I’ve already written about my experience with the Locksmith’s Workbench (their tutorial game) and not much else needs to be said about the lead up to our visit back to the Seminole Towne Center Mall. We were still in close contact with Amir, Iris and Stephany. In fact, after wearing out our toddler son to My Little Town (shameless plug) indoor playground in the mall, I would always make the extra trip from Macy’s to Dillard’s and just say “hey” to these guys, to see how they were doing.
Well the day came, the timing was right and I had already been quite impressed (and completely humbled) by their tutorial game. Now it was time for the full 60 minutes.
A side note, I was lucky enough to meet the gentlemen of Partly Wicked (enthusiasts/reviewers), while waiting for our game to be set up. Two of the nicest and most genuine dudes.
Venue: Locksmith Escape Games
Location: 102 Towne Center Circle, Sanford, FL 32771 (next to Dillards on first floor)
Website: https://www.locksmithescapegames.com/
Cost Per Person: $30.00 per player
Game: The Curse of the Evil Genie
Difficulty: 2 out of 5 (per players’ perception)
Room Capacity: 2-8 allowed; 3 to 4 players seemed very optimal
Played By: John, Brian and Sarah
Game Duration: 60 Minutes
Type: Mostly Mechanical
Rooms at Venue: Currently 2 Rooms with 2 more on the way
Rooms Completed: 61
I want to be careful about how I say this. “The Curse of the Evil Genie” can also be played at another venue in Canada. However, let me be blunt and clear: I do not rate rooms on HOW they got there. I do NOT judge the Locksmith’s on this decision. Our rating system is based on how much fun we had and why.
Now that THAT cat is out of the bag (or the genie is out of its lamp), it’s time to focus on what’s really important and clearly that is the game itself.
The story was again, quite unique to us. You and your friends have been misfortunate enough to be trapped inside of the lamp of the evil genie, Asmodeus (I almost wrote Amadeus…that could’ve been bad) . Unfortunately, the only way to break this curse and set your group free is by granting this genie’s one wish by finding his 10 favorite tales from the Tales of the Thousand and One Nights (also known as Arabian Nights). Easy enough right? Just find ten…ya know…6 per minute on average.
But we were up for the challenge. We weren’t really sure what the inside of a genie’s lamp looked like and quite honestly, it seemed a bit too nice and comfortable for the guy above. Furniture, maps, and pictures made up for a hospitable experience.
Upon being allowed to begin our search for the tales, our group entered the classic discovery phase; that is, we spent time dismantling (without damaging anything) the environment in search for clues, as there was no extremely obvious starting point (which was a good thing).
Once the initial discovery phase was over, there was (from what we remember) maybe one or two beginning routes to take, but they eventually led to the same place and from there on out, the room was fairly linear.
What I loved about The Curse of the Evil Genie, compared to other rooms we have played, is you literally have a bench mark that gives your team an indication on how much you have left (if I have obtained 5 of the 10 tales, I’m most likely about 50% complete). If you’re like me, someone who likes to complete the mission/story, this is a major bonus.
The room itself is very puzzle heavy and aside from finding the genie’s favorite tales, the story doesn’t progress much. This isn’t a bad thing; at least not to us, however, we felt like it was something worth mentioning. Also, the puzzles came in a wide variety: from literal, physical puzzles, to play on words and one notable puzzle that stuck out to me.
I had seen this particular puzzle that makes good use of one of your five senses (not your eyes) in another venue, however, the difference here is there was absolutely NO mistaking what you were searching-erm, smelling for. I thought this was done very well and in the most sanitary possible way, if comparing to the other venue that had a similar puzzle.
Another positive was the kinetic sand. I’ll leave it at that. I’m sure the game masters slapped their foreheads when I mentioned to Brian and Sarah that they can continue playing while I mess with the kinetic sand.
To the dismay of Asmodeus though, our group was very successful in finding his ten favorite tales and subsequently breaking his curse/escaping his lamp.. We did so with over 20 minutes left in the game.
I realize some of this may have come off as neutral and/or boring, however The Curse of the Evil Genie is a very fun game. It may not have had elements that were ground breaking but the puzzles were fun and various, the game flow never came to a halt, nothing was tedious or felt like a time sink and the secret reveal in that room caught us all off guard. To top that off, the game masters and owners of this venue are not only super attentive and fun, but awesome people over all.
As stated before, we all had fun even though we may have breezed through the genie’s trials. We were able to provide some constructive feedback regarding what could be a simple fix to exposed hardware. I personally love having a venue close that is suitable for all types of players.
Ratings:
Sarah – 7.5
Brian – 7.56 (don’t ask)
John – 7
All of these ratings indicate a good-to-great experience. The experience itself (along with Partly Wicked raving about how good the other rooms are) left us wanting more and until we make our way back, we can only recommend heading up to Sanford to play these games.
We want to once again thank the Locksmith’s (Amir, Iris and Stephany) for not only hosting us but for assisting with a birthday surprise for one of our teammates. Hospitality goes a LONG way!
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