When we first heard about A Knight to Escape, we didn’t dare take on the challenge. We have obviously played some rather difficult games along with some games that just didn’t make any sense at all. However, neither of these descriptions completely fit the bill of A Knight to Escape.
Aside from truly being the first medieval era game we have encountered, A Knight to Escape, could take you, what would feel, a portion of the night…to escape…bad…attempt. Ok, without any further cheese, this game has a TWO hour time limit. That’s right…120 minutes of searching, deciphering, deducing, manipulating, communicating, sweating, asking for hints, etc. etc.
The game plan was to try to get some lengthier games under our belts, prior to this visit…not that one really NEEDED to build up their stamina for an escape game…it just seemed like a lot to jump from an hour to a TWO hour game. Aside from playing a 75 minute room (at that venue) and two, 90 minute rooms (one also at this venue…notice a theme?), we prepped by playing the other three, available rooms at this venue.
I’ll be honest: They’re all different. And even more so, there really isn’t a game that we had played, thus far, that prepared us for the dynamic that we were about to encounter.
Venue: The Escape Effect
Location: 11701 International Dr. Orlando, FL 32821
Website: https://www.theescapeeffect.com/
Cost Per Person: $54.99 per player (see game duration for explanation on cost)
Game: A Knight to Escape
Difficulty: 4.5 out of 5 (per players’ perception)
Room Capacity: 4 to 8 players; 4 was absolutely mandatory and felt optimal
Played By: John, Brian, Nicole and Sarah
Game Duration: 2 Hours (you read that correctly)
Type: Mix of mechanical and automated
Rooms at Venue: Currently 4 Rooms with another on the way
Rooms Completed: 71
I won’t go too much into the storyline, as from what I can recall, there are some lengthier, middle English-like names involved; medieval.
Long story short, there are two brothers with claims to the throne of a kingdom. In order to ensure his reign, the bad brother has imprisoned the good brother, deep within the confines of his castle’s dungeon. Good thing you’re a supporter of the good brother; in an attempt to remove the bad brother from office – erm, remove him from the throne, you and your merry friends are going to attempt to free the true king and his followers, from their shackles. But don’t delay; any futile attempt will result in YOUR imprisonment and a life time of torture.
Of course, the website has a much more beautiful video/narrative that does wayyy better than me in explaining the story of Cassius (bad brother) and Dominic (good brother).
Where the video introduction ends, the game begins…that is, one group of followers are in a dungeon and the other group are in the castle’s courtyard.
That’s right; your group is split up. Not only that, the split stays true to the story in that you are all follower’s of Dominic; it’s just that some of you have already been captured and the others had not yet been captured and are looking to set the rest free.
Although I had no say in where me and Nicole ended up, by Dominic’s grace, we started our rescue attempt in the well-lit courtyard. Sarah and Brian had already been sentenced to never see the light of day, again…and to be quite honest, we could barely see them through our small window into the dungeon.
I really can’t put my finger on it at a micro level, but on a much more macro/grand scale, we really felt like we had stepped into another world. I’m sure that was truly felt by the captives, but even the music, the mood, the lighting, the smell and the décor of the courtyard, transported us from International Drive to medieval Britain.
And so with that, The Escape Effect smartly and appropriately ventured away from the use of Master Lock brand locks and provided quite a variety of lock and key barriers as well as some home made designed locks that fit with the era.
Without giving away too much of the story, as you can imagine, a two hour room doesn’t just contain itself to a courtyard. The rest of the adventure took the players further and further into the castle for the rescue attempt. Some places have a knack for putting an emphasis on detail in the first room, while letting ensuing chambers/rooms quality diminish. This wasn’t the case for a Knight to Escape; not even remotely.
The quest itself (like a split design should) required an immense amount of communication. This isn’t a spoiler…it really is what it is. Not only was communication absolutely required between captives and liberators, but within each group of captives and liberators as well.
A Knight to Escape does an immaculate job of requiring communication that not only makes sense in a split-game scenario, but makes relying on each group truly important. Sometimes, just describing what you see or feel (if it’s dark) could make a difference in solving a puzzle.
And these aren’t just any puzzles; these were some of the most complex (if not the most) set of puzzles that we have ever encountered in a room. Thankfully, the puzzles were all in theme and all complimented the setting in which we were in (with respect to each room).
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure there is a single red herring in the room. A Knight to Escape makes use of damn near everything you encounter, even if not at first.
Before polishing off this brief review of the longest room we’ve played, I’ll talk about two slight negatives (truly doesn’t take away from the game, but it did make us either pause or question the logic):
1) There was a very physical puzzle that sort of broke standard escape game rules. Obviously this rule wasn’t mentioned in the introduction video and it wasn’t the deviation from norm that threw us off here. In fact, we enjoy breaking the mold-type puzzles. It was just that this task was incredibly difficult for us, without the use of other equipment in the vicinity…the only issue was being scolded over the use of said equipment.
2) The final action to be taken in the room AFTER solving the final puzzle, really didn’t have a place in the setting; as in, the action and mechanics used really weren’t from the medieval era…at least not that I can think of.
Neither of these take way from the awesomeness that is a Knight to Escape. Remember when I showed that four players was the minimum? Most split games can get away with two; however, unless you are a sorcerer/sorceress (and we’re all knights here), there is one puzzle that demands four people. This was truly unique and I loved the build up and pay off of this particular puzzle.
Another puzzle in the experience that stood out, occurred deeper into the castle, where only teams with great communication and a sharp eye would pass this test. It was multi-step (as in at least 3 subsequent steps prior to the main task) and definitely made sense. The kicker in this one is that the group who would have the “ah ha” moment, would be the one telling the other group what they needed to do. And yet again, the “ah ha” group wouldn’t even know it, unless there was good communication coming from the other group.
Prior to reunification, there is another task that is just kind of fun and completely physical. It starts in one room and ends in the other. It definitely is not mentally exhausting but it is clever and fun and we loved it.
After reunifying, the major (yes, multi-step) final puzzle had been culminating and building within the confines of the dungeon through the entire game. I’m can’t exactly recall, but a certain action triggers another sequence back in the main courtyard, which sets the tone for the rest of the final puzzle.
Players must use clear communication, while still in separate rooms. Players must guide their teammates and can do so in either the dungeon or the courtyard. There are benefits to either side. Once everything is set in place, there is a definite, overwhelming ah ha moment as to what must be done. Although the already mentioned final task seemed a bit out of place, it does not take away from the creativity, originality and the complexity of the puzzle.
So what can be said about a Knight to Escape? The common thread here is complexity and teamwork. The two themes, combined, make for an awesome and exhausting experience. We can’t think of another experience, to date, that remotely resembles that of a Knight to Escape (and we mean that in an extremely good way) and for that, we applaud the games designers and builders.
We actually have enjoyed all of the existing four games at the Escape Effect and while we all have our own favorite (prior to this experience) we feel like they are honing their craft, with experience. We’ve heard some faint rumblings of a future room, like none other, and we can’t wait.
We highly recommend A Knight to Escape for enthusiasts and those who are really good at solving puzzles.