11th Hour Escape -Criminal Record

11th Hour Escape – Criminal Record
Location: Chippenham, Wiltshire
Team: Amy & Ian
Duration: 60 Minutes

Theme:
“A murder mystery!
In our last room The Exit Visa Crisis, the band Exit Visa were missing, presumed dead, but it turned out that they’d faked their deaths to make their new album sales sky rocket.
Happily for you as super fans of the band, they didn’t die in the reported plane crash, and they indeed live to fight another day…..literally !
‘Pete’, the bass player of Exit Visa was found dead at the band’s HQ. The authorities have not yet found the culprit, but have narrowed it down to 5 suspects.
Police received a call from, they believe, Pete on the morning of 1st September, stating he was extremely concerned for his safety, and that he thought he was going to be killed that day. The police quickly arrived at the band’s HQ worried for Pete’s welfare. They discovered Pete’s body.
It appears that Pete knew someone wanted to kill him and he has left a number of clues to help Police find the murderer. But they are missing something they think the fans might pick up on….
Can you help them solve the murder?”

If you’ve played “The Exit Visa Crisis” Then this room will look familiar to you, 11th hour have taken the space and rejigged it, giving it a fresh new feel.
The room is spacious and well lit, and is themed well, with everything being spot on for the music studio theme, which is accentuated by the decor (which aids immersion but never affects gameplay)
A clean and airy space which delivers on theme and packs a punch with immersion.

Game Play:
A fairly linear game, that has a plethora of great puzzles, aural, word, searching, observation, logic, most bases were covered.
Now, I am not usually the biggest fan of “murder mystery” type games, but the way in which “Criminal Record” handled this aspect was exemplary, clear and concise with not a jot of ambiguity. The whole game led up to the final revelation of the culprit, and there was no doubting who did it, a masterclass in how the murder mystery genre should be designed in a time-limited escape room setting.
All the puzzles were impeccibley on theme, and had wonderful ah-ha moments, with clear logic and satisfying puzzling.
Signposting was spot on, enough to steer, but not overtake the game and all wonderfully in theme.
Flow was slick, with there being a clear understanding of our next move and seamless transitions between puzzles. An all-round joy to play.

Clue System:
Clues were delivered via a screen

Game Host:
Tim & Lizzie were our game hosts, and owners. It was wonderful to see them again. They were warm, friendly and funny as we had come to expect!
Tim delivered a fantastic brief (where his acting background shines!) and we really felt ready for the story ahead of us! Clues were delivered with impeccable timing.

Covid19 Safety:
11th hour escapes take their covid safety incredible seriously, masks were worn by everyone at all times, and hand santizer was freely available. Rooms are throroughly cleaned inbetween groups.

Did we escape?
Yes, in arpund 45 minutes

Website: https://11thhourescaperooms.co.uk
Price:
2 Players £40
3 Players £60
4 Players £80
5 Players £100
6 Players £120