The Escape Hunt Experience Melbourne 2015
Summary: The Escape Hunt Experience in Melbourne is a must place to visit if you're a fan of video games and real-world puzzles! So don't get locked in but escape!
5
True Escapism!
Welcome to one of Melbourne’s most interesting and interactive attractions called The Escape Hunt that is based on those classic point and click computer games of yesterday such as Myth or Gabriel Knight. Unlike using your mouse and computer, the player or players are thrust into a real-world environment as you must use all your skills to solve the puzzles and “escape the room” in the allotted timeframe. The designers of The Escape Hunt Experience ensure that all the clues and items are all available for the players in order to solve the mystery like those classic point and click games. Interestingly enough, the premise behind these “escape rooms” come from Japan where these rooms created these lifelike games in 2007 and as a result of their success, this premise is now worldwide.
So as you put on your detective cap, The Escape Hunt Experience in Melbourne offers players three different rooms with a variety of difficulty levels that include Abduction in the Graveyard (Advanced), Secrets of the Brewery (Intermediate) and The Tram Bomb Heist (Introductory). Each of the rooms also gives the players 60 minutes to “escape” and if you do get stuck, you can press an intercom and ask the facilitators of The Escape Hunt Experience for some clues. Each room is designed for 2 to 5 players and the Melbourne venue has 5 rooms with two of these rooms identical that allows players to challenge their friends in a head to head experience with up to 12 players.
With that said, Impulse Gamer had the opportunity to experience the Abduction in the Graveyard room which is the most advanced room at The Escape Hunt Experience. Before entering the room, players are given a dossier which gives you some background of the current mystery that you are trying to solve. This case involved the missing daughter of a wealthy Melbourne businessman as you as an English detective are supporting the local Victorian police to solve this crime. The clues to the missing daughter lead you to the Grave Keeper’s Cottage and the first thing that you notice about being “locked” in the room is the subtle timer on wall that slowly ticks down your 60-minutes.
Without spoiling the mystery, the room contained a desk with several draws, a piano, a radio, fireplace and a whiteboard to assist the players. As we explored the room, we soon discovered that one of the draws on the desk was open and upon inspection we discovered a key. This key led us to open our first clue and from there, we had to decipher a variety of clues like translating Russian into English and use the piano and the radio to help us give the codes needed to unlock a combination lock. Needless to say, things are not always what they seem and as you delve into the clues, the world of The Escape Hunt Experience really creates this immersive, interactive and thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Team work plays a key component to collecting the clues and working them out if you are to succeed. Even though we failed to solve the whereabouts of the missing socialite in the allotted 60-minutes, we did with some help thanks to the hint system and friendly staff to see the mystery through and who was responsible for this heinous crime. Just like Cluedo, there were quite a few suspects in the case of this missing person and when you do solve a puzzle, the satisfaction level is huge and definitely far superior than solving a clue in a video game because it is real-world.
Final Thoughts?
If you want to try something totally different and love a challenge than I could happily recommend The Escape Hunt Experience to you, your friends and your family. It’s quite exciting as you attempt to solve the mystery, put the puzzles together and work as a team, especially with the looming clock above you. So whether you are trying to solve the Brewery mystery and locate the missing recipe, stop a bomb from going off on a local Melbourne tram or find the missing Melbourne socialite, The Escape Hunt Experience successfully ticks all the right boxes in creating a thoroughly enjoyable and interactive attraction as you get lost in the mystery and clues.
Highly Recommended!
The Escape Hunt Experience
Event: Interactive escape
URL: http://melbourne.escapehunt.com/
Address: 190 Queen Street Melbourne 3000
Costs: From $34pp
Reviewer: Andrew Bistak
About the Author
Andrew Bistak When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.
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