November 03

Tags

Trapped

Posted by on November 3, 2014 in Markham | 3 Comments

Trapped is located uptown in Markham on Highway 7,  not to be confused with “Trapped!” located downtown.  They just opened and definitely have a lot of competition in the area (ESC-IT, Xscaper Arts, Mr. Escape all within a 5 minute drive).  They offer a few new and interesting ideas.  They have a membership which rewards you (the more you play) which includes: an unlockable room, discounts, drinks and to participate in their ‘annual’ event (which sounds like a scavenger hunt around the city).

We contacted them before their opening and they said that they were in the production and planning phases for 10 months, and even hired a interior designer from Osaka to help them with their themes.  But how does that translate to the quality of the experience?

Rooms: 5 (but only 4 available for now, one needs to be ‘unlocked’)
Reviewed rooms:  The Ancient Pyramid, Death Note, Medieval Prison, Contaminated Hospital.

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

When we first called they recommended that the Ancient Pyramid was their room to try.  Of all the Egyptian Themed rooms we have done,  I would have to say Ancient Pyramid is one of , if not the best.  You won’t find little dollar store items here, but instead a variety of trinklets and … i’ll say Heavy Objects throughout the room.  Just a tip, don’t wear your favourite shoes, because there is quite a bit of sand in the room (which they give you little booties-slips to wear)

Death Note is based off the anime/mange of the same name.  None of our group had watched it before and we asked the staff if we needed to know.  Apparently a group of 6 did finish the room without any prior knowledge so we jumped in.  The room mimics the main character’s bedroom in the anime (and after some research on my part) it has most of the major elements (tv, computer, lots of books) and two very cool components.  But again, without watching the anime, it was hard to appreciate it as that character’s bedroom and not just a bedroom.  (SIDENOTE: they were playing music from the anime in the background).

High marks for Medieval Prison which they apparently added real hay, which even caused one of our players to start coughing.  It does feel like a dungeon and the furniture fits that era.

Contaminated Hospital isn’t as elaborate as the other rooms, but gets points for the details they added.

This makes us eager and interested to checkout their Medieval Prison and Contaminated Hospital.

Bells and Whistles: Was it just lockboxes throughout the Room?
Score: 4.0 of 5.0

The Ancient Pyramid incorporates a number of nifty technological locks/releases that we have seen in other places, but if this is your first time experiencing them, they are very cool and rewarding.  They seemed to tie together well with the theme and with the lockboxes, so we don’t have any complaints.  We only had a hiccup with the end puzzle release (very minor, but someone managed to unlock it without assistance), but experienced something similar at another complex as well.

Death Note was also well done.  They make use of their technology, however there was a bit a a fumble with one component (that wasn’t technological but important to the room), but it seems the operations team is already investigating into it.  Again there are 2 things that i’m sure I would appreciate more if I was a fan of the anime, but were pretty cool nonetheless.

Medieval Prison doesn’t have anything particularily fancy, but to be fair it wouldn’t suit the theme.

Contaminated Hospital also falls short on using some potentially cool Bells and Whistles, but instead opts for simple.


Intuitive (aka Frustration Level):  Was it solvable? or Did you have to be inside the creators mind to solve it?
Score: 4.0 of 5.0

The first puzzle on the Ancient Pyramid was a bit confusing for us as we got caught up with the Too-Much-Info-Not-Enough-Direction loop and needed to use our first clue.  But once we got past that we flew by (until the final lock).  Overall I wouldn’t say Ancient Pyramid was too complicated, but its important to listen to the advice of the gamemasters ahead of time.

Before going into Death Note we were warned that we might find it harder without any knowledge of the anime.  They weren’t kidding.  After sleeping on it, Death Note definitely isn’t impossible, but much harder without some background in the anime.  We hit the Too-Much-Info-Not-Enough-Direction loop in Death Note as well.

Medieval Prison and Contaminated hospital both have their slight issues.  But it seems that the staff are already planning one making changes to those rooms.

Staff Support/Price : Were they friendly? Were they helpful? What was the Damage?
Score: 4.5 of 5.0

The staff was friendly, prompt and even remembered our faces (after having a jam-packed weekend).  There is plenty of parking (which not all places can boast), although we found their lobby/waiting area to be a bit cramped at times.  Even though we didn’t hit the recommended points, they offered us drinks before/after the sessions and were eager to hear some feedback.  We have contacted the Operations team about our experiences and they promptly setup a meeting to discuss some of our findings.

Their current price is $28 per person or $25.20/Person with their membership card that’s free if you like/share their page.  Its definitely on the higher side for the area, but with the membership come the discount perks.  Although in the bigger picture this would only be beneficial if they upgrade/change their rooms over time (which we hope to see).

Overall:  Trapped has potential to be one of the greats in the city.  I would already say they are one of the better locations in the Markham area, and I look forward to reviewing their final room.

For more information check out:
http://www.trappedtoronto.com/
3130 Hwy 7 East.
Markham, ON L3R 5A1
905-940-6500