Escape Reviewer

Creativity: ✭✭✭✭✩ 4.0

     Novel: 4.0

     Comprehension: 4.5

     Surprises: 3.5

Puzzles: ✭✭✭✭✬ 4.3

     Challenge: 4.5

     Logic: 4.0

     Abstract: 4.5

Mutiny at The Hour is a fun 60-minute, multi-room escape that takes place aboard a ship overrun by pirates! The theme is very unique and provides a fresh spin on the escape room formula. It's apparent that The Hour put a lot of time and effort into trying to create an immersive experience of being on a pirate ship. Although not movie-level quality, the decorations are well put together with an impressively constructed upper deck area. To begin the escape, we entered through a curtain which seemed a little out of place and in need of more detailing. The staff mentioned to us that this is going to be changed in the near future into a more thematic opening. The features were nice with one of the most interesting surprises occurring while transitioning between two of the ship's rooms. I don't want to say too much about this to avoid spoiling it for others, but hands-on obstacles were a bit more prevalent during this escape than others.

 

The puzzles found in Mutiny at The Hour were all fun to solve, with some being more unique than others. I found the hands-on puzzles to be the most exciting, with my favourite being the way to transition across the rooms. It really made us feel that we were on the pirate ship, escaping in ways that you'd only be able to do in that situation. Puzzles were comprehensive involving aspects of the entire escape and the difficulty level seemed appropriate. There weren't too many "wow factor" moments, but everything was still an enjoyable experience. We had an issue with one of the puzzle mechanics not working quite as intended, whereby it allowed us to access the solution without actually solving it properly. Another puzzle near the end may be easier to solve with a little bit of prior knowledge, but with a bit of time most people should be able to get through it. We provided some suggestions to the friendly staff at The Hour, and they seemed genuinely interested in improving the escape for future players.

 

Overall, Mutiny at The Hour is a fantastic room escape with some great ideas and immersive themes. Although there were a few minor hiccups along the way, it's definitively an above average experience. Mutiny solidifies The Hour as a smart and creative up-and-coming escape company, and I look forward to playing more escapes from them in the future!

Reviewed by Mitch on August 25, 2015