Cave Escape – Monuments

Cave Escape – Monuments
Location: Nottingham
Game Date: 29/12/2018
Team: Amy & Ian

Theme:
“MONUMENTS is based on the true story of the brave and relentless Monuments Men and Women of World War II. Full of unique puzzles, twists and turns, your mission is to repatriate the plunder that was stolen from private collections, museums and galleries and hidden in secret underground depositories, unknown to the allied forces. Some of the greatest treasures on Earth, historical and religious artefacts, gold and innumerable works of art of inestimable value must be recovered and returned to their rightful homes.”

Monuments uses the real cave setting to its advantage, and it looks great, a realistic depiction of the salt mines in Austria, with just enough stuff to give a high level of immersion yet never too much to be off putting. The space feels real, lived in, used. Going deeper into the game further brings together the story cohesively and the immersion never lets up in this room, the attention to detail is fantastic.
The space is large, and although there are some dark moments this never impacted on gameplay, and torches are provided.

Game Play:
A game that weaves its way cleverly through linear and open moments. With the linear moments being at crucial points in the game used to further the narrative.
A smart game, with puzzles inclusive of codebreaking, observation, communication, logic, searching, & word.
Each and every puzzle is intrinsic to the theme, set and narrative and never ever strays from this path. The logic behind the puzzles is impeccable and there is no margin for ambiguity. Whilst this is a difficult game (especially for 2 players) the difficulty is never illogical or unfair. This is a true test of wits, produced in a flawless way.
Signposting was perfect, subtle, yet clear. This is a room that makes you work hard, but it is so satisfying when solved. There were no faults in the gameplay whatsoever.
Flow was excellent, with moments of fury, moments of peace and everything in between it was a real rollercoaster that at all moments felt natural and not prescribed.
A true gem, this room will put most teams through their paces in the most exquisite way, and there is no doubt that you will come out feeling very satisfied and smart!
However, I would recommend getting a few rooms under your belt before tackling this room!

Clue System:
Clues were sent via a telephone, and one other method, which I feel is a lovely surprise so I shall not spoil it!

Game Host:
Nick was our game host and was great, delivering a good brief (tailored to our experience!) and excellent clues throughout the hour.

Did we escape?
Yes, in 59 minutes and 57 seconds, quite probably our closest ever!

Website: https://www.caveescape.co.uk
Price:
Off-Peak/Peak
3 Players £60/75
4 Players £74/90
5 Players £87.50/105
6 Players £102/120