Game time: ~90 minutes
Ages: 13+
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Awards: Golden Lock Award - Best Online Escape Room (2022), Scare Con - Best Virtual Experience (2022)
Date played: January 2025
[Note: This game can only be played once, so once you complete it, you cannot share the game code for anyone else to complete it.]
We've been wanting to play an online escape room for a while, and one company that kept popping up as one of the best was Wolf Escape Games. We got a two-game bundle while it was on special (AU$60), and the kids played it during the school holidays while the adults were busy. They both logged in on separate devices and competed to see who could finish the game first. Afterwards, I made Z (age 13 at the time) write the review. Here it is!
Hallows Hill is a virtual escape room created by Wolf Escape Games, and a Golden Lock Award winner that is worthy of its reputation. As our first adventure with Wolf Escape Game, it set a high bar and left us eager to try more of their games.
The game opens uniquely and engagingly, with the story unfolding through text messages exchanged between two main characters. Players are allowed to choose responses, creating branching paths that ultimately converge at the central setting: Hallows Hill, a mysterious and haunted house. From that point, the narrative is revealed through the diary of a young girl, and puzzles are integrated into her story.
Throughout the game, minor jump scares keep you on edge, but they’re not overly frightening, making the experience thrilling without being overwhelming. The puzzles are creative and similar to those found in traditional escape rooms, with a heavy reliance on clues from the diary. While a few of the puzzles felt tedious and time-consuming, the overall gameplay remained enjoyable.
The ending is particularly inventive, presenting your results as a newspaper article. It even allows you to see the outcomes achieved by other players, adding an interactive and competitive layer to the game.
The gameplay is slightly confusing at first but is easy to learn. You can rotate the camera to move but you can only interact with certain things, which detracts from the usual escape room experience. One of the advantages is you can play on several devices, allowing different players to explore by themselves. Although it doesn’t have the feel of a typical escape room, it does have a unique vibe.
What elevated Hallows Hill for us was its exceptional production value. The atmospheric animations and the hauntingly eerie lullaby music added depth and immersion to the experience. Recommended for 12 years and up, Hallows Hill is a solid option for groups of all sizes. The reasonable price point and engaging gameplay make it a worthwhile adventure for anyone seeking a virtual escape room.
Rating: 8/10
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