Breakout Chester – Vacancy. Game Date 17/11/2016. Team: Amy & Ian
I had originally wanted to play Vacancy, as I knew it was a clone of the room in Manchester, in which we quite frankly had a rubbish time! You can read about that here, if you haven’t already!
I knew deep down that this was a room I would enjoy, but harboured resentment for how the game went at Manchester, so I asked Mike if we could stay on to play Vacany (to put my demons to bed) and he was kind enough to let us play.
Theme:
“Exhausted after a long journey, you place your bag down on the freshly made bed, ready to relax. Suddenly, an ominous sixty minute countdown begins. No matter what you try, the door will not open. Welcome to the Crimson Lake Motel. You check in, but you NEVER check out…”
Theming in this room was great, it really has a creepy vibe, with chintzy wallpaper and an ominous wardrobe looming over you at all times, the setting was a bit cramped, which lead to a great sense of urgency about getting out of there! Everything fitted in with the theming of the room, it was all very cohesive! (and no working toilet this time, which was a bonus!) This room felt like one of the more immersive breakout games we’ve done, with little touches around the room really adding to the experience
Game Play:
The puzzles were exactly the same as the Manchester room, so we did have a head start in that department.
I will stand by what I said in the first review of this room and say there still is no in-between with Vacancy’s puzzles, they’re either tricky or simple. That being said, one of the puzzles in Chester’s version has been made less ambiguous, which was very much welcomed!
Overall the room seemed more well organised with relation to props and puzzles, with there being a slightly better set up perhaps, or maybe just the game being slicker now it’s in a new place. We enjoyed this room and thankfully didn’t get stressed out at all!
Clue System:
Clues were delivered via a screen in the room with an appropriate sound.
Game Host:
Mike was our game host again, and read our game very well, we only got 1 clue throughout (quite rightly so as well) he well and truly discovered our weakness of “searching” as this was what our 1 and only clue referenced too! (again he delivered at the perfect time, when we were just starting to panic over a key lol)
Did we escape?
Yes, I didn’t notice our time, although I feel it was pretty quick!
Website: http://breakoutchester.com/
Price:
2 Players £34
3 Players £42
4 Players £52
5 Players £60
We can’t wait for Breakout Chester’s next room! If you’re ever visiting Chester give them a whirl! Lovely venue, slick games and very convenient!