Chinatown bomber – Escaparium

Played on May 20th 2024 by:

Chinatown Bomber was the last room we played that evening at Escaparium in Montreal. In this scenario, twelve years ago, you helped put a dangerous murderer behind bars, and he has never forgotten. You have been out of action ever since, but now he has chosen you to take part in his deadly game. Somewhere deep in the slums of New York City, a missile is hidden and only minutes away from launching. He has left behind a series of clues, challenging you to stop him in time. Will you outsmart him, or will the consequences be catastrophic? We liked the scenario because it is well detailed, realistic, and has a clear goal.

The decor was visually beautiful, though we felt the quality and level of realism varied throughout the experience. The first few rooms looked great, with strong attention to detail and some nice design touches. However, the later rooms felt more basic and somewhat empty, with fewer accessories and less visual interest. Despite this, everything was well maintained, and the transition between the first two rooms was especially unique and memorable. We also appreciated that the game master introduced the story before the game began and that there was music playing throughout, which helped maintain the atmosphere.

The puzzles were fun to solve and were connected to the theme and story. The room relied mostly on traditional locks, with a few automated mechanisms and manipulation games. The experience was non-linear, allowing us to work on multiple puzzles at the same time, which kept us engaged. We found the puzzles to be quite challenging, especially the final one. That said, it was our last game of the day and quite late, so fatigue may have played a role. The variety was great, and there were several clever ideas throughout. Hints were provided via walkie-talkie and worked well.

Overall, we enjoyed the room, mainly because of the strong puzzle design, though we felt the decor could be improved in the later sections. It is a family-friendly experience that is best suited for smaller groups of two to three players. We were happy with our performance, completing the room with time to spare and using only one hint. A fun and satisfying escape!

: Yes

Andrea