Review: The Escape Warehouse

RATING: 6 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 16:57

Class is in session, and some lessons are meant to be left unknown.

Story

After an uneventful day touring the supposedly most haunted places in New Orleans, you hope that your last stop at an abandoned school will live up to the hype. Is the truth of what forced the school to permanently close becoming evident or is there something more sinister going on?

Can you survive this 90-minute tour or will you vanish into the night like the children of Montanet Elementary?

As a group of tourists visiting New Orleans, get ready for frights like no other in Montanet Elementary. Given the town’s famous title as the most haunted city in America, it’s perhaps unsurprising for a school to be infiltrated by evil. As a nod to the bedeviled past of the city, this expedition brings a horrifying story to those brave enough to come along for the tour.

Tour groups travel the abandoned halls of the school guided by a former student who fell victim to the evils within Montanet Elementary. Perhaps with the help of this spirit, the secret of what really happened to him and his twelve other classmates may finally be revealed.

Scenic

Montanet Elementary stands to this day frozen in time exactly as it was when the thirteen children disappeared. Backpacks still hung on hooks, lunch boxes packed away for recess, even the teacher’s notes left out – all paint a chilling picture that something bad happened.

It is clear that The Escape Warehouse ‘understood the assignment’ by crafting a world that organically feels like a school, while also creating a chilling sense of urgency. Further adding to the authenticity, an actual second floor creates a level of immersion that’s hard to find in most games.

The storyworld of this school is brought (back) to life with compelling lighting and physical effects to build on the already eerie atmosphere and tense environment.

The school’s intercom system is an ingenious way of bringing a hint mechanic to this world that never breaks the immersion. It’s both functional and versatile, able to be used from a variety of areas within Montanet Elementary.

Puzzles

One of the strengths of Montanet Elementary’s storyworld is that all of the puzzles intuitively use items found within a school setting, such as pens, backpacks, and drawings. These actions bring a tangible layer to the characters that make them feel real.

Another particular interaction truly stands out, taking advantage of the school’s architecture. This unique use of space requires collaborative teamwork, engaging a vast majority of the tour group.

The puzzles found within the school are seamlessly integrated with the story and effects. From dynamic lighting to cinematic moments and unexpected spooks, each puzzle feels purposeful. Almost every task is paired with effects that not only heighten the level of tension, but also propel the story forward.

Overall

Set in the most haunted city in America, Shhh! offers a chilling tour through Montanet Elementary, a school preserved like a time capsule of the past, capturing echoes from the day the children disappeared. Tour groups are quickly drawn in as they navigate the empty halls and rooms of this once lively place. The interactions within the school make use of left behind items and eerie remnants of the daily life for the students and teachers. With each task or new room explored, the secrets of what transpired in Montanet Elementary may finally be revealed.

It’s worth noting, as mentioned on the venue’s website, there are moments of separation within this tour, the reasons for which made sense given the storyworld. Although at first glance this may sway some from playing, know that it’s very limited in duration and not for the sole purpose of frightening one tour member.

The Escape Warehouse sets a gold standard for utilizing space across all of their games, and Shhh! is no exception. Having the ceiling height allowing for the addition of a real second floor is embraced to the fullest with their games. This combined with the many strengths leaves tour groups with memories that, much like those thirteen children, will not be forgotten in the near future.