Escape Reviewer

It is admirable that Origin Room Break is trying some new ideas with Case Book. As their expert level room, teams are given 90 minutes to complete this mission instead of the standard 60. In addition, teams that solve the murder receive a prize. Those that can get out in under 30 minutes receive a full refund. The room is made up of two small connected areas that were possibly once separated by a gate based on some damaged wood in the middle. The decor lacks detail to give any true sense of immersion of being in a hotel room. The puzzles themselves range from almost unbelievably easy, to massively convoluted. One of the most labyrinthine puzzles has your group deciphering a 4 digit combination. To discover two of the four numbers requires a large number of steps to solve, including some lucky guessing, and hefty leaps of logic. The third digit is shockingly simple, and the fourth number is just pure guess-work. Also, for the first time ever, I felt not being able to read Japanese was a huge disadvantage to my team. The room also has a number of annoying red herrings. In our opinion, the answer of solving the murderer made absolutely no sense. I truly appreciate what Origin Room Break was going for with this room. Elite level rooms with cool unique prizes is a fantastic idea. Maybe with some tweaks this room could become more playable. Until then, we simply can not recommend this room.

Reviewed by Evan on May 6, 2015