RATING: 4 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 16:00
It’s time to use some tech-driven magic to achieve our own Happily Ever After.
Come hither, my royal guard of North Umbria. Approach your king. That hag, Hildegard, has cast a terrible spell on my daughter, Princess Adelina, turning her to stone. The great and powerful wizard Merlin tried to intervene but was overpowered in the struggle and thrown into a deep slumber.
So now I look to you, my noble guards, for you are my last hope. Time is short. With only minutes until the spell becomes permanent, I am sending you into Merlin’s chamber with hopes that you’ll find some way to save my daughter. You must collect the orbs, reverse Hildegard’s spell, and rescue my dear Princess Adelina!
Summoned personally by the King of North Umbria, we are given a near impossible task – one that even the legendary Merlin himself wasn’t powerful enough to achieve. We are now the King’s last hope to save his lovely daughter, Princess Adelina – immediately diving us into an active role with its own distinct sense of urgency.
The balance of peace and happiness in North Umbria depends on our own spell-casting – and for good measure, puzzling solving abilities.
Headcase Escape Adventures continues to raise their own bar of scenic presentation. With each newer game they debut, the sets and decor become more and more immersive.
Merlin’s Secret Chamber is among their scenically better games. Each room within feels like an authentic stone-walled chamber hidden in an old castle straight out of the pages of a classic fairy tale.
Theatrical lighting, effects and some enchanting reveals create magic for players, drawing them further into Merlin’s storyworld, making it easy to suspend disbelief and feel like wizards ourselves.
Merlin’s Secret Chamber, appropriately, features a more tech-driven approach to its puzzles – a wise path to take for a game focused on wizardry. The true win for its players, though, is that Headcase Escape Adventures manages to implement that tech in such a way that it’s essentially invisible during gameplay, making it truly feel like magic.
Logical puzzle steps utilize in-world themed objects, from enchanted gem stones to, of course, magic wands to progress the narrative in a way that is both intuitive and immersive.
Merlin’s Secret Chamber is perhaps one of the venue’s easier games, but it’s absolutely not without its challenges. It’s also always important to stress that having an easier game on your menu is a hugely beneficial positive – especially in a town so tourist-heavy as Gatlinburg.
Headcase Escape Adventures finds the perfect balance for this fantasy-flavored attraction, offering something that is enjoyable for seasoned players, while also embracing newer ones. The use of tech is sure to wow a first time player – and when combined with the achievable puzzles and immersive scenic atmosphere, young wizards-to-be who visit Merlin’s Secret Chamber as their fist escape game are likely to walk out instant fans of the genre.
The venue’s staff – dressed to compliment the distinctly steampunk flavor of their branding and lobby area – are incredibly enthusiastic, attentive and friendly. Their excitement to have you experience Headcase Escape Adventures’ games will make you even more excited to play them.
We’re fans of all the games at Headcase Escape Adventures (with more reviews to come soon) – but there’s simply no denying that their newer batch of games is raising the bar for scenic and storytelling, as well as the implementation of those aforementioned tech-driven puzzles. This type of evolution is exactly what we often preach about in reviews, yet rarely see.
It’s clear that Headcase Escape Adventure aims to grow and constantly outdo themselves with each new room. With so much to do on any given visit to the Smokey Mountains, Headcase Escape Adventures will certainly always be a must-see stop for us!
Show your support for Escape Authority and get social with us:
Venue: Headcase Escape Adventures
Location: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Number of Games: 5
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 45 minutes
Capacity: 7 people
Group Type: Public / You may be paired with strangers.
Cost: $25 per person
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.