RATING: 5 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: 6:11

On the surface, you’d think there’s nothing funny about almost drowning in a Deep Sea Habitat, but submerge yourself for just minutes aboard the DSH-3 and you’re guaranteed to have a nice day!

Descend into the depths to visit the historic DSH-3 Deep Sea Habitat. An exclusive tour of this famed underwater research facility is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But when things go wrong, can you handle the pressure or will you remain SUBMERGED?

Submerged starts off as many action-based attractions often do: a peaceful tour interrupted as – egads – something’s gone terribly wrong. And while that narrative format may at first glance seem contrived, it’s what happens after things go terribly wrong that sets Submerged in a class of its own.

Without question, there is an instant sense of urgency – after all, who wants to die on exclusive tour day? Worry not – the good news is the station’s trusty Artificial Intelligence is at our service.

And the bad news? He’s not always very helpful. In fact sometimes he’s downright distracting – and that’s exactly the point. But make no mistake, he’s always utterly hilarious – drawing players instantly into the storyworld in a way that almost makes them wish they needed even more clues just to inspire that further interaction.

Each of Submerged’s multiple rooms evokes the clear and evident sense we are indeed trapped in an underwater research station. Narrow spaces and elevated airlock doors give way to an instant sense of authenticity, although it should be noted that they also cause this game to be unable to accommodate those guests who may be traveling in a wheelchair.

Scientific gadgets – many of them still functional – surround us, while simultaneously give indication to just how dated the technology we’re relying upon to keep us dry and breathing really us.

The sense of storyworld is rich and constant, creating the most organic feeling of urgency that a game can hope to achieve. From the moment we find ourselves locked about DSH-3, it’s instantly possible to suspend all disbelief and become immersed into the world of Submerged in a way that few other escape games mange to truly achieve.

Our adventure aboard DSH-3 begins strong, with us finding a way to somehow restore power in the airlock to get into the undersea station itself. From there, one clever task after another furthers the narrative to keep us solidly immersed deep in the storyworld.

Being so delightfully rooted in the comedic genre, players can expect some truly fun surprises along the way – many of which are likely to actually make you laugh out loud – a rare treat in the escape game world. Everything is so entirely intuitive that Submerged – the game – flows far more smoothly than its fictitious undersea station ever could, creating a refreshingly challenging adventure for experienced players, while still remaining entirely achievable for more novice groups.

Ultimate Escape Game truly embraces the comedy motif by not even taking itself too seriously – poking fun in a light-hearted way at the escape game genre. Watch out for that red herring, and have a nice day!

Most exciting to us, Submerged’s puzzle flow feels more like logical tasks we would likely need to achieve in the coveted “if this were real” scenario. Sealing air locks, operating the telescope and deploying the station’s radar, just to name a few, drew us so deeply into the storyworld that we almost didn’t want to ever leave it.

Sumberged came to us highly recommended, by not one but several different readers. In those situations, we always arrive cautiously optimistic, not knowing exactly what we mind find, but hopeful that it could be something truly special. In this case, we left with no surprise at just why Ultimate Escape Game gets so very much praise.

Submerged is a unique game – so rooted in its storyworld, yet so lighthearted and just downright fun that it’s impossible not to enjoy. This is the type of game that we often find ourselves searching for, but yet so very rarely manage to find. A total tour de force of clever puzzles, convincing scenic, compelling story and the ultra-rare dash of laugh out loud humor make Sumberged simply one of the best games we’ve played in a long time.

Now that we’ve returned to the surface, we get it. We get the hype, and the hype is real. This is without question the best game we’ve seen in the Atlanta market, and it ranks almost as highly against nation-wide competition. Submerged is a veritable buried treasure just waiting to be found – so dive in and get your fair share!

Oh, and have a nice day!

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Venue:  Ultimate Escape Game

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Number of Games: 5

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 7 people

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

Cost: $28 per person

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