July 06

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The Crux Escape Rooms – The Voodoo Room

Posted by on July 6, 2016 in Hamilton | Leave a comment

The Crux is located in a strip plaza in Hamilton.  It was our second escape of the day with our friends Errol, Manda and our special guest.  The 3 of them played Aunt Edna’s Condo earlier in the day, which definitely built up their anticipation for the Voodoo room.  The lobby has a few large tables where you can play boardgames, a pringles machine and a very large cage (which we found out is their charity-based escape “The Kennel”).

Creativity and Design (aka its Fancy level): – Was it inventive ? Did it fit the theme?
Score : 4.0 of 5.0

Right off the bat, we noticed the set design is well suited for the theme.  There are wood panels on the walls and the lighting is set ‘just right’.  We felt there could have been more props, but in a puzzle point of view this was appreciated  (more props = red herrings, in most cases).  If we had to nit-pick, there was one ‘tech’ component that took away from leaving you fully immersed (as well as some minor building related things they didn’t/couldn’t hide).  But overall they did a good job.

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

The room did not have much tech to show.  The tech that was included in the room focused on storytelling more so than puzzles and played it safe.  There was one combination of tech that left us wondering if it was necessary, but it didn’t affect our game experience.    Thankfully there were no issues, but there also wasn’t much to see in a tech lovers point of view.

Intuitive (aka Frustration Level):  Did you have to be in the designers mind to escape?
Score:  4.0 of 5.0

The puzzles didn’t require any logical leaps, and we were able to escape within a reasonable amount of time.  The room could have provided more direction, because in a few cases we had a 4-digit code, but no clue which 4-digit lock to unlock.  At one point in the room you are also required to reuse a clue, which may create rabbit trails with some groups.

The hint system involved waving infront of the security camera or flipping a sign, which calls in the GM to give you the clue.  We had no issue with this.

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

The staff at The Crux were a great and friendly bunch.  Errol and our guest decided to also try “the Kennel” and got out with a minute to spare.

The price varies with how large your group is (more people = cheaper).  In our case we paid $22.00 / person (5 adults) which is comparable with their nearest neighbours.

Overall: The Voodoo room (for a small-town escape) has an impressive set design and the puzzles show polish (but with a few tweaks it could be even better).  We’ll definitely be back to try their other rooms.

For more information check out:

http://www.thecrux.ca/
Hamilton, Ontario