Home Escape Game Review Generation Gap – Revenge of the Sheep @ clueQuest, London
Generation Gap – Revenge of the Sheep @ clueQuest, London
Mark February 16, 2017 February 16, 2017 Escape Game Review
This review of Revenge of the Sheep was based on a visit from April 2016.
…and Bill from Escape Dunedin, the world's most southerly escape game!
What comes after puzzles, theming and story? That's open to interpretation. The theoretical 'fourth generation' is about somehow going beyond the normal definition/expectation of an escape game. It's a very exclusive club at the moment: Time Run, Bad Clown, Extremescape, and now Revenge of the Sheep, clueQuest's third room:
Professor BlackSheep is back again to destroy mankind as we know it by turning us all into sheep! And this time he is not alone – he's got an evil side-kick and together they have built a dangerous device: the SheepMutator.
Mr Q believes that the new technology used by the Professor poses a serious threat: by mutating the human genome, the SheepMutator can turn anyone who is in the range on its evil rays into a placid sheep! To make matters worse, the Professor has managed to set up several such devices in key locations around the planet – one of them having been set up right here, in London.
Agents, you will have 60 Minutes to locate and find a way to deactivate these devices before they go online and it's too late for mankind!
Similar to their previous room you start in a quite small, not immediately remarkable space. But there are hints there of what's to come. It isn't just random objects lying around; everything there is custom built, made exactly for the purpose it performs. This allows puzzles to work exactly as you would want them too, rather than forcing stuff to fit. This space is challenging and fun, and then you open the door…
The only way I can describe what comes next is like a child coming down stairs on Christmas morning. Everything is incredible and exciting and wondrous. Normally I'd shy away from such hyperbole so as not to set expectations too high, but I refuse to believe anyone couldn't be blown away. Their take on 'going beyond the norm' is to create a playroom for escape enthusiasts. And it's not just at a visual level; the puzzles and tasks you are set are unlike anything I've played elsewhere.
I guess a couple of words of caution so I don't get too carried away. The theming is quite abstract. You're not in an office or even a specific place. You're in a space that represents various parts of your mission, which is quite unusual and worked for me, but may not suit everyone. There was also one puzzle that really slowed us down as it was incredibly difficult and a bit tedious without a pen and paper.
But that is really nitpicking. I had a fantastic time in the room for 59:51. Yes, really. Another new record for closest call. And that last minute was the most exhilarating time I've ever had in an escape game. clueQuest's last offering was perhaps the best 'normal' room I've played. This one is up there as one of the best rooms of any type I've played.
Don't believe me? Read what The Logic Escapes Me had to say.
5/5 difficulty, clueQuest, Escape Dunedin, Exit Games Scotland, London. Bookmark.
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