Time Trap – Pudding Lane
Location: Reading
Game Date: 26/08/2020
Team: Amy & Ian
Duration: 60 minutes
Theme:
“It’s Tuesday 4th September 1666 and The Great Fire of London has been burning for two days. Order has begun to break down and chaos is threatening to erupt – fuelled by the rumours that the fire was started on purpose… Londoners are blaming every stranger that crosses their path. Is it another attack in the long running feud with the Catholics? A retaliation in the war with the Dutch? Or was it just an accident?
Only one man knows the truth about how the fire started, and that man is Thomas Farriner, a baker from Pudding Lane, from whose bakery the first flames appeared on September 2nd… But with his house and, in fact, his entire street long destroyed, Farriner and his three children have fled to safety at the house of his brother David, on Mincing Lane.
Meanwhile, a Frenchman by the name of Robert Hubert has been arrested on suspicion of starting the fire. If found guilty, he will hang, and although he doesn’t seem in his right mind, and his story doesn’t add up, the authorities want someone to blame and are ignoring their suspicions that he is innocent.
In order to set things straight and stop London collapsing into paranoid anarchy, Thomas Farriner must be convinced to deliver a statement describing what really happened on the night of September 2nd through the door of the nearest church. But first, someone must brave the fiery streets and dastardly challenges in order to find him… The question then is, what will he decide to say? The fate of London awaits…”
Pudding Lane is pretty, very pretty. The attention to detail in the room is fantastic and the finish of the set is immaculate, which creates a great sense of immersion. Props and set pieces felt authentic and the addition of a subtle soundscape really help set the scene.
The transition from “present” to “past” has to be mentioned, as some subtle theming took what could be a plain door way to a new level!
Story telling was good throughout the room and the use of visual and audio experiences only served to enchance the story.
The room wasn’t huge, and there were a couple smaller spaces that would onlt accomdate 2 or so players, but this is cleverly designed into the gameplay so that it’s never a problem. Lighting was good, yet atmospheric.
Game Play:
A multi-linear game. That had a delectable assortment of puzzles, visual, codebreaking, word, logic, teamwork, physical and a small amount of searching. With the game leaning more towards the logic and word end of the scale (so I was happy!) but truly a gret mix of puzzles, ensuring that there will be something for everyone in this room.
Puzzles were nicely on theme, interactive and all felt like they really came from the space rather than puzzles that sat on top of the theme.
Logic was paramount in these puzzles, and the ah-ha moments were forthcoming, engaging and delightful.
A very busy room, that had great flow, there were no sticky or slow points and the puzzles ran beautifully from one to the next
Signposting was in theme, yet not overly directive.
A great game that whilst it would be a BIG game for beginners, it’s outstanding logic and smart puzzles will aid first timers, and enthrall enthusiasts.
Clue System:
Clues were delivered via Samuel Peep’s diary
Game Host:
Scott was our game host and gave us a friendly welcome, and a great brief. But where he really shone was his game hosting, perfectly timed clues and whilst we did encounter a small technical issue, his professionalism meant that it did not effect our game in any way. He delt with it with excellence.
Covid19 Safety:
We felt very safe at Time Trap, the premises was clean, toilets were spotless and masks were required at all times.
Did we escape?
Yes, in 53 minutes
Website: https://www.timetrapescaperooms.com
Price:
2 Players £60
3 Players £75
4 Players £100
5 Players £115
6 Players £138
