Review: The Final Door

RATING: 5 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: +00:23*

Leave the turtlenecks at home and get ready to be bitten by a monster good escape room.

Story

A wealthy nobleman has contracted your team of monster hunters to take care of a big problem he has with his newly inherited castle. Unfortunately, it seems he’s unable to move in since an extremely powerful and ancient vampyr has taken up residence inside! It is up to you to break into the castle and find out where the fiend is currently hiding while he sleeps. Once you do, make sure to destroy him before the sun sets, or it’s lights out for you in more ways than one!

Our team of expert supernatural exterminators have been called up to bat – pun intended – for an epic battle to rid the castle of its unwanted guest: the ancient vampyr. We must locate and raid the creature’s lair to finish him off before darkness descends and brings certain death to us and our fellow hunters.

This game best exemplifies what it means to wholly and masterfully immerse players in the story. We’re talking a full-on, perfect recipe of pre-game elements, character actors, breathtaking and creative touches, seamless and faultless gameplay and what-more-can-they-possibly-do-to-bring-us-joy kind of immersion.

Scenic

From the get-go, this experience fully immerses us into its world. Before we’re even physically in the first chamber, the story begins and draws us deep into our exciting mission. Like the captivating tale that unfolded before we even expected it to, the scenic component begins outside the “castle” walls. The intro spiel itself is so cleverly woven into the story and handled in such a pleasantly fresh manner, that we cannot help but to be enjoying ourselves before our quest has even truly begun.

Upon entering, the décor reflects much thought, research, and a skilled eye for detail. Beautiful drapes are suspended overhead, and wall tapestries help evoke the old age and flavor of the castle.

The scenery is spot-on in every inch of this experience, including when the mood is set early on through an interaction with a very talented and convincing character actor who helps us find our way to the castle. Once engrossed within the gameplay, there are many delightful, imaginative touches that constantly accompany us along our journey.

The genuineness and inventive execution is upheld throughout the entire game and is truly a most enjoyable and magical experience to behold.

Puzzles

While relaxing in the lobby, our monster-hunting adventure was off to an exciting, unexpected start when we were suddenly handed a piece of old parchment. This handoff was accompanied by four simple words: your game starts now. With our minds racing to acknowledge the fact that we hadn’t even watched an intro video yet, the pressure was on to follow the parchment’s instructions and find our way to the first part of the game, where a few well-executed and unique experiences awaited us.

Throughout the gameplay, we were in a constant state of satisfaction as we were presented with some of the most unique and creative puzzles we’ve encountered, all perfectly tied into the story. Players will want to employ all of their senses to fully savor the expert immersion of this experience. The level of imagination and ingenuity that went into the challenges along the way are truly something to drink in. Even the means for obtaining clues is incredibly creative and out of the box – or should we say coffin.

This extraordinary adventure uses very authentic and nicely integrated tech, intermingled with appropriately themed set pieces. True to the execution of the scenery, the challenges within the experience mirror the exquisite quality and storyworld of the castle chambers. We had the opportunity to enjoy and interact with the beautifully designed puzzles as we made our way through a realistic layout that is literally and figuratively woven into the story itself.

Another physical challenge presents a fun element of teamwork. Players will need to practice patience and utilize good communication to accomplish this task in order to progress deeper into the game. Additionally, the inclusion of personalized clues reflecting the present player roster is a truly nice touch.

Again and again throughout the adventure, the scenery and puzzles stay true to the story, building the level of excitement and enjoyment. By the time we found ourselves drawing near the completion of our mission and felt that the gameplay could not possibly get any better, we found that this masterful room had even more creative surprises in store. In order to experience all of the exceptional moments this adventure offers, we needed to solve a path all the way to one of the most exciting and daring conclusions we’ve seen.

Overall

Simply put, The Vampyr is pure magic! We honestly had more fun playing this room and at this venue than we have in a very long time. By the end, we were so fully invested in the story and our mission that we were out of breath from the pure excitement and pleasure of the experience.

All of the Final Door’s offerings have a tilt toward the horror genre, but don’t let that scare you away! Give it a try, and we promise you’ll live – and won’t regret taking a bite out of this room.