The Escape Game – Search for the Losted Toys

The Escape Game – Search for the Losted Toys
Game Type:  Online Avatar led
Location:  Physical games available in Las Vegas and King of Prussia
Game Date:  11/06/2021
Team:  Amy & Ian
Duration:  60 minutes

Who doesn’t love Rugrats!!
A staple of any 80s/90s kids cartoon rostra, Rugrats is celebrating its 30th birthday this year (boy, that makes me feel old!) The Escape Game (a large america chain, boasting some well respected rooms in the USA, we played The Heist here in 2016) is teaming up with Nickelodeon to produce the world’s only Rugrats themed escape room, a fully realised IP licensed game. The game is only available for a limited time so play it quick!
We were incredibly lucky (and excited) to be invited to the press evening for the game, and what an honour it was, I’d like to extend my thanks to both The Escape Game, and Nickelodeon for inviting us “over” to play! We did get paired with other review sites, I’m sure their reviews will be up shortly, as soon as they are, I’ll link them below, there were a few familiar faces on the zoom call!

Theme:
“Angelica has tricked the babies and hidden all of their bestest toys. But, oh, no! She unwittingly misplaced her beloved Cynthia doll, too! Join Tommy and the gang to track down their most favoritest toys and save playtime! Oh, and you better hurry because it’s a race against the snore. If Grandpa Lou wakes up from his nap and catches you outside the playpen, you’ll be scooped up and toyless – maybe forever!”

Apparently The Search for the Losted Toys uses parts of “The Playground” – something to consider if you have played “The Playground” before.

Our game started off with us watching a “pre-show” video direct from Tommy, Angelica and all the other babies, which set the scene and story for us perfectly (and using the original hand drawn animation style) through the game’s accompanying website. This “dashboard” serves as a complimentary asset to the game itself where you can find high resoloution, 360 views of all the spaces in the game, along with an inventory of items, locks and which toys you have found so far. It worked very well and whilst it was used along-side the game, it didn’t make it the focus, that was still the avatar on site. It served to help us solve puzzles easier!

The room itself looked great, a true recreation of the Pickles’ house with a brilliant sense of immersion (the only thing we though could have made it better is if it was scaled up massive so we felt like babies, but we understand that is impractical!)
It was like walking into a cartoon, the sense of fun, the bright colours and the style made the room almost look 2D, and it was exceptionally right for the tone of Rugrats! I was taken on such a nostalgia trip!
From the Pickles’ house, to the back yard and some other secret areas (don’t want to give too many spoilers away) the room was fully realised, immersive yet there was nothing that could distract players or be considered red herrings.

The space was light, bright and airy and we never had any problems with lighting, even over camera. The room looked fairly large and I would say that 6 would be a comforatble numebr to play in this room (although it could be larger than it appeard on camera!)

There was excellent use of sounds and music throughout, the joy I had when we heard the ” Pa Paaaa” fanfare each time we found a losted toy was just wonderful. The theme was heard too, but the sound level in the room wasn’t too loud (obviously to not overpower the zoom call) but it was there.

There were many, many nods and references to the show itself, with all the characters and other things that I had long forgotten about, it was a constant game of “Memory Unlocked” which was lovely. However, no prior knowledge of the show is needed to play the game.

The Search for the Losted Toys is a visual delight, a nostaglic wonder and a beautiful, charming room.

Here’s the rugrats theme song just…cause I love it so much!

Game Play:
An open game that consisted of an excellent variety of puzzles. Searching, logic, math, word, physical, Aural, Observation, Teamwork. All bases were covered to make a cohesive and well rounded game.
Each and every puzzle was perfectly in theme and used the Rugrats IP to the best of their ability, creating charming puzzles that delighted us from beginning to end.
Logic throughout was excellent, enthusiasts aren’t going to find this the most challenging room in the world, as it is clear it has been designed for families and to fit the theme more than to be a taxing, gruelling escape room but that is great, because it was just so much FUN! There wasn’t a moment of frustration within the game, and wonderful ah-ha moments that just kept coming at every puzzle. There is bound to be something for everyone in this room and we all had our moments to shine within the game owing to the varied and well though out game design.
Signposting was exemplary and steered us throughout the game without being too obvious or clunky.
Flow was great, even though this was a brand new game, it’s clear the designers have experience in creating games as we had no issues with flow and the game just motored along at a steady pace, with it being clear and concise about what our next move was.
There were several moments in the game that would have been SO much fun in person, and these physical aspects were handled very well by the “baby sitter”
Overall, The search of the Losted toys is a puzzled filled, nostalgia trip that will bring up all the feels, engage you with the puzzles and no disappoint. It’s just so much FUN, even through a screen. We would have LOVED to have played this in person! Enthusiasts will like the smart puzzles, Families will love the inclusivity, it’s an all round cracker of a game!

Clue System:
Clues came subtly through our host (more below) and can be outwardly asked for if needed.

Game Host:
Justin was our host and he was fantastic, friendly and enthusiastic throughout and excellent at breaking the ice with our team and getting us all involved and chatting. Whilst we didn’t ask for any outright clues, Justin and our avatar (The Babysitter) were both excellent at gently steering our team in the right direction without being to obvious about it! Perfection in hosting for the online games. In a different style to other online games we have played, Justin stayed visable at all times and gave us time updates and progress reports throughout our game, and he looked invested and interested in our game at all times! You can tell they have honed their craft well and have an intricate knowledge of the game, and how online games should be managed.

Connection and Video:
Both Connection and Video were strong at all times, the picture quality was excellent and video was stable and didn’t create and motion sickness.

Did we escape?
Yes, in 42 minutes

Website:  https://theescapegame.com/rugrats/
Price:
Online: $35 per person
Physical: Bookings begin June 14th