RATING: 5 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 0:10
Ever wonder just how you’d fare against a real life zombie invasion? Would you survive, or became a feast for the undead? Well, now’s your chance to find out in this gritty, intense, fantastic new game!
We’ve seen quite a few zombie-centric games, and they always follow the same path – you’re in a clichéd a mad scientist-flavored laboratory, tasked with finding “the antidote.” Not anymore.
Escape Room Entertainment is perhaps the only place who has figured out how to do a zombie story the right way.
This isn’t about finding a cure. We’re way past that. This is about survival, pure and simple.
The Undead is a post-apocalyptic world wherein you must collect supplies, data and research in order to make your way to one of the few safe places remaining. It’s as close to becoming a character on The Walking Dead as you’re probably ever going to get.
The best of games weaves a constant story from start to finish, ending with a solid thematic climax. Admittedly, it’s rare to find such a total package story.
Not only does The Undead put that exclamation point at the end of its last chapter, but it has perhaps the most terrifying ending of an escape game you’ll ever find. And what’s better – the entire final room is *just* for story purposes!
By far, The Undead carries the best scenic quality of any game currently at Escape Room Entertainment. But that’s not where it ends; The Undead is among the best scenic quality you’ll find in a game – and most certainly among the top of the entirety of the state of Florida.
The story takes place in the confines of a sort of safe house bunker. The majority of your time in the game world occurs here, among five different rooms. Each has a very gritty, almost bleak appearance.
Concrete walls, aged and distressed surround you. They’ve clearly done their job at keeping others before you safe, but can all those cracks hold up long enough to protect you from the undead?
The space is theatrically lit – dim and ominous. Just as it should be.
Shelves are stocked with vital survival supplies – from dry goods and other food items to weapons and a whole lot of ammunition.
And you’re going to need to use all of it to survive.
The Undead really checks the boxes we look for when it comes to puzzles in a game. There’s logic puzzles included – sure – but at its core there are a lot of physical tasks – and several require very specific tools to achieve them – some you may even need to build yourselves in order to advance.
What results is a feeling of reality. Let’s look at the storyworld from the outside for just a moment – if the zombie apocalypse were actually real – one’s first inclination would never be “I’d better go solve this maze table/jigsaw puzzle” in order to get out of here.”
No. If you were trapped and your life depended on it, you’d use any tool you could get your hands on to pry open an escape hatch to get you the hell out of there – and in The Undead, that’s exactly the spirit of survival you can expect to find.
Something else of note is that this game starts by splitting parties between two different rooms, with a concrete wall between them. While on paper, this is a concept I’m a fan of – in experience it’s typically difficult to pull it off successfully, because inevitably one half of the group is always standing around for several minutes just waiting for the other half to solve something. So while I like the concept, I’ve never been satisfied with any form of its execution that I’d seen.
Until The Undead. This game finds the perfect balance for both groups, so both are always active and engaged, forcing them to work together as well as on their own simultaneously in a more activity-based approach that really never allows anyone to be left just standing around.
The Undead is a massive step forward for Escape Room Enterainment – and proof that they’re poised and ready to become a major player in the Central Florida market. Significant improvements across the board – from story to scenic to puzzles – really puts this game in a whole other league from their original trio. This type of noteworthy growth so early on in the life of their business indicates a very positive, very successful future.
The Undead is truly a cinematic experience from start to finish that simply must be seen. At just about an hour’s drive from the Orlando tourist market, it’s absolutely worth the drive for anyone looking to add a thrill they can’t find from theme parks and roller coasters.
The storyworld is solid, and the level of scenic quality makes it easy to suspend disbelief and accept you’re in true danger. This reality is only furthered by the puzzles – each of which are completely in-story, creating a truly “do or die” sense of epic, immersive survival drama. And speaking of drama, can I point out that we literally RAN out the door with barely TEN SECONDS left on the clock? You just can’t beat that kind of rush.
The bar has been raised for Central Florida. Use your brain – while you still have it – and see if you have what it takes to survive The Undead!
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Venue: Escape Room Entertainment
Location: Melbourne, Florida
Number of Games: 4
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 10 people
Group Type: Public / You may be paired with strangers.
Cost: $28 per person