RATING: 4 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: 11:16

A couple of stool-pigeons walk into a bar, and if they ain’t quick, they’re either headed for the big house or a meat wagon, capisce?

Travel back in time to the 1920’s during the height of Prohibition. You and your gang are caught smuggling hooch into New York City. In order to avoid the slammer, The Mayor is forcing you and your gang to become inside informants and help take down the notorious crime boss Lucky Luciano. Your task is to gain access to the 21 Club, find the evidence of his crimes and escape before Luciano returns in 60 minutes. Do you and your crew have what it takes to get the evidence and get out before you’re caught or will you be sleeping with the fishes?

A fun take on a speakeasy story finds us as the unlikely heroes, whether or not we want to be. We’re up against good old fashion corruption on either side – from a Mayor bent on using us to his own political benefit to a remorseless mob boss who we’ve effectively just stabbed in the back in the process.

It’s easy to accept a sense of urgency from those betting odds – and it’s definitely enough to draw us into active roles in this storyworld. At the same time, The Mobster’s Speakeasy manages to achieve a respectable enough approach to the subject matter that actually allows subject matter that may not always be the most family friendly to be welcoming to guests of essentially all ages.

Although The Mobster’s Speakeasy may not have had the highest of scenic budgets, it truly succeeds at creating a convincing environment that allows us to get lost in the storyworld. The flavor of an underworld club is definitely there, complimented by some furnishes and fixings that help add authenticity. (Perhaps they fell off the back of a truck.)

Appropriately our mission found us beginning in a seedy back alley behind the club, surrounded by the dirty, mildewed brick walls of the surrounding buildings. It’s clear even then that a raucous party is happening within, as 1920’s music echoes from behind the locked back door.

Once into the club, the music becomes instantly louder, drawing us in and making us consider abandoning our mission and return to our old ways to, ahem, indulge in some of the many bottles of adult beverages that stock the bar. Perhaps its the walls lined with vintage photographs of our former infamous mafia running buddies that reminds us of the gravity of this mission, keeping us on track.

Time Trapped truly did a great job in keeping their puzzles within the mafia storyworld. In the alley, we found ourselves attempting to find a means of breaking into the 21 Club. Once inside, the puzzle steps shifted to bar-related activities that felt organic to the storyworld.

Each of the steps from start to finish were very logical and intuitive. This game had a smooth, satisfying flow that was fulfilling to our very experienced group, but would not at all be *too* daunting to newer players.

There’s just enough bits of tech mixed in with codes and keys that sets Time Trapped on a level of more advanced gameplay than many of its local competition. And while we don’t think a game *has to* have any tech to be great, we absolutely appreciate finding it, especially when we’re not necessarily expecting it.

Time Trapped was a venue that we knew very little about prior to entering, and as such we didn’t know where our expectations should sit before our arrival. Being the venue’s very first soirée into the world of Escape Games, we hoped for something good but were pleased to receive something great.

The Mobster’s Speakeasy was a fun game that was just story-driven enough to draw us in. It was a satisfying challenge to us that found a healthy balance of difficulty levels to make this a truly enjoyable attraction for a wide audience.

One thing that we always appreciate on a very personal level is finding a new venue that is mom & pop operated by a passionate staff. Time Trapped is the very definition of that notion. The venue’s owners opened this first location for one simple reason: they are fans of this genre just like you and I. There’s something tangibly magical about a game created by someone who themselves loves games.

Time Trapped has a bright future in the Tampa market. It’s impossible to step inside their door without feeling welcome, and the quality of their games speaks for itself. The owners were kind enough to let us in on a few secrets about their upcoming games set to open in the near future – and while we ain’t no snitches, I’ll give you the rub on one thing — they’ve got some unique, creative, original themes and stories already in development that will makes us very excited for our next visit.

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Venue:  Time Trapped Escape Room

Location: Tampa, Florida

Number of Games: 2

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 6 people

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

Cost: $28 per person

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