October 06

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De Code Adventures

Posted by on October 6, 2014 in West | Leave a comment

De Code Adventures is located out in Mississauga, and has been running since February.  The place has consistent orange, and black paint throughout the complex, and you are greeted by an army of orange t-shirted front staff (armed with tablets for waivers).  When you’re done, they take you to their boardgame area where they offer food, drinks and friendly people to help you select and learn to play boardgames.

Rooms: 5
Reviewed rooms:  De Scientific Code, De Triad Code, Ancient Mysteries, Board.Game Adventure

Creativity and Design (aka its Fancy level): – Was it inventive ? Did it fit the theme?
Score : 5.0 of 5.0

The backstory for De Scientific Code is that you are doing a ‘lab escape’.  If you’ve been through high school chemistry (which was a lifetime away for me) you’ll recognize your fair share of test tubes, beakers and various lab ‘fun fun fun’ equipment.  So the look and feel and the items in the room, gave it a lab feel.

There were elements of the room that were substituted with a black tape on the wall in the outline of an object (like a cabinet), but because the room was predominately white and black (even the books), it still worked and everything still felt uniform.

I think the only thing missing were uncomfortable lab stools and glassware, but i’m definitely not complaining (especially since i’m prone to falling and breaking glassware).

De Triad code, you are infiltrating a smuggling ring and trying to find evidence that points to the ‘bad guys’.  The room is your typical office with 2 very nifty tricks that we have seen in two other rooms.

Update – May 20,2015
Ancient Mysteries puts you in a campsite and the decor is by far the most impressive of all the rooms, without giving away too much you are in a campsite, with all the fixings.

The Board Game Adventure, does have the boardgame vibe.  Its definitely a fun and colourful take on a unique theme.

Bells and Whistles: Was it just lockboxes throughout the Room?
Score: 3.5 of 5.0

We didn’t experience any eye opening cool Bells and Whistles with De Scientific Code, but it was a very solid experience.  They weren’t afraid to use electronic locks, and warned us ahead of time of their use/misuse.  The usage of the items in the room (and because they tied closely with the theme) definitely earns them points

De Triad Code has 2 very interesting elements that aren’t technological but definitely earn them points in creativity.

Update – May 20,2015
Ancient Mysteries lends itself to tech that would be limited to a campsite, which the gamemaster were creative to implement.

Board Game Adventure falls short on having any tech, but tries to playfully use the theme to tie into ‘how the game is played’

Intuitive (aka Frustration Level):  Was it solvable? or Did you have to be inside the creators mind to solve it?
Score: 4.5 of 5.0

Even on a sluggish, slow, sunday, we were able to get to the final puzzle with no problems.  The gamemaster pointed out and clarified a typical red herring right off the bat (which was much appreciated) and we were on our way.

The puzzles weren’t immediately obvious, but definitely solvable without assistance.  Even though we went with the guided experience, we didn’t feel we needed it.

With De Triad code, we blew right by it, only asking for a single hint, it seemed very linear but does require some good ‘investigators’ and people who can sift through data.  If anything the final puzzle stumped us but would be relatively easy to figure out (if you were on that train of thought).

Update – May 20,2015
Both Ancient Mysteries and Board Game Adventure are fairly linear in design with only minor leaps in logic, but De Code overall has solid puzzle design with the clues that are infront of you.  If there is anything we had to knock it would be the 45 minute limit where a 60 minutes might be better suited to finish the rooms.

Staff Support/Price : Were they friendly? Were they helpful? What was the Damage?
Score: 5.0 of 5.0

As of today their customer service is the best we’ve experienced.  Even though they had an army of people working (in orange and black uniforms), our gamemaster was with us from the point we paid and until we left.  Everyone was friendly, courteous, and looked like they enjoyed working there.   We had a consistently solid experience.

The current price is $29.99 , if you check in via facebook they will take off 30% and another 5% for booking online (with a deposit) and another 5% for large groups (6 or more).  Definitely on the higher side, but if you take into account the discounts, its mid-range.

Overall:  Hands down the most professional and most accommodating Room Escape’s we’ve been to in the GTA.  Whoever is in their marketing, sales and management teams needs to give themselves a raise, because they are doing a phenomenal job.  We are already planning for another visit, and hope to try a ‘cooler’ room in hopes they are our top GTA place.

For more information check out:

http://www.decodecanada.com/
6620 Kitimat Road, Unit 4
Mississauga, ON L5N 2B8
905-858-2633