Review: Operation Escape | The Other Side

RATING: 3 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 4:14

Traveling to this alternate dimension felt all too familiar.

Story

The Other Side escape room is themed in the Mystery genre and designed for players with some experience.

Although the story presented on their website is very slim, adventurers are shown an entertaining video upon entering the room which provides the details of the mission. This video, although rather low-tech and simplistic, gets the job done in establishing the game’s storyworld.

Billy Walker, a local child, has seemingly vanished into oblivion. He complained to his mother that he was hearing “Strange Things” when toying around with an invention that he believed could open a portal into a new dimension.

Police officers think that Billy has simply run away, but his mother does not buy this hypothesis. It is up to you, proficient paranormal investigators, to find Billy and bring him home before it is too late.

If this story sounds familiar, that’s because it probably is. It is clearly apparent that this game was inspired by Netflix’s popular television series Stranger Things, although it is ambiguous as to whether or not the owners of this facility actually have the legal rights to use its content.

Scenic

Scenic design in Operation Escape’s The Other Side is about what one would expect from a game that knocks off a television show. Those who have seen the show will likely recognize the first space as the Byers family living room. To individuals who have not watched the program, it will likely come across as an average yet somewhat antiquated family space.

Nice touches like a box set television and plentiful nostalgic old toys enhance the decor, helping remind adventurers that they have been transported to a bygone era. Multicolored lights hung from the ceiling are also a direct acknowledgement to the game’s source material.

The second half of the game’s scenery gets a bit spooky. Dark spaces and creepy props keep adventurers on edge throughout the latter section of their journey. Fans of Stranger Things will likely appreciate one particularly compelling reveal.

Puzzles

Operation Escape did an excellent job incorporating a wide range of different puzzles into The Other Side. The game never feels repetitive, and the tasks get progressively more fun. Puzzles in The Other Side may come off on the easier side for experienced escape enthusiasts. This is not a criticism, however, as this could likely serve as a great introduction to escape games for new players.

An unfortunate downside that we experienced at Operation Escape was a few pieces of faulty technology that slowed down our experience. On the whole, however, technology was integrated well, and there was a good mix of high and low tech puzzles.

One challenge towards the end of The Other Side stands out for several reasons, both good and bad. It was unique to the extent that we had never seen anything like it before in an escape game, but this may have been for good reason; it requires one member of the group to possess an intense degree of quickness and coordination. This single puzzle took up about a third of our time, and with a simple tweak, it could be transformed from especially frustrating to exceedingly fun.

Overall

Operation Escape has succeeded in presenting an entertaining rendition of a common escape game theme. Nothing in “The Other Side” will knock your socks off, but it is undeniably a fun entry to the genre.

Although having watched the show is not a prerequisite for playing this game, as there is no outside knowledge required to successfully complete it, we would highly recommend doing so. Many small references to the show are cleverly integrated into the game; Stranger Things diehard fans will definitely appreciate these more. Those completely unfamiliar with the Stranger Things universe may feel left out to a degree, so we would advise completing one of Operation Escape’s other two adventures instead.