The Basement: The Elevator Shaft review
| You find yourself locked inside an elevator shaft which has had some sinister “engineering changes” made to it. Will you be able to follow the steps put in place for you to escape? Or will you perish under the weight of a 6 ton steel elevator? This is our highest tech room and it delivers a level of realism and intensity that is unmatched in the world of escape rooms as it exists today. | |
| 45 minutes | |
| Up to 6 players | |
| 4/5 difficulty (25% success rate) | |
| $30-39 per person depending on day and team size | |
| Sylmar, California, USA | |
| thebasementla.com | |
| Played by Daiman and Jenny | |
| October 2018 | |
| Failed to escape |
Theming
9/10For all intents and purposes, this was an elevator shaft, featuring a one-man service tunnel that comes into play at various junctures. There is also running water that, as well as bringing a horrible smell with it, soon covers the floor of the play area lending an air of authenticity to the surroundings.
Daiman
10/10The name of the room is ‘Elevator Shaft’ and this is exactly what you get! The lift shaft is very compact, with lots of controls, cables etc that you’d expect to see in the control/operating section of the lift. With the addition of the noise of the lift moving down above your head the tension certainly builds up. There’s also a good chance you can get very wet in this room!
Jenny
Puzzles
8/10I loved the real-world nature of these tasks. Though I’ve never been trapped in an elevator shaft (nor do I ever plan to!), the things that we had to do felt natural to the environment. There were no cryptic puzzles or 4-digit lock combinations that we had to divine. It was all switches, wires and fuses.
Daiman
7/10Whilst all the tasks were very closely linked to the theme and didn’t involve padlocks and codes, there didn’t seem masses to do in this game. Although this may be due to the confined space. It all came down to the finale puzzle which involved a lot of teamwork and the use of your senses. That being said I liked how realistic the game felt and in a ‘real life’ scenario this is probably how you’d get out!
Jenny
Enjoyment
9/10The commitment to the set is what really makes this game. It feels genuine and is obviously such a unique theme that I couldn’t find much to fault here. I guess the overall space was pretty small so you wouldn’t want a big group in here.
Daiman
9/10I really loved the tension of the lift moving closer towards your head as time ticked away. This really adds to the panic of being in the elevator shaft. The game is fun and probably not a game designed for people with claustrophobia!
Jenny
Value
8/10For the price of entry you get a fresh experience in a fun, realistic set. It’s worth playing something like this to escape the tedium of study/lab/killer’s lair themed rooms. It may be more expensive than The Basement but to me, it provides a way better experience!
Daiman
8/10This game was a fraction more expensive than The Basement, however that’s understandable as it’s for smaller groups and the quality of the game excels Chapter 1. I feel the uniqueness of this game will be hard to beat anywhere else!
Jenny
Overall scores
-
Theming - 9.5/10
9.5/10
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Puzzles - 7.5/10
7.5/10
-
Enjoyment - 9/10
9/10
-
Value - 8/10
8/10
