A real quest of escape

Kamala Mills in Lower Parel is brimming with restaurants and bars. The minute one shuts down, another one, fancier than the last one, pops up to replace it. In this crowded space of gastronomic luxury, potent liquor and chic wine opens a new adventure spot — The Amazing Escape.

Spread over a huge space in the basement, The Amazing Escape is a thrilling mystery, which incorporates themes of murder, robbery, fantasy and more. The adventure game is the real life equivalent of a quest we often fantasise about. The game includes being locked in a themed room with clues hidden all over that need to be deciphered by a group of four to eight members. Teams have an hour to find these clues, decipher them, link them appropriately and escape the room. Once in the room, the timer begins the countdown and, if and when you feel like you’re stuck without any prospect of moving forward, there is a ‘help’ buzzer that you can turn to.

The Amazing Escape interestingly offers seven different mysteries to choose from. The admission, however, often depends on the number of members in a team. While the Evil Lucy mystery (one we were told is the scariest) admits only four members; Escape the Tomb can be played by a team of eight members. Other options one can choose from are the Bank Heist, The Lost Kingdom, Illuminati Prison Break, and Metro Bomb Defusal.

After much discussion, we, a team of six people, opted for Escape The Tomb. This game, we were told, is one of their most popular mysteries and is just the right option for a team of six.

The Quest
We were directed to a small room and were given the basic instructions. When stuck, we were told that we could ask for help through the buzzer — however, every call for help would deduct a minute from our time. The team from the Amazing Escape monitors the activity in these game rooms, and if they feel you are moving in the wrong direction or stuck, would come in to help you.

The room was shut and the countdown started. We were a mess throughout the game. The clues are often hidden in obscure places with the clues leading to the next stage very vague. The game required deciphering clues quickly and connecting the dots even quicker — one where we couldn’t go ahead with because most of the team was playing a quest for the very first time. And as a result, we just happened to get stuck more often than we would have liked to.

Vicky, our game helper and our knight in shining armour, was more than happy to walk in and direct us rightly. Even when we were past our three chances at hints, he would be our saving grace.

Once we successfully, albeit with lots of help, moved to the next room, we had yet another bunch of clues to decipher. This time it was quicker because we had an understanding of how the game moved ahead. This led us to the final room and we were left with barely eight minutes to crack this level and get done. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish the level in time and finally clocked our game to 62 minutes.

The Verdict
If you are playing the game for the very first time, it will feel extremely confusing. Since the clues are spread all over, one doesn’t know where to look and this, combined with the pressure of finishing the game within an hour, makes the game difficult. However, on the brighter side, it is a great team-building exercise. Go with your colleagues or estranged friends, and even if you fail to finish the game in time, you will walk out with a fun experience.

At The Amazing Escape, Kamala Mills, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel
Contact 9004242044
Entry: Rs 3,600 for a team of four on the weekend