This game felt very homemade, but not in a charming or intentionally rustic way. It came across more as if little thought or care had been given to the overall appearance of the room. Most of the attention seemed to have gone into the puzzles, and even those were not particularly impressive.
The room itself was dirty, with paint splatters across the floor. Items that were not meant to be moved were attached with Velcro rather than being properly fixed to the walls or applied using something more suitable like transferable vinyl. Everything was laminated, which made the design feel cheap and uninspired. The ending was underwhelming, and several puzzles did not flow well or make much sense in terms of what we were meant to be doing or why.
There were cobwebs throughout, and the space was generally dull and uninviting to be in. Visual elements like character portraits could have been presented with more impact, framed in gold and given an effect to make them look hand painted, for example.
It was also easy to spot remnants from the previous game that once occupied the room, which further undermined the experience. The finale felt flat and unexciting. Even the basics, like the way shelves had been cut and put together, appeared rushed and poorly finished. With some poor signposting along the way.
Overall, the room was boring, messy and lacking in any real atmosphere or coherent theme. It felt like a collection of ideas thrown together without any real polish or purpose. This was especially disappointing as the owner spoke so confidently about other games he played, which raised our expectations. One entire room felt completely unnecessary and added nothing to the experience.
It desperately needs more attention, care and effort. Sadly, I cannot give it a higher rating when even the most basic standard of cleanliness was not met.
I've added .5 to the rating as the customer service was friendly, and there was no reset errors within the game.
75 mins
