RATING: 6 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 8:51
Don’t you just hate it when you dedicate your life to creating a social media following and then end up vaporized?
(Wait – let’s not give *our* readers any ideas!)
From the moment agents report for their mission, it’s crystal clear that The Bureau is anything but an average experience. With no exterior signage, and no ‘escape game’ business to be found, getting inside is quite literally the first puzzle. With such an important purpose behind The Bureau, it should come as no surprise that a neutral façade would be required to protect the secrets that await within for those cunning enough to choose the proper path of travel.
It is for this reason that we start our narrative before the story, because that is quite literally what The Bureau does. It’s instantly apparent that this experience is about to bring immersion to a whole other level.
The Bureau for Multiversal Interventions, also known as “The Bureau,” is a private business venture founded in 1946 to do the multiverse’s dirty work – anywhere, anytime. Interventions include activities such as, but not limited to: object retrieval, timestream adjustment, private investigation, research, and creature control.
A UFO enthusiast claimed on her podcast to have been transmitting signals to extraterrestrial beings and seemed to have finally attracted one to her location. However, the alien craft got too close and crashed in her backyard, prompting a distress signal to be sent to the authorities. Sadly, the enthusiast met her demise as she went to investigate the ship and was vaporized. The Bureau is sending your team of operatives out to assess the situation. If you require further information during your mission, you can try reaching out to her followers through her livestream, as they may possess additional knowledge.
Due to the sensitivity of this mission, we need exceptional Operatives with technical skills and basic computer knowledge to succeed. Operatives should have the following skills sets to succeed: reading comprehension, critical thinking, adaptability, audio recognition, and the ability to search and find.
Sometimes the greatest compliment that can be paid is “that wasn’t at all what we expected.” Mind you, that doesn’t have to mean what was expected wouldn’t have been satisfying; it means what was produced surprised even us. Through the years, Escape Authority has played a whole lot of alien-themed games. UFO: Go For Launch! couldn’t be further from any of them.
In a delightfully tongue-in-cheek nod to the modern world’s social media fascination, this story is just as much about the alien as it is about the vlogger who discovered it. Perhaps you’ve heard of The Out There Podcast? Well, it’s not our style to namedrop, but we’re talking about vlogger A.Leigh-Anne herself! Alex is one of our favorites – always tells it like it is with such insight and unique perspective, she is… Well, I guess it would be she “was” now. Vaporization is a hell of a way to go, but it’s the risk we all take when creating a presence in the online world.
So, while we raise our wireless keyboards in solidarity to honor one of our online peers lost way too soon, we mustn’t lose sight that her death was, in a sense, the ultimate tribute to everything she believed. You guys, she proved that aliens are real! But don’t panic; this isn’t some apocalyptic alien invasion; Blobby is a silly little being who’s actually quite friendly, and really just needs help getting home in time for dinner. Rest assured that was just a one-time vaporization. Probably.
Walking into an alien-themed 
game evokes some pretty common expectations of what to visually expect, and none of that is here. That’s an even better breath of fresh air than if outer space had oxygen. UFO: Go For Launch! is set entirely in the private home of our favorite conspiracy theory vlogger A.Leigh-Anne. Although we can’t disclose exactly where that is, we will share that it is somewhere just outside of Roswell, NM.
The flavor throughout is distinctly southwestern, not just in the pueblo style of walls and design of her decorative throw pillows, but furthered through even the patterning of the tile floor. It’s an authentic attention to detail that instantly brings the storyworld to life.
Alex Leigh Anne’s computer is still logged in and live-streaming on her modest living room desk. Not only does this further bring the story to live with a tangible attention to detail in the scenic production, but it also serves as one of the most clever hint systems we’ve seen in quite a while. Although she’s sadly vaporized (raise your keyboards once more, please) – her audience is so dedicated that they continue on through her channel. And they’ve been paying attention. In fact, they’re ready to comment back in the chat with even the most obscure of hints!
And then there’s the surprise waiting in the backyard. It’s what made A.Leigh-Anne truly famous (and dead): the actual crashed UFO!
One of the many things that makes The Bureau so great is their consistent attention to detail that ensures every puzzle, no matter the game, organically fits within the storyworld in a way that makes it feel sensible and real. UFO: Go For Launch! is no exception there – though it very well may be an exponential evolution.
Beginning as one might expect with tasks gaining access to files on Alex Leigh Anne’s computer, things quickly take a turn for the comically absurd as believers soon shift focus to waiting on Blooby’s every need. And this isn’t some prerecorded video of the adorably drippy alien friend playing on a tv screen somewhere; no – Blooby is present in his physical form, able to move around with you throughout the experience. What did you expect? His ship is crashed; it’s not like he can leave!
Blobby is as highly interactive as he is high tech, often factoring directly in to puzzles that need solving in the second half of the game. What results is a flow that’s silly, memorable and the very definition of the word fun.
UFO: Go For Launch! is a story-driven masterpiece from start to finish, right up to the moment believers help Blobby return home for a genuine happy ending. A true testament to The Bureau’s world-building, don’t be surprised if you actually find yourself feeling a little bit sad to see him go!
Orlando is a town known for world class attractions, and there’s no shortage of escape games in that mix. But even amid some very big name brands, it’s The Bureau that we find ourselves recommending more times than not – and we aren’t alone. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that they were also voted as our most recent Readers Key Tournament – Favorite Venue award winner. They truly are out of this world.
WAIT A MINUTE — you guys — it literally just dawned on me that A.Leigh-Anne sounds a lot like “alien!” Huh. MAYBE THAT’S WHY SHE LIKES ALIENS?! 🤯
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Venue: The Bureau
Location: Orlando, FL
Number of Games: 7
GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 10 people
Group Type: Private / You will not be paired with strangers.
Cost: $41.99 per person
We thank The Bureau for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.
