May 04

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Escape Manor – The Extraction

Posted by on May 4, 2016 in Ottawa | Leave a comment

Escape Manor Hintonburg is located in the trendy area of Ottawa of the same name (Hintonburg).  It was the first room of our Ottawa trip and we were eager to revisit.  If you don’t already know, Escape Manor Hintonburg is basically version 2.0 of Claustrophobia with an Escape Manor branding.  Walking into the lobby we immediately saw the nicely styled lobby that we praised in their Queen St location.  We were greeted by GM Matt, our two random teammates and they took us to our room.


Creativity and Design (aka its Fancy level): – Was it inventive ? Did it fit the theme?
Score : 3.0 of 5.0

Long short story, you are on your way back from a mission and waiting for an extraction by helicopter.  The set design felt bare for the quality we’ve come to expect with Escape Manor rooms.  There were some quality props, but overall it didn’t feel like a bunker or military institution.

Bells and Whistles: Was it just lockboxes throughout the Room?
Score:  3.0 of 5.0

There was an interesting room mechanic that we felt could have been implemented better, or even removed.  This mechanic doesn’t add to an immersive factor nor does it help support the puzzles, so it feels left in for the sakes of something ‘cool’.  Otherwise the room had some interesting tidbits, but overall it was an average room.

Intuitive (aka Frustration Level):  Did you have to be in the designers mind to escape?
Score:  3.0 of 5.0

The hint system continues the Escape Manor tradition of finding your walkie-talkie before asking for a hint.  You are allowed 1 hint (before it isn’t counted as a win), but for this room we needed quite a few.  There were a few puzzles that required more direction as we were scrambling to find the appropriate lock.  We struggled to find a particular object which ultimately cost us the game.  I would recommend this room for 4 tight-knit enthusiasts to do,  6 people might feel crowded.

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

Gamemaster Matt was great to chat with.  You can tell he loves working at Escape Manor and was very honest with his answers.  It seems Diefenbunker (the escape that takes places in a museum) is booked until Nov 2016 and there are no future slots at this time (but a 400 person wait list).

The price is $20.00 (plus tax) / person and they run on a ticket system (which means that you can potentially play with randoms).  You definitely have to book at least a week in advance or be prepared to play at obscure hours.

Overall: The Extraction is an average room for what we consider a top-end brand in the Ottawa region (based on our experiences with the Asylum and the Darkness).  We hope to see some better rooms at Hintonburg in the future.

For more information check out:

http://www.escapemanor.com/
Ottawa, ON