Unescapable: Tommy

With Unescapable’s other game we swapped the ghostly frights of Edith for a First World War trench in Tommy. They again provided a much more entertaining and immerse start to the game than simply stepping through a doorway. The room looks great, with good props enhanced by skilful use of lighting and audio, and once again the environment turned out to be more complicated and interesting than a simple square room or two.

Your mission is to go through a time portal to 1917 for a quick five-minute check, which almost certainly won’t run into any complications such as, say, a portal malfunction. Clues are given if necessary by walkie-talkie, which (as the operators explain with a knowing wink) fortunately works across the time gulf.

Like its sibling game at Unescapable, Tommy emphasises atmosphere, story and immersive dynamics over puzzle content. The style of puzzles here are still quite physical, though there’s (appropriately) more code-cracking and abstract logic than in Edith. But it’s as much a themed team adventure as it is a mental challenge. That’s not intended as a criticism, the ways in which it approached immersive theatre (though with no actors other than the players themselves) were some of the most fun and memorable elements of the game.

Of the two Unescapable games, I personally found Edith the more unique and interesting; but Tommy also does an excellent job of showcasing the venue’s strengths, and anyone nervous about scare games would be better off trying this one first. It’s entertaining and theatrical, and though light on puzzles its content is solid quality with some particularly creative moments, and managed to provide sufficient challenge to keep us happy.