally.) A common area complete with a small kitchenette occupies the central room, off which we find a small pantry stocked with camping supplies as well as a separate bedroom which offer bunk bed accommodations.
A clever use of effects is employed to simulate Goliath stalking us just outside the cabin’s old wooden walls. Audible roars from the bear shake the air around. You might even catch a glimpse of Goliath himself through the cabin’s windows.
Without a doubt Goliath’s most impressive presence is once caught – literally thrashing and rocking from within the structure you trap him with. It’s an epic scenic inclusion into the storyworld that builds to a surprising finale.
Goliath stays true to the wilderness getaway motif, filling its cabin with puzzles that organically link to the storyworld. Forget about solving puzzles, because at first glimpse, there’s none to be found here. Instead, Headcase Escape Adventures will put your Junior Woodchuck Survival Skills to the test.
Embracing the notion of “if it were real” that makes immersive attractions so impactful, expect to fortify your surroundings in preparation of the mother of all bear attacks! Board up the windows, stock the emergency supplies and try to radio the nearest ranger station for help.
Except help can’t save you in time – setting up for a truly epic climatic puzzle so rooted in the storyworld that it was impossible not to suspend disbelief and accept our future as bear food.
That’s right – with no one to rescue us, we’re on our own to rig a literal trap for Goliath, stock the bait and then hide until it’s sprung. If we’re lucky.
Oddly enough, Goliath never did open to the public, despite being close enough for us to play the nearly-finished product three years ago. We’ve held on to this completely review since then, with the intention of posting it in tune with the game’s official opening, but sadly that day would never arrive. Just the same, because the game had some unique features to it, we’ve decided to finally share this post as a “lost game” review. Everything beyond this single paragraph remains exactly as it was originally written after playing the Goliath first hand in 2017.
Headcase Escape Adventures has impressed us in the past with their story driven, unique themed games full of quality scenic. From a crumbling Aztec Temple to castle that houses Merlin’s Secret Chamber, this is a venue that understands the importance of an immersive story.
But then there’s Goliath – without a doubt the new jewel in their crown. Headcase Escape Adventures raises their already high bar with Goliath, setting a new standard for the level of immersive interaction we’ll look forward to from them moving forward.
We’ve defused a million bombs, cured a million zombies and robbed a million banks – but I’ll tell you this for certain, we’ve only sprung one bear trap. Now, where’s my pic-a-nic basket?!
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Venue: Headcase Escape Adventures
Location: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Number of Games: 5
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 8 people
Group Type: Public / You may be paired with strangers.
Cost: $25 per person
Escape Authority readers save 20% using code EAHeadcase20
We thank Headcase Escape Adventures for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.
