Next Level Escape (Sydney, Australia)
Time limit: 75 minutes
Age limit: None
Player limit: 4-14 (Recommended 4-10)
Difficulty: 4/5
Awards: TERPECA Nominee (2021), TERPECA Finalist (2022-2023), Best of Morty 2023
Date visited: September 2024
My nieces caught on to our family’s newfound escape room obsession, so we thought it would be cool to all do a fun one together. However, with 8 of us (our family of 4, plus my niece C, who has been to a couple with us already, plus E’s sister and her 2 daughters), it was not easy to find a suitable room that could fit all of us comfortably.
Enter The Game, the uniquely competitive game-show-style room at Next Level Escape, where two teams go head to head to see who can complete their puzzles first. My only other previous experience at Next Level was Ex Libris, which we found to be solid but not among the best rooms we’ve done, though I was assured by several sources that The Game is definitely a must-do.
On the day, I teamed up with J, while E went with Z, and we split the other 4 newbies amongst us to create two presumably evenly matched teams of 4. Before entering, each team is assigned a colour. Then, as soon as you enter the room, you are given a quick briefing on the screen — and away you go!
The Game is almost entirely focused on the puzzles and the competitive aspect of the room design. You’re not going to be wowed by the props (though they are well made) or the atmosphere or level of immersion (though well crafted). There’s no time for any of that. It’s all about working cohesively with your team, strategising, and being just that one step ahead of the other team.
What makes The Game so fun is the design of the game flow and the puzzles. Both teams start in the same section but then each have their own set of puzzles to solve, and may have to return to the common area later. While the puzzles are the same to ensure fairness, their solutions are not, so you cannot simply spy on the other team to get the answers (though you could technically spy on their approach). There are also rules that revolve around whether, when, and how you can ask for clues, so strategy can sometimes be just as important as puzzle-solving. And there’s a strict “no sabotage” rule, which is very important to prevent the competitive juices from getting out of hand!
The puzzles Next Level designed for The Game are perfect, drawing inspiration from familiar board games everyone will be familiar with (though you are not necessarily disadvantaged if you’re not). The puzzles are also highly diverse, ranging from simple visual puzzles to complex logic puzzles and hi-tech puzzles requiring hearing, comprehension, wordplay, speed, and coordination. It’s a room that tests not just your brains but also your senses and teamwork.
Despite being a 75-minute room, The Game breezed by because it was such a frantic experience. Z was absolutely on fire that day and really carried his team. They got to an early lead and when we finally caught up and were in a position to overtake them, J suddenly decided he had to go to the bathroom because of the grape soda he chugged earlier! That deflated our chances and we ended up losing by a nose. However, without giving away any spoilers, The Game does not leave the losing team with a sour taste in their mouths. Every one of us was all smiles by the end, a testament to the brilliant and thoughtful gameplay design.
The Game is the type of room where GM interaction is frequent and plays a pivotal role in the experience. In this regard, we were very fortunate to be blessed with Croz, a fantastic GM who infused the playful banter with a lot of wit and humour (and was happy to chat about escape rooms in general afterwards). While the quality of GMs will still vary from game to game, all the ones I’ve seen at Next Level seem exceptionally well-trained and enthusiastic about giving players the best time possible.
We ended up having an absolute blast in The Game, a truly unique experience that puts a clever spin on your typical escape room. While my personal preference will always be atmospheric, immersive escape rooms, The Game is your best choice for larger groups (though I think 2 vs 2 will still be fine) and those itching for a bit of competition. When it comes to pure fun, The Game is a hard one to top.
Escape time: 62 minutes out of 75
Rating: 9.1
Player | Theming | Atmosphere | Puzzles | Creativity | Fun | Average |
H | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 8.9 |
E | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8.8 |
Z | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.1 |
J | 8.5 | 9 | 10 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.3 |
C | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9.4 |
Rating | 9.1 |
Comentarios