Being Mystified takes on a Houdini air
Mystic — Escape room adventures have been a trend on the West Coast and in Europe for a while now, but eastern Connecticut's first such entertainment enterprise opened just last week near McQuade's Marketplace in a space formerly occupied by West Marine.
Mystified, as the adventure enterprise has been named, involves two challenges — "Treasure Island" and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" — that require up to 10 players at a time to find hidden objects, search for clues, break codes and open locks to finally escape from a series of rooms.
A third, more modern-themed adventure will likely open as a yet-to-be named new challenge in October.
"It makes you think out of the box," said Shelly Wilson, owner of Mystified along with husband Brian, as she gave a tour of the 2,700-square-foot space.
Players working together have an hour to make their escape. In a series of test runs, no one has been able to escape from "Under the Sea" while a couple of teams have managed the complexity of the "Island" in which finding a treasure is the main goal.
Wilson said both games are a real challenge, requiring full participation from a team as items need to be found and clues deciphered. But the games are winnable, and Wilson said she is hoping players will be successful about 20 percent of the time — enough of a challenge to make it difficult, but not so difficult that people will think they have no chance.
"We want it to be a fun experience," Wilson said. "We started with two themes that matched our local area and its seafaring history."
Games, which run $28 for adults and $23 for youths and seniors, are introduced by hosts in Victorian steampunk outfits, many of whom have acting backgrounds. The scenario and rules are explained, but then players are on their own, with the ability to ask for as many as three hints during the course of their play.
"It's a lot of math and logic," Wilson said. "It makes you think out of the box."
Each of the rooms has three sections to get through. Numbers can be seen on the walls, but other clues are not so obvious, requiring participants to thoroughly scour the rooms, Wilson said.
"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" starts with each player tied up in a prison cell on the Nautilus. The idea is to figure out from numbers on the wall how to unlock the cell door.
Nemo's office, which like all the rooms was set up and arranged by Wilson and her husband, is larger, with some scientific equipment lying about.
"This room is full of puzzles, keys and codes," said Wilson, a Waterford resident.
Most of the clues mean something, she added.
"There are not too many red herrings," she said.
Games are recommended for people age 10 and older, and are often run for birthday or bachelorette parties. The twentysomething and thirtysomething crowd particularly seems to enjoy the escape adventures, said Wilson, adding that it can be an enjoyable release for those capping a night after having a few drinks with friends.
According to a June article in MarketWatch, there were about 2,800 escape-room venues worldwide last year.
The adventures began in Japan, quickly migrating to California as entrepreneurs rode the wave of escape-room video games and multiplayer role-playing games. Wilson said there are at least a half dozen escape rooms in the Boston area, and games have opened as well in college towns around Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Small businesses and corporations like to sponsor escape games as a bonding experience for employees as well as an interesting experiment in finding hidden leadership skills.
"These games can reveal some personality traits," Wilson said. "Personality traits come out under stress and pressure."
People who successfully complete a game will get 10 percent off their next game, she added. She expects to rotate games every nine to 12 months.
Wilson said there is nothing scary about the experience.
"You're not really locked in; you can always get out of the room," she said. "We don't turn out the lights."
Wilson said she has been marketing the idea to local hoteliers, who seem to like it. She expects at some point to work out package deals with other businesses in the area, and said she believes the Mystic location will be perfect for marketing to tourists — especially since games run from the afternoon until late at night, a time when other attractions have wrapped up their days.
"It's good for a lot of laughs," she said. "The office will be talking about it for days."
What: Mystified escape games
Where: 14 Clara Drive, Mystic
Who: Shelly Wilson, owner
Open: 2:30 to 10:30 p.m. most days
Phone: 860-694-9070
Info: info@mystifiedct.com
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