RATING: 4 Keys          RESULT: Loss          REMAINING: X:XX

Little Red Riding Hood may not be as innocent as she seems…

Red Riding Hood is a suspect in a series of murders that you and your team of private investigators have been hired to investigate. In this very grim tale your team mission is to go to Grandmother’s house to find out if Red went Hood in the Woods and partnered up with the Big Bad Wolf!

This game puts an interesting twist on a familiar fairy-tale. Although this theme may seem childish at first, it is quickly evident that this is not at all the case. The makers of Red Riding Hood did an excellent job at designing a unique storyworld, which has a significant influence on all facets of the game. After experiencing this game, detectives will definitely never be able to look at this childhood tale the same way again.

Investigators are initially introduced to the storyworld through a brief video, which previews the terrors that lie before them. This well-produced clip is very theatrical, and could certainly be a trailer for an upcoming horror movie.

Throughout the game, the story is paramount to detectives’ progression; as they advance from one space to the next, the story becomes increasingly rich, gradually revealing just how devious Red Riding Hood’s plot truly is.

Red Riding Hood truly shines in the scenic department. From the second detectives enter Grandma’s House, the intricate design and unique ambiance immediately set the tone for the sinister experience to come.

There is one set piece in particular that is highly impressive, and fits beautifully into the storyworld. Several unexpected small-space entries and dark corners keep investigators on their toes throughout the game.

One highly frustrating aspect of Red Riding Hood is a three-minute song which plays over and over for the duration of the game. After two or three repetitions, it becomes extremely annoying, and starts to feel like torture. It is absolutely guaranteed that upon completion of the game, detectives will have this song stuck in their head for days, if not weeks, afterwards.

At Number 1 Escape Room, the puzzles begin before you walk in the door. In order to gain entry to the venue’s lobby, it is necessary to solve a quick mini-puzzle. This puzzle has nothing to do with the Red Riding Hood storyworld, or any other of Number 1 Escape Room’s themes. That being said, it is a very nice touch to help get investigators thinking.

On the whole, puzzles in Red Riding Hood are very logical and highly intuitive. A vast majority of the tasks connect directly to the storyworld, and make sense in sequence. Stepping out of your comfort zone is one factor that contributes to a good horror-themed escape room. There is one very satisfying moment in Red Riding Hood where investigators are forced to put their better judgment aside and do something truly nerve-wracking to move forward.

There are a few issues which prevent Red Riding Hood from taking a place among the best of the best escape games. First, one puzzle very early in the game utilizes technology that is extremely buggy. We were stuck on this puzzle for more than ten minutes before being informed that what we were doing at first was correct, and the technology was simply not working. Our other issue with Red Riding Hood was its hint system, which came in the form of laminated sheets of paper slipped through a hole in the door. This system broke immersion, and was often entirely unhelpful in propelling us forward in gameplay.

Although the premise of this game does not sound overly spooky, it is worth noting that there are several significant jump scares and creepy elements throughout the game which will undoubtedly bring an element of fright to more scare-sensitive participants. These are infrequent enough that they do not distract from gameplay, but come just often enough to keep adventurers on their toes. Although The Cabin is advertised as Number 1’s scariest game, we found that Red Riding Hood brought the scare factor just as much if not more than this game.

It is always unfortunate when we have unpleasant interactions with escape game staff. This was regrettably the case at Number 1 Escape Room. We found our game master to be largely inattentive, and frequently quite rude. While this one game master did not necessarily represent the quality of service for all employees at Number 1 Escape Room, it would likely benefit Number 1 to match the high-quality of their games with equally outstanding customer relations.

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Venue: Number 1 Escape Room

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Number of Games: 5

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 6 people

Group Type: Private  / You will not be paired with strangers.

Cost: $40 per person ($35 for Las Vegas residents)