RATING: 4 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: 21:38

It’s always nice when a venue breaks the curse of having a standard Egyptian room.

Legend has it that the Egyptian god Aten put a curse on the young King Tut after he made all Eyptians worship the god Amun. This curse can only be broken by reuniting King Tut’s crook and flail – relics of Amun. Nearly 100 years after Howard Carter founded King Tut’s tomb in 1922 there is still no sign of Tut’s crook. It is known that in his tomb there is only the flail, but the whereabouts of the crook are unknown and must be paired with it in order to break Aten’s spell.

You and your team of archaeologists have been sent to find Tut’s Crook and break Aten’s spell, but legend says that whomever spends more than one hour in Tut’s tomb will also  bear the burden of Aten’s curse. You’ll have 60 minutes to break the spell or be cursed forever!

By now, it is well-known that we are the world’s leading experts on breaking curses. This time, we have been called to the tomb of King Tut himself, in order to locate his crook and pair it once again with his flail. Successfully doing so will break the spell that still plagues Tut’s tomb and save everyone – and ourselves – from certain doom.

Escape Tactic successfully and expertly immerses players into the story by taking them on an authentic journey of adventures, exploration, and teamwork. The theme is dominant and ever-present as players make their way closer to breaking the spell, facing exciting and untold challenges along the way.  King Tut’s Curse serves as an excellent example of storyworld come to life.

Escape Tactic promises and delivers a truly immersive experience. From the moment we entered the gamespace, we were transported deep within an ancient Egyptian tomb filled with authentic-feeling relics. The dusty stone walls that surrounded us were adorned with hieroglyphics and ancient treasures, while secret passageways proved delightful entryways into additional areas.

In the first chamber, the life-sized sarcophagus of King Tut demanded our immediate attention and provided a focal point for our team’s efforts before making our way into the game’s adjacent chambers. The multiple spaces were all beautifully executed and painted, with just the right amount of details to make the atmosphere feel and look believable. The features of the additional areas included rustic and aged elements, seemingly carved by hands long ago.

While a little sand seemed to be one of the only few features the setting was missing to feel truly realistic, most of the other intricacies seemed right on par. Together, all the visual elements earn high marks for King Tut’s Curse’s scenic presentation.

Though we would have liked to see a little bit more dimension added to the physical boundaries of the gamespace, Escape Tactic did a great job building out and embellishing the look and feel of each room within the layout.

The puzzles in King Tut’s Curse supported the story throughout and were integrated into the scenic experience as well. There were generous opportunities to interact with ancient relics and props and become a part of the journey to find the pharaoh’s crook. Overall, the challenges were not overly difficulty and were designed with new escape room players in mind.

In the main, initial area, we worked together to solve challenges which aided in unlocking the sarcophagus. One particularly challenging solution had our entire group stumped for a bit, but we worked together to eventually and successfully solve it. There were several excellent chances throughout the gameplay to break up into smaller groups in order to divide and conquer the various puzzles.

The subsequent chambers included more rustic and fitting challenges that also felt that they belonged within the setting and story. We were playing with a full roster of 10 people, which made our progression through the steps of the game fairly fast-paced. There were multiple groups in different chambers working at the same time and because it was one of the rare times we have played with large group, we unfortunately did not get to see all of the puzzles throughout the experience.

Escape Tactic did a great job putting together an entertaining adventure for both veteran and novice players. Not only did it look and feel authentic – it was also a great deal of fun for our entire group. It was obvious that much hard work, research, and time went into building all aspects of the game, which we always take note of and truly appreciate.

While the available space in King Tut’s Curse was certainly ample to accommodate all the players in our large group, we would like to see the number of maximum players cut down to six or eight to allow everyone in the group sufficient opportunities to lay hands on all the wonders that this adventure has to offer. Other than that, this game is a treasure in a long line of Egyptian-themed rooms. But, luckily this treasure is one that doesn’t have to be lost forever.

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

Venue: Escape Tactic

 Location:  Charlotte, NC

Number of Games:  6

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity:  10 people

Group Type: Public / You may be paired with strangers.

Cost:   $25.00 per person

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