Location: Online Only
Game Date: 04/01/2021
Team: Amy, Ian, Gord, Liz, Charlie & James
Duration: 90 minutes
We were kindly invited by Gord and Liz to join them in the number 1 rated online escape room, Pursuit of the Assassin Artist. Joined by Charlie and James of Deadlocked Fame (check our our reviews here, here, and here ) we assembled our super-team and joined the zoom call to California!
Theme:
“Introducing our new live online escape room! In Pursuit of the Assassin Artist, you will be teaming up with a secret agent to discover the secrets of the world-famous modern artist. You’ll be able to play in an escape room from the comfort of your own home. Team up with your friends and hop on Zoom to engage in a thrilling story, be able to navigate through an actual room, and control the actions of a live host. Is your team clever enough to take down the Assassin Artist?”
On first looks Pursuit of the Assassin Artist is fairly plain, however it is immersive. The set was kept simple, designed for on camera use, but it still looked great. The set was everything you would expect the home of an artist to be, with a few added surprises. Where PotAA shined so bright was in its 2 actors, who through their comedy, acting and improve skills, they brought the game entirely to life and made what could be a simple game into a fully immersive and incredibly enjoyable experience.
PotAA makes excellent use of a mechanic that could ONLY be done in an online escape room, if you want spoilers highlight the text below:
PotAA makes use of a mechanic very similar to “I expect you to die” wherein your avatar can die, well, WILL die and what you learn from each death will aide you to progress and complete the room. This is a work of genius and is what makes PotAA such a fantastic and unique game
PotAA is one of those special rooms that is far greater than the sum of its parts, everything about it is excellent, yet when it all comes together it creates a magic that is hard to capture.
Game Play:
A multi linear game that has space for many different routes, paths and interactions. Puzzles were not the main focus of PotAA, but what puzzles were included were there to support and further the incredible story and dynamic between the Artist, Ourselves and our Avatar. It was the perfect mix of both puzzles, story and theatre.
The game has 2 end goals, and both must be achieved to win the game, and this is cleverly done with many twists, turns and exciting moments we would never have dreamed would happen in an online game!
Puzzles were logical, smart and entirely solvable, and all beautifully on theme. They had a good range, word, logic, observation, code breaking. The ah-ha moments were exemplary, and always made the whole team grin when we solved the puzzle in hand.
Teamwork was fostered well in PotAA, and it was these moments of teamwork that highlighted the excellent theatrical skills of the actors within the game.
Signposting in the game was wonderful, with subtle hints steering us through the game without ever being intrusive.
Flow was wonderful, and even with the unique mechanic utlisied in the game it still kept pace, excitment and tension throughout.
PotAA is the ultimate mix of puzzles, story and theatrics which all mesh together to create a memorable experience that is truely unique.
Clue System:
Clues were very cleverly worked into the game by our avatar
Game Host:
Our Avatar “Agent Sierra” was fantastic, in both hosting and fully immersing himself and us in the world of the game.
Connection & Game Additions:
Connection was excellent at all times, and the picture was clear and steady. The game was accompanied by and inventory system, with clear 360 views and pictures of anything we needed a closer look at
Did we escape?
Yes, we managed our mission!
Website: https://omescape.us/sanjose/online-games/
Price:
Flat fee of $179 for 2-8 players
Brit of an Escape Habit 