Eclipse Escape (Gold Coast, Australia)
Time limit: 60 mins
Age limit: None (spooky atmosphere; occult themes; live actor - can opt out)
Player limit: 2-8 (recommended 2-6)
Difficulty: Medium OR Advanced (can choose)
Date visited: July 2024
After really enjoying The Magic Moonstone, we returned to Eclipse the very next day after visiting Warner Bros’ Movie World to experience the darker, creepier Blackwood Manor, this time with J’s best friend, whose family was also visiting from Sydney.
In short, Blackwood Manor is amazing, the exact kind of escape room I was hoping to experience — atmospheric, immersive, creepy, but not too scary for the kids. One of the best parts about the room is that you can choose whether or not to have a live actor, which — from what we understand after speaking with the GM after the game — does not have much of an impact on the overall experience. The other thing that stands out is that the room is intentionally dark, and players have to navigate the entire experience with little flashlights, which you can also opt out and have them brighten the room, but my strong recommendation is to stick with the flashlights because they really add to the atmosphere and immersion.
The puzzles in Blackwood Manor are cool and fit with the theming and story very well, all the way up to the satisfying conclusion. There was only one puzzle that tripped us up a little bit, but it was largely because J had removed an item from its rightful place when we first got into the room, causing us to not make the connection until we were given a hint from the GM. As with Magic Moonstone, there is fair bit of tech in Blackwood Manor, although it is also very well concealed. There are a couple of puzzles we thought must have been manually activated by the GM, but we found out later that it was entirely automated by technology, which really impressed us.
The only downside of Blackwood Manor I can think of is that it’s not for people who aren’t fans of occult themes and related scares. E really did not want to do the room when she found out it contains a ouija board, though I managed to convince her by reminding her that it’s just a puzzle prop and not a real one. Still, I don’t think she enjoyed the room nearly as much as we did, as evidenced by her rating. For the rest of the family, this was a top-notch escape experience.
Escape time: 51 out of 60 minutes
Rating: 8.375
Player | Theming | Atmosphere | Puzzles | Creativity | Fun | Average |
H | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.6 |
E | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7.4 |
Z | 8.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
J | 9.5 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 9 |
Rating | 8.375 |
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