Review: Escape Experience Chattanooga

RATING: 4 Keys RESULT: Loss REMAINING: X:XX

Déjà vu? We have the feeling we’ve been here before, and we have. But, this abandoned house is worth looting.

Story

Vaccine is a mission-based escape game trap. It is the only escape room game that doesn’t’ start with the door already locked. Your Mission: Enter into an old abandoned house believed to contain a vaccine to the disease and find it. Then, escape outside to administer it before time runs out.

Okay, so another vaccine that will save the world has been found in another abandoned house. This scenario has a familiar ring to it, but we do what we have to do when our life depends on it.

In this post-apocalyptic game, we cross the threshold into an abandoned home which is thought to contain the vaccine that could save us and possibly prevent the disease from running rampant across the globe.

This experience fully intertwines the game premise with the scenic and puzzle elements throughout for a very successful immersion into the story.

Scenic

Once we find ourselves on our quest to find the vaccine, the scenery tells us that we are certainly in the kitchen of a dilapidated house. Everything around us feels – and seems to smell – old. A window is boarded up with scraps of old wood to keep looters and loiterers out, and age-appropriate kitchen appliances cry for an upgrade. Utensils and dishes are scattered about, just where Grandma surely must have left them after cooking her very last casserole before heading to that great kitchen in the sky. There are items in every corner that we want to inspect, but are hesitant to because of the dust mites and who-knows-what that might be infesting them.

Meanwhile, now that we have discovered and are ransacking the contents of the house, we advance further into another interior chamber, and the mysterious surroundings tell us there are definitely secrets to be found within. A shadowy passageway appears to lead us onward to what we seek, and in the darkness we see something behind a fence that alludes to what very well may happen to us if the vaccine is not administered in time.

The rest of the adventure delivers the appropriate scenery at just the right time. As we inch closer to acquiring the vaccine, the environment around us accurately depicts the clinical setting and laboratory items necessary to develop such a formula. Anyone possessing the correct expertise might find that they are armed with everything they need to stop and create their own vaccine trial. If only they had the time.

Puzzles

A few of the most memorable and fun custom-made puzzles we’ve played are contained in this very game. At one point, we had to coordinate with others to solve a clue that is fairly large, though not overly advanced. It requires teamwork and a little finesse to make sure your progress doesn’t get lost. Another most enjoyable physical task in particular could have posted this disclaimer: Taller guests may not be able to ride this puzzle. Luckily, chances are that most groups will have someone of just the right height to do the challenge. Or, as in our case, we happened to be playing with a group that had school-aged boys and we did not hesitate to put them to work. When one kid tired out, we simply put the next one in. We managed to keep things running smoothly by supervising the progress and shouting an occasional, “This kid’s done. Next kid up!”

The gameplay becomes more advanced as you proceed, and the puzzles align more and more with the storyline along the way. Earlier in the experience, they do not exactly tie-in 100% but are enjoyable enough so that you may not mind. As one would expect when searching for a vaccine, puzzles closer to the conclusion of the game involve elements and items commonly found in a lab developing formulas. It all adds up to a rather enjoyable experience.

Overall

Vaccine’s adventure really is a great room for families or even a group of two paired up with a family. This was one of the relatively few times we’ve played with others and while it usually concerns us not knowing who we’ll be playing with, it proved to be very enjoyable. That said, it would certainly have been enjoyable with just two players and easily winnable in the time allowed.

We have really enjoyed the rooms played at Escape Experience Chattanooga, as they are always satisfying and very aptly done. After learning they have a new room we have yet to play, we are definitely looking forward to heading back to the River City again in order to take it on.