RATING: 5 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: 6:00

A Harry Potter-inspired adventure that stands strong with its own uniquely crafted storyworld? For once it’s I that feels like ‘the boy who lived.’

Become a student at Irvine School of Wizardry and put your magical skills to the test through a series of puzzles and challenges. Learn to cast magical spells, brew mystical potions and unlock secret chambers to defeat the Dark Lord!

At first glance, Irvine School of Wizardry and the Dragon Wand may come across as “another attempted Harry Potter game.” Certainly the style, phrasing and marketing evokes that mood – and if you made that assumption, you aren’t alone; we did too.

In execution, however, Hidden Donkey creates a game as unique as their name – one that stands alone with its own story to tell. Irvine School of Wizardry is unquestionably inspired by Hogwarts – but that’s essentially where the similarities end.

Hidden Donkey succeeds where many others fall short, blending familiar themes with a storyworld that lets them stand on their own. Young wizards gain the opportunity to actively participate in Irvine’s own local wizard school, discovering dark secrets, physically mixing potions and quite literally casting magic spells in hopes of recovering the legendary Dragon Wand before it falls into the hands of sinister forces.

Irvine School of Wizardry and the Dragon Wand comes to life with its incredibly realistic scenic attention to detail. With an adventure spanning multiple hidden rooms, each comes with its own distinct tonal identity.

Magical students begin in a grand classroom, with massively high ceilings supported by hand-carved stone walls. You read that right; each stone was custom-crafted to create an authentic castle look. Paintings of famous wizards past and present line the walls up to the rafters, some seemingly watching students’ every move.

The potions classroom is cluttered with bottles and jars, each holding various magical ingredients. Flickering candles hang in lanterns, casting both a sense of whimsy as well as mysterious shadows across the space.

The final secret room is full of dark magic – but conquering it will be an important step toward obtaining the Dragon Wand. Cave-like rock walls surround the darkened space, with cobwebs dangling from above, as if to hide something we may or may not want to find.

Hidden Donkey takes puzzles to the next level, creating a narrative-driven sequence of events that make young witches and wizards the stars of their own story. Upon enrollment to the Irvine School of Wizardry, each student is issued their own personal magic wand. This mystical tool will prove most handy, as it’s utilized many times throughout the adventure – always in distinctly different, but equally enchanting ways.

The ability to manipulate the elaborate physical sets makes Irvine School of Wizardry and the Dragon Wand instantly memorable. At times, things are moved by hand, while in others, they activate on their on with a swoosh of the magic wand.

Students are even able to gather ingredients and mix their own potions, opening jars to actually measure and pour liquids. This approach adds an authenticity that few escape games dare allow, and in the process only further immerses guests into the magical storyworld which Hidden Donkey has so masterfully created.

Each lesson is logical and intuitive, presenting new vital abilities in a way that make them fun and enthralling to learn. And like any good teacher, everything comes together by the end, giving students all of the skills needed to successfully capture the legendary Dragon Wand.

Hidden Donkey is one of Southern California’s newest venues – but in short time, it became the single most recommended stop from our readers. In fact, on a recent trip to the West Coast, Irvine School of Wizardry and the Dragon Wand was quite literally the only game recommended by every single local we asked opinions from for what’s new and not to be missed.

This kind of hype can oftentimes work against a game, because simply put, it’s never easy to live up to such consistent praise. We donned our robes and entered Irvine School of Wizardry hopeful that it could find a way to match its own reputation. Barely an hour later, we graduated with enthusiastic smiles now knowing this magical experience not only meets expectations, but unquestionably exceeds them.

And perhaps best of all, in every sense of the word, Hidden Donkey does “inspired by” correctly. They craft a storyworld clearly influenced by JK Rowling’s timeless Harry Potter books without ever skating that line of IP infringement. There’s no question this is an attraction that sets out to tell its own unique story, and the overall experience is only made better because of it.

There’s a lot of hype surrounding Hidden Donkey – but that hype, just like the magic created within the Irvine School of Wizardry and the Dragon Wand – is unquestionably real.

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Venue: Hidden Donkey

Location: Irvine, CA

Number of Games: 1

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 8 people

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

Cost: $32 per person (weekdays) / $35 per person (weekends)

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