I Get a Strange Magic

We didn’t know what to expect. I mean when I think of high quality venues, Clermont, FL, in the heart of Lake County, wasn’t exactly where I’d point to on a map.

It also is worth mentioning that there had been a venue that I had been in contact with that all of a sudden disappeared off of the face of the map and social media. Here one day, gone the next. That didn’t bode well for my gut feeling.

But alas, being part of the enthusiast social media group on Facebook does provide some perks, aside from seeing the same three venues being recommended every time someone asks about Central Florida (and believe me, they’re all worth it, however, it makes me question my desire to continue following that group).

One day though, appearing out of thin air, a group member who has played more games than I, suggested “Strange Magic” at Mind Masters…yet another new venue out in Clermont. My curiosity got the best of me. What else should I be doing on a Thursday night other than driving 40 miles to check out a room?

Tucked in a stand-alone building, combined with a Dentist Office, Mind Masters is modest in appearance. But don't let that deter you from experience the magic that these game designers have bestowed upon Central Florida.

Venue: Mind Masters

Location: 1453 E. Highway 50, Clermont, FL 34711

​Website: http://www.mindmasterscc.com/

Cost Per Person: $32.00 per player

Game: Strange Magic

Difficulty: 3 out of 5 (per players’ perception)

Room Capacity: 2-6 allowed; 3 to 4 players seemed very optimal

Played By: John, Brian and Sarah

Game Duration: 60 Minutes

Type: Completely Automated with Some Mechanical Aspects

Rooms at Venue: Currently 1 Room with 2 more on the way

Rooms Completed: 65

What was Strange Magic about?

J: Agents are hired by Mind Masters to warp to Grigori the Great’s Dressing Room. Grigori hasn’t been doing the type of 1980s magic with super models and great hair. He’s not really into street magic either. Grigori has other plans…strange, sinister plans.

While performing his show, unbeknownst to his audience, Grigori is, with the aid of a cryptic object, stealing their life force. From show to show, unsuspecting members of the audience arrive alive and leave, well, without their souls…or do they even leave at all?

As agents, you have exactly one hour, while Grigori is performing his hour long routine to search his dressing room, take on the charms and curses that consume this room and find the object of interest, while safely returning it to Headquarters. If unsuccessful, your souls are on the line.

Was there a stand out moment or puzzle?

J: What wasn’t a stand out moment? Simple in nature, the room packed a much much larger punch than initially thought. Aside from some shipping boxes, some furniture and a tv, the room didn’t appear to offer much.

Agents quickly discover though, that Grigori really has put a lot of effort into protecting his secret object.

As enthusiasts we started noticing actions and sequences that, well, really defied anything we thought we had seen before in escape rooms. It was, a lot like, magic. Strange. Questions like “how did those get here?” and “do you want to do this instead of me, since I got to do the last cool thing?” started escaping our lips.

As we journeyed further into story, we continued to be surprised and amazed by what was taking place around us. Things that we expected to behave one way, completely and totally behaved in another.

The stand out moments came when we were continuously fooled by the illusions that we would discover or open an item one way and having each of those sequences operate in a completely different and magical way.

The three of us (John, Brian and Sarah) wore our smiles almost entirely throughout the experience and THAT is saying something.

What type of audience is this experience geared towards?

J: Strange Magic is geared for all ages. What’s nice about this venue is that they WANT you to see the story through. Yes, of course they want your business, but they are most definitely NOT a cash grab.

How do they ensure you see the story through? Unlimited hints. However, this is countered by the fact that your team is given a score at the end of the game and the amount of hints is undoubtedly a factor in your score. The other factors, I’m not exactly sure.

On top of that, there are no scares or adult themes. We would definitely recommend this for younger players as well. Some of the actions and sequences that are necessary to advance in this experience, we believe, may be easier to come to for younger kids with wilder imaginations.

Did the flow of the game stay true to the story?

J: Absolutely. Everything in that room either had to do with magic or behaved like magic.

We have done several rooms that we would consider 10 out of 10s in ranking, but even in those games, there were some puzzles that either felt somewhat time consuming or just a little out of place (for the sake of being there). I didn’t feel that in this room. It all felt like it was part of Grigori’s world of Strange Magic.

Much of this room is action driven; it is up to the agents/players to learn how or what action needs to be taken. Also, you will not find a numerical or alphabetical mechanical lock anywhere in this room. I hesitate to say there are no mechanical locks, but really, you have to experience this room to understand why.

If at all, what recommendations about any aspect could have improved the experience?

J: Do I sound like I’m gushing? That’s because I am. I have nothing to say or no constructive criticism for the crew at Mind Masters. This is because, to this date, as I’m writing this, Strange Magic is the most fun and creative escape room experience I have ever played.

It wasn’t just the theme. It wasn’t just the magical events that blew our minds for 47 minutes. Come to find out, there are many easter eggs and knick knacks throughout the room.

Do yourself a favor and if you have time, talk to James and/or Pam about everything that is hidden in plain view in this room. Your mind will, once again, be blown.

The attention to detail in this room cannot be given justice by what I write here. To bring it back to the actual room, the goal, once finding the soul-stealing item, was to place it in a scanning device to ensure that the correct item was obtained. We later discovered that the scanner will scan and properly identify more than just that object. Yes, we’ve never seen anything like that in a room before.

In conclusion, it comes as no surprise that we are rating Strange Magic a 10 out of 10. A highly enjoyable experience with a wide range of puzzle types, actions and moments of awe, we could not recommend this short journey west of Orlando, enough to new comers and enthusiasts a like. We feel like this is what games strive to be and it’s a damn shame we have to wait for room two at this venue (and I mean that in the most positive way).

I would go back just to watch guests play this game and to see their reactions (I was told this might actually be an option in the future for paying guests). Hell, I would go back and pay to play the room again.

The entire 40 mile trek back to my house was spent talking out loud about what had just been experienced.