Games in Athens by The Paradox Project
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If you enjoyed the first Paradox Project game then this is more of the same but better! Less space is used in some amazingly creative ways, some great transitions and a stronger sense of the unfolding story. This fixes all of the criticisms I had of the first one but I would urge caution taking a large group, I would recommend 3-4 to get the most enjoyment out, very much worth your time.
A lot been written about the Paradox Project, but this is not your normal escape room, this is an escape apartment with multiple rooms, secret rooms, and a lot of puzzles to solve in the 3.5 hours you have. They lay on refreshments and there is a toilet you can use. Thematically it's a strong story of trust and betrayal over a seemingly cursed diamond, the "bitter truth". You initially only have access to a couple of rooms and then others open up, with a large group this is great as you can go at the rooms without falling over yourselves, when other rooms open up you then get filtered down to a stream, I think the ideal number to tackle this is probably around 4. As an experience it's not without flaws but the scope and scale warrant your attention.
Wow this game is simply epic in scale, but not only that it is also of a fantastically high quality.
To give an idea of the scale - they give you 200 minutes, yes 3 hours & 20 minutes!! It can best be described as 6 different rooms that you have to work your way through, and each of them is about the size of a normal British room, with nearly as much to do in each one as well. It is such a long game that they even build in a break half way through and they provide drinks and cookies to revive you.
The only thing which came close in UK was Lance of Longinus at Time Run, with its multiple rooms, but this is much bigger still, as it should be for something lasting 3 times as long.
One of the strengths of this game I felt was the distinct lack of padlocks. A large proportion of the game was solved through physically doing something - and amazingly they all worked, and only one of them was a bit slow to recognise our correct answer. To have such a variety of puzzles is truly incredible and this game will live a very long time in the memory.
Equally memorable was the way you get from one space to the next, I wont spoil the surprise but prepare to be amazed!
Our host spoke great English and the game is fully compatible for English speakers. The only slight downside is you have to get a bus or taxi from the centre for 10 minutes to get there.
If you are Athens I highly recommend you find the time to play this game.