RATING: 5 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: 9:52

If you trace back a nightmare, you can usually find a source. This is the nightmare from which all other nightmares are born.

Professor Josef Grobel has immersed himself so deeply in studies of paranormal phenomena and psionic energy accumulation that scientific world declared the professor insane and turned away from him. Meanwhile, the professor and his like-minded assistant Robert are on the verge of making a revolutionary discovery. However, they are missing one final thing – YOU or, to be more exact, the extraordinary power that you possess…

What stands behind the experiment? Does the professor realize the kind of consequences it can lead to? You have a chance to find all the answers but time is ticking away…

Walking into the laboratory there is a noticeable eerie tension to the entire scene. Nothing seems entirely out of place, yet there lacks any sensation of calm or collectedness. Volunteers for Dr. Grobel’s latest, and soon to be final, experiment file their way into the room. Knowing not what is intended with their powers, only knowing they possess a special type of psionic energy necessary to the work at hand, the volunteers await their fate.

Robert, Dr. Grobel’s assistant/brother and uncle to Zoe Grobel, introduces himself and gives a brief monologue on what exactly the test subjects will be doing today, before he is interrupted by a lab assistant and things begin to slowly and methodically derail.

After a few technical complications arise, the subjects are left to collect some missing information and, alone, repair some parts to the experiment. Unfortunately, as the volunteers will soon come to find out, these tests have gone too far for too long. What happened to dear little Zoe? Where is Dr. Grobel now? What will become of Robert?

Disclaimer – The Last Experiment is the prequel room to Zoe at Escapade Games. While the storyline of the room takes place before Zoe, it is recommended that the games be played in reverse timeline order, as this was the intended sequence. Live the nightmare and then find out the backstory.

Unlike its predecessor, Zoe, The Last Experiment takes place mostly in decently lit spaces. The laboratory itself is elaborately presented, finding nuance in the details like the hanging work lights, intricate machinery, and various testing materials laid about the room. There is a crawlspace underneath one of the cabinets where Zoe would play while her uncle and father worked.

Everything in the lab feels practical and used. The storage closet contains dozens of cardboard boxes and storage containers, all filled to the brim with past notes, documents, and materials.

Once inside Dr. Grobel’s office, the scene shifts a bit, presenting darker undertones. There are thick wooden bookshelves against dark painted walls. A large, heavy wooden desk sits in the middle of the room. While The Last Experiment is well lit for the most part, as the experience goes on and a twisted sense of evil seeps into the game, the lights become more sporadic, flickered, and unreliable at times.

Escapade Games does incredible work with the use of their space. Where the game feels like it ends, there’s usually another access point to continue on. Whenever it feels like “this can’t be all of it” – that’s definitely accurate. Somehow, Escapade Games has fit two gigantic games, The Last Experiment and its predecessor Zoe, into a space that appears much smaller from the outside looking in. Also, as far as the scare factor goes, just because this game isn’t Zoe-level terrifying does not mean it is without a few frightening moments that land quite successfully.

The puzzles in The Last Experiment are certainly a step up from Escapade Games first experience, which makes sense. It certainly is much easier to solve some riddles and analyze information when you aren’t running for your life every three minutes.

While few particular puzzles stand out as highlights, they all combine to form a solid and complete escape game. The Last Experiment uses critical thinking puzzles, physical puzzles, and even puzzles of morality at times.

The difficulty of the room’s riddles is still not too challenging, and while there aren’t many “Ah-ha!” moments to satisfy that particular itch, the entire experience flows nicely from moment to moment. Although solving each puzzle doesn’t ever necessarily provide a grand solution, each plays its part in the continuing spiral, of what began calm enough, into madness.

After surviving the nightmare that is Zoe, there were high expectations for The Last Experiment, and Escapade Games did not disappoint. They continue to show, with their newest room, that immersion reigns king when it comes to escape games and experiences. Not only are participants able to witness an incredible story that draws them in right from the start, they are given the opportunity to star in a major role in the narrative itself.

What makes this company most impressive is absolutely the staff/cast. Not only do they play their roles of game master or host, but also each has an opportunity to dive into the characters in the stories and create an entire world within an escape game. Escapade Games continues to lead the pack in immersive experience and scenic design, as well as story telling and world building, and it is unlikely they will be dethroned any time soon.

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Venue: Escapade Games

Location: Fullerton, CA

Number of Games: 2

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 6 people

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

Cost: $35 per person

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