Having played 2 sessions of Lockdown KL on Saturday, I can safely say that I don’t think I will ever tire of escape games because each theme has different elements of surprise. There’s so much going on in each game that I doubt I will ever get tired of them. The team yesterday comprised people who’d played at least one escape game but all were new to Lockdown KL so we were highly anticipating playing “Bail Out” and “The Chairman’s Office”, the latter being an European concept game having been designed by a Hungarian creative team.
We had one hour to escape from each game and if we needed assistance, we just had to use a phone. Unlike escape games at other places, we would not be seeing the Games Master face-to-face so the door wouldn’t open and shut during the game. This way, we were well and truly locked down with not even a glimpse of the outside world until our game was over.
Firstly Bail Out where we were bound and thrown into the slammer. We were all framed and betrayed. Wrongly imprisoned in the sheriff’s office, we would be sentenced in court the next morning for a murder that we did not commit. This room is just compact enough for 8 participants. More than that and one might just begin to feel claustrophobic. At first we were just frantically looking around for whatever clues we could find to free ourselves. Luckily we have a few MacGyvers in this team!
After freeing ourselves from the slammer and cuffs, we had to look around for more clues and of course, one has to be very observant and astute. There were a few brainiacs in my team and they were the stars of the game. I’m proud of the fact that they were all so into the game and so confident that they could solve the puzzles without calling for assistance until we were more than half-way into the game. By the way, we could make unlimited calls for assistance in the form of indirect clues and that’s great because I dread those where we have only limited clues.
We were still stuck in the Bail Out room when there was only a minute on the clock and then one of the brainiacs managed to free all of us with a startling 20 seconds to spare. Unbelievable! Lockdown Creative Director, David from Hungary was waiting to receive us outside and he couldn’t believe we made it with just seconds on the clock. There’s always a sense of elation when one gets out in time. It may be just a game but there’s that wonderful sensation of having achieved something through sheer willpower and brainwork.
After a 10 minute break, it was on to the second game, “The Chairman’s Office” and that was going to be a lot more challenging. The setting is very realistic as we really felt as though we were in a Chairman’s Office. The props were great and there was a lot more space in this room for 8 participants. Only problem was there are a lot of clues! We didn’t even know where to begin as we uncovered one possible clue after another.
The story of “The Chairman’s Office” is a mysterious great explosion occurred in the headquarters of the world’s largest weapon manufacturer. As a law enforcer time traveller, we’d been tasked to return in time to the scene an hour before the explosion. We had to vamoose from the room in an hour but we had to locate the bomb first and during that hour, we were literally barking up the wrong tree multiple times. We’d find a clue or thought we’d solved a puzzle only to discover it wasn’t the right solution. It was frustrating, infuriating but all in all, great fun even if we didn’t manage to escape in time.
“The Chairman’s Office” is pure genius, it’s a lot harder and less straightforward than “Bail Out” but there are so many facets to “The Chairman’s Office” that I have nothing but sheer admiration for the creators. Playing this game is akin to peeling an onion as there are so many layers to consider. You can’t just concentrate on one area, for example. You need to look in every area and figure out how clues connect. I wouldn’t say this is a game for beginners but there’s no harm trying it out even if you are a novice because you learn a lot and certain aspects will make you appreciate how much effort went into creating this unparalleled theme.
All of us thoroughly enjoyed our time at Lockdown KL and especially loved “The Chairman’s Office” even though that was the one that floored us. Lockdown KL is one of the most entertaining things one can do in town and I can safely say that all 8 of us are looking forward to a 2nd visit.
For more information, visit www.lockdownkl.com
Lockdown KL is located on Level 3, Lot 10 Shopping Centre, Jalan Sultan Ismail, KL.
