Review: Escape Artist Greenville - Starlight Motel

RATING: 5 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: Survived

Quick! Where is the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign?

Story

You’ve been hired to stay the night at the run-down Starlight Motel in an attempt to learn their secrets. What you uncover is much more terrifying than you could have imagined.

With the premise of posing as registered motel guests to investigate the mysterious disappearances at the Starlight Motel, a team of investigators arrives at the seedy establishment and checks-in with the crotchety front desk attendant. Entering the game with the excitement and levity of deceiving the front desk attendant, these feelings are slowly replaced by fear as the investigators learn about what happened to the “missing” motel guests… and realize that they may be next.

Starlight Motel is a model for creating an immersive storyworld. The narrative unfolds throughout the game, but does not rely on text. Instead, it incorporates the players into the tale. The story that is revealed is compelling and comes to a heart-pounding crescendo in the game’s final minutes.

Scenic

The set design evokes the flavor of a one-star motel… with a dark side. The props, puzzles, and theming elements feel authentic to the intended environment. Everything screams “sleazy motel where you probably shouldn’t touch anything”. However, this does not mean Starlight Motel is dirty. Starlight Motel seems grimy while actually being very clean.

The environment is further augmented by the fabulous performance of the actor that not only adds to the immersive storyworld created by Starlight Motel, but also provides hints in a fully in-character manner. Nothing breaks the immersion of being in a sleazy 70’s-style motel, which allows players to become truly engrossed in the excitement of investigating the past guests who went missing as well as the fear the unfolding narrative and environment creates.

Though delightfully terrifying, Starlight Motel does not rely solely on jump scares to keep players on-edge. Instead, Starlight Motel expertly utilizes the immersive narrative to foster the increasing sense of dread as one progresses through the game. For those that appreciate a little adrenaline pumping through their veins, this is a lot of fun.

In terms of accessibility, it is important to note that Starlight Motel contains low-light and flashing light conditions and at least one member of the team will need to get on their hands and knees. Though the Starlight Motel contains dimly lit spaces for esthetic purposes, darkness itself is never a ‘puzzle’ (i.e. poor visibility is not used to make puzzles more challenging).

Puzzles

Everything within Starlight Motel, including the puzzle and hint system, makes sense within the storyworld created by the game. Investigators are never tasked to do things ‘because escape room’. The puzzles that must be accomplished are logical and generally “make sense” within the overall goal. Starlight Motel manages to do this while also providing varied and novel puzzles.

One of the more unique aspects of Starlight Motel is that it requires some light acting by at least one player. This not only adds to the thrill of the experience, but provides for numerous humorous exchanges with the actor. This is an amusing aspect of Starlight Motel and one rarely seen in other escape games.

For those cursed with introversion and/or apprehension about having a thespian in the room… do not discount Starlight Motel. It is a perfect example of how an actor can really add to the experience without being intrusive or annoying. The interactions with the cranky front desk clerk provided some of the most fun and memorable moments of the adventure. She stayed in character without fault and added humor, immersion, and excitement to the experience.

Overall

Though Starlight Motel is described as a 60 minute booking, there is no “ticking clock” in the game. This allows Escape Artist Greenville to customize the experience based on the group’s speed in progressing through the adventure. For this reason, there is no leaderboard for Starlight Motel, but rather a monthly survival tally.

Escape Artist Greenville’s Starlight Motel is a game that perfectly weaves experiential storytelling, quality puzzles, and immersive theater together to create an adventure that will not be soon forgotten. From the first minutes of the game to the final seconds, Starlight Motel is an exhilarating experience that keeps the heart pumping.