Lancaster Escape – Fun at the Fair

Lancaster Escape – Fun at the Fair.
Location: Lancaster
Game Date: 28/01/2017.
Team: Amy & Ian

Theme:
“A new fair is in town, but amongst the hook-a-duck and fortune tellers there is something strange going on. People have been disappearing, and you’ve stepped into the big top at the wrong time. Can you get out of the tent before you meet the same fate as those who have gone before……?”

Theming was OK, there were all the items you’d expect from a funfair, Shooting galleries, fortune tellers, hook a duck and the like. The space itself was great, in the attic of the building with a decidedly abandoned feel to it. The space was large and could easily accommodate the max group size. With a light and airy feel, immersion was a bit lacking but there certainly was a feel of fun fair about the room, there was music playing which did help with the atmosphere. One fun aspect was the game being split over 2 levels, which kept you active throughout the game

Game Play:
A linear game that kept its puzzles mainly on theme, puzzles were mainly observational with the nice addition of a shooting gallery to round off the game’s physical quota.
The puzzles were fairly logical, and after the stumbling block of the first puzzle (which could have easily been skipped to someone more eagle-eyed than us) we found that solutions came quickly and padlocks fell open.
The flow was O.K.,  A little stuttery in places of ambiguity within the puzzles, but nothing a change of thought process couldn’t solve.
The room was a little light on content, and we felt that there were a few too many distractions (for a team of 2, there are games that would entertain a bigger group) and even a couple of red-herrings that we actively solved but lead no-where.
Overall a non-frustrating room that enthusiasts will fly through and newbies may enjoy the extra games.

Clue System:
Clues were delivered on request via a walkie talkie

Game Host:
Unlike me, I forgot to get our game host’s names! But it was the owner and (i think) his daughter, they were very friendly and accommodating. Giving good hints when we needed them

Did we escape?
Yes, in 36 minutes with 1 hint

Website: https://lancasterescape.co.uk
Price:
2 Players £40
3 Players £57
4 Players £72
5 Players £85
6-8 Players £95