Compendium – Bedlam

Compendium – Bedlam
Location: Bury
Game Date: 23/08/2019
Team: Amy & Ian

Theme:
“BENTHAM ASYLUM HAS BEEN STANDING SINCE THE 1900’S. IN 1950 BENTHAM WAS GIVEN THE NICKNAME BEDLAM BECAUSE OF THE EVENTS THAT HAPPENED IN THOSE 50 YEARS AND IN 1974 CELL P23 WAS MYSTERIOUSLY LOCKED WITHOUT AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY. BEDLAM HAS SECRETS THAT NEED TO BE UNCOVERED. YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE TOP JOURNALISTS AND EXPERTS IN YOUR FEILD, YOU HAVE BEEN TASKED WITH UNCOVERING THE SECRETS THAT ARE HELD BEHIND CELL P23’S WALLS. CAN YOU GO UNDERCOVER, GET IN THE CELL UNDETECTED AND ESCAPE WITH THE DOCUMENTS THAT WILL UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF BEDLAM?”

Bedlam looked good, whilst not the most expansive room, the space is used very creatively, and the gameplay style made the space seem larger than what it was.
A fully immersive environment, that captured the stereotypical style of an “asylum”
The decoration was completed to a high standard, and there was nothing within the decoration that would mislead or distract the players. For the most part it was clean and simple, but effective.
The lighting was never an issue and torches were provided within the room.

Game Play:
A game that felt fairly linear, with a good variation in the puzzle design. Logic, observation, codebreaking, searching, teamwork & physical.
Puzzles were all nicely on theme, and had good ah-ha moments, there was an excellent sense of discovery within the room, with new areas and exciting moments popping up throughout the game and during the puzzles.
The logic within the game was excellent, with there being no leaps of logic required and the answers were clear and concise. Each puzzle gave a crystal clear answer and it was always clear as to where the answer was to be inputted.
There is a clever twist within Bedlam which will really pit teams against each other, create tension and is bound to cause some (good) arguments!
The signposting was good, with enough to guide you but never more than what was needed.
Flow was exceptional, we always felt like we were pushing forward through the room, and sticky moments or slowdowns were due to our failings and not the room.
A good room that will surely please all players.

Clue System:
Clues were delivered via a telephone!

Game Host:
Alex was our game host and was warm and friendly as ever. He ran our game with excellence dropping in nudges at exactly the right time

Did we escape?
Yes, in around 45 minutes.

Website: https://www.compendiumbury.co.uk/
Price:
2 Players £39
3 Players £55
4 Players £70
5 Players £80
6 Players £90