RATING: 2 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: 6:02

Another Egyptian tomb? We really did draw the short straw!

Welcome to the hot sands of the Egyptian desert. You’re part of a large archaeological dig team that’s looking for lost artifacts near the Valley of the Kings. Your team has been using an old stone structure as a field office to run the operation, which started nearly 4 months ago. During that time, your team found nothing…until last night.

Just before dusk, a large stash of ancient artifacts was discovered. Instead of starting the morning by examining and cataloging the artifacts, you drew the short straw and had to make a routine supply run into town.

Upon your return, you realize something went terribly wrong. The other members who stayed behind at the dig site are lying outside of the field office, barely conscious and near death. Now it’s up to you to figure out what caused this sickness and help the team before it’s too late.

Your fellow archaeologists are barely holding on, so your time inside the field office is limited. Work together to look for clues and solve the puzzles. Now it’s time to get to work. They are all counting on you.

Thank goodness for short straws! Although they prevented us from participating in the exciting task of examining lost artifacts, they may have saved our lives.  Now, our team of archaeologists is about to become amateur detectives.

As we arrive at the disastrous scene, several questions come to mind: What happened to our coworkers? Is it even safe to enter the field office? The logical decision would be to call for help and stay as far away from the site until all is deemed clear.  However, unsure of what dangers lie ahead, we cautiously proceed into the old stone structure.

To describe the setting as a field office is a blatant understatement.  Instead, one has the feeling of being inside the Egyptian gallery of an art museum.  Upon entering the first room, the excavation team is surrounded by walls laced with hieroglyphics and a vast display of artifacts.  The collection of items includes a stone coffin, heads of priests and pharaohs, wooden statues of gods and animals, mummy masks, and wooden crates.  

Another room in the game is even more impressive.  It contains two beautifully-colored pillars, a stone coffin with a glass top, a brightly lit wall showing more hieroglyphics, and a wooden table displaying ancient Egyptian paintings.  

As our archaeological team surveys the scene, there are no signs of foul play.  In fact, everything appears to be neat and organized. So, what really caused our colleagues to become deathly ill?

For the most part, the challenges presented in Pharaoh’s Revenge are fairly simple.  The progression is linear, requiring no more than a few participants to finish each task.  All components are technology-driven (with the exception of an improperly-working number lock), and the audiovisual effects experienced during various parts of the adventure are extremely impressive.    

However, the puzzles are also the weakest part of the game.  In order to complete the majority of assignments, team members need to use a journal to decipher an excessive amount of hieroglyphics and symbols seen throughout the field office.  This requires A LOT of reading and quickly becomes very monotonous.

In addition, although the puzzles are appropriate for the Egyptian-themed setting, they do not relate to the initial storyline.  They never elicit any information about the tragedy that befalls our coworkers. As a result, our group of archaeologists begin to feel as though we have been sent out on a wild goose chase.

A compelling storyline and astonishing, authentic scenery are not enough to overshadow poorly designed puzzles lacking in variety.  Instead of getting to interact with the amazing collection of artifacts present at the site, our team spends most of the hour reading through a very banal journal, which, in the end does nothing to contribute to our mission.

Although we successfully won the game, we never truly discover why the group of archaeologists become ill or if they ever recover.   This leads to an overall unsatisfying experience, leaving our team with the feeling that we did not complete our assigned task.

#LarryForgotToTakeAPic

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Venue: Booby Trap Escape Rooms

Location: Wisconsin Dells, WI

Number of Games: 4

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 10 people

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

Cost: $30 per person