MysterEscape is Here, the First Escape Room in Davao
This could also be the very first in the whole of Mindanao, but in the city of Davao MysterEscape is definitely the first ever escape room to officially launch this October 22. Last week, Nine Cats Challenge Inc. invited me together with my fellow Davao bloggers to be one of the first people to try this new immersive in-door game. Thankfully my schedule was not that very demanding so I was able to come and to be honest I was very excited as this was also my first time to try such new game in town.
What is an escape room game?
Escape rooms are live-adventure games wherein people are locked in a room and they have to observe and use the elements of the environment to decipher puzzles, find clues and hidden objects, and escape the room within a set time limit which is usually an hour.
Real life escape rooms are presently a popular trend in the world and in the Philippines as well. Three escape rooms (Mystery Manila, Breakout, and Escape Hunt) have already opened in Manila, one started in Cebu (Exit Now), and another branch opened in Boracay (Mystery Manila) all in a span of more or less two years. Now this popular game live-action game is coming to Davao City with the opening of MysterEscape at the Mezzanine floor of Adelfa Bldg, Km. 6. J.P. Laurel, Lanang Davao City (close to Davao Water District and Diamond KTV).
If you have been wishing this kind of adventure to be available here, well you are in luck as it has now arrived, thanks to Nine Cats Challenge Inc for bringing such an amazing and popular game and in the city.
The MysterEscape will have its soft opening on October 22 and on launch day there will be three escape rooms to choose from and based on the room titles you will already have an idea of what kind of adventure awaits you from the inside. So what are the rooms? See below.
The Rooms!
- Secret Agents on a Mission: Be a secret agent or covert operative and infiltrate the den of the most dangerous criminal mastermind this world has ever known. You only have one hour to locate and steal the secret formula for creating a zombie army that will lead to the zombie apocalypse.
- Murder at Apartment 999: Play detectives and solve the mystery behind the death of a famous model/endorser. In 60 minutes you have to investigate and identify the killer before he or she forever escapes the clutches of the police.
- Lucila's Curse: You and your friends find yourselves locked in a house under the curse of Lucila's tormented soul. You only have one hour to escape or risk being trapped with Lucila for eternity.
Those are the three rooms available at MysterEscape for now and we were told by the executives and staff that they also plan to change themes at about every six months.
During last week's bloggers' day event at MysterEscape, we were divided into three groups (one per room) and then my team chose to get inside the Lucila's Curse room and we tried our best to break Lucila's curse and escape the room. For each session, MysterEscape allows minimum of two and maximum of five members per team and inside the room there is one game master which the assigned team leader of the group will ask questions and clues to during the entire duration of the game.
Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside the rooms, you know for spoiler-free experience which I really appreciate as I really do not like spoilers. So before your team start the game, every member is asked to sign a waiver which includes not telling anybody in person or online what to expect inside any of the room like where to find the clues and puzzles or what is the answer to a particular riddle etc. Of course, if your team has the fastest time to escape a room, which makes you like a hall of famer (depending on the level of difficulty), you wouldn't want to make the challenges easier for other teams would you?
Were we able to escape any of the room?
Since most of us were first timers, none of the teams were able 100% escape the designated rooms. However, many of us were able to unlock codes, decipher riddles and clues but still not very close to completely being free. Some of us even left MysterEscape frustrated and challenged, so we are definitely going to return and escape all the rooms and be one of those title holders.
The whole set up was really immersive meaning we felt what really needs to be felt while inside of the rooms, we forgot about the outside world as our minds were all focused on finding the clues, answers and keys from one mystery to another. Hopefully by next time we get inside again, we will able to escape at least one of the rooms. : )
What some of us had to say
If your friends and relatives are looking a whole new adventure where all of the members can enjoy and participate. This escape room game should definitely be one on top of your list. Perfect for team building, reunions and other get together events.
The MysterEscape is open from Tuesdays to Sundays where Tuesday is open only for online bookings and corporate events, but from Wednesdays to Sundays walk-ins are all welcome. Operating hours is from 1PM to 9PM. You may visit MysterEscape website here for more details about their offerings, contact details FAQs and many others. You may also follow their Facebook page for current and future updates.
I hope you are doing great, cheers!