Escape the Crate brings the experience of escape rooms right to your home! Every other month they deliver a new adventure--anything from pirate ships, deciphering alien languages, murder mysteries, time travel, defusing bombs, and more. Escape rooms have become a quickly growing sensation in the last couple of years, so this is a fun alternative to the craze. This was first one my partner and I have ever done, and we really enjoyed it!
This is a review of the Escape The Crate "Escape the Titanic" box.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Escape The Crate
The Subscription Box: Escape the Crate
The Cost: $29.99/bi-monthly + shipping
LIMITED TIME DEAL: Use code VDAY19 to save 20% off your first box!
The Products: Each box contains the puzzle pieces that go with an escape room-style story designed for 2-4 people to solve. Inside you'll find letters, ciphers, puzzles, tools, objects, etc. that will help to complete the mission.
Ships to: US for $5.00 and International for an additional cost
Escape The Crate "Escape the Titanic" Review
This is the starting information sheet. It tells you how to get everything set up and where to go on your computer or phone to begin.
Inside we found all sorts of envelopes, papers, puzzles, props, and items to use for our adventure!
It took us a minute to realize was that the box itself served as a clue in more than a few of the puzzles. They really maximize every detail of the packaging!
The story of the adventure is provided primarily through the web page for each mission/box. This is nice because it makes it easy to follow along without having to fumble with a bunch of papers or accidentally see something that's meant to be seen later in the game. You still have to figure out which envelopes and materials you need at the appropriate times. Along the way, you are informed of what to open and when, but each step is "locked with 4 numbers" or "locked with a name" or "locked with 3 letters," etc. that you have to solve before you can move on within the website.
You have the option to read or listen to an audio recording of each section. I liked this because it appeals to different types of learning/solving. We listened to each one first, then quickly skimmed back through the written part to confirm understanding. Hearing the voice on the recording added a bit of personality, even though my partner wasn't wild about the person's voice. At each step, you are given optional hints that you can click on. These hints don't have any time penalty, but you are still encouraged to use them sparingly. My partner and I are both super competitive and we really like to challenge ourselves, so we had mixed feelings about the hints. We partly wished there was a penalty for using the hints so that we tried just a little harder to solve the puzzle before us. On the other hand, the ominous tick-tick-tick of the clock combined with zero repercussions made it very easy to justify "cheating" a few times.
Our escape game adventure this month was set on the ill-fated Titanic cruise ship on the night of its sinking in 1912. We were acting as time travelers sent back to retrieve a relic thought to be aboard the ship and to save a certain passenger whose escape significantly impacts present day. The first clue was pretty simple to solve. So simple, in fact, that we immediately decided we were overthinking things and shifted into a less intense mode.
Letting our guards down so early quickly proved to be unwise. The second clue was definitely one we used several hints to solve. Perhaps now that we have one box under our belt and a better sense for how things work we won't be so easily fooled the next time, but I'm not so sure. The solution to that clue, in particular, was a real stretch. I'd be lying if a few curse words weren't shouted out at this point!
The materials provided were good. I hate when I wind up with a bunch of "stuff" that can't be reused or just takes up space. Although I feel like a few of the materials could easily have been left out, most everything that was essential to the game can be recycled or put to use in some other creative way.
You track the time on your own, honor's system style. For this adventure, they suggested 60 minutes for "expert/experienced," 75 minutes for regular/casual, 90 minutes for easy/new, or 2 hours and 40 minutes--the actual length of time it took from when the Titanic struck the iceberg to when it vanished below the sea--for "Titanic Superfans". I think we both were imaging it would take about an hour, but we decided to go with the 90-minute option since it was our first experience. Along the way, we got two 15-minute bonuses because we chose not to split up to solve the puzzles concurrently. Thank goodness for the extra time! We did finish with 6 minutes and 18 seconds left, but we would not have without it (and, ahem, without taking a few hints.) Nonetheless, SUCCESS!
The Verdict: We really enjoyed our first Escape The Crate! Now that we know how much time to allot, we'll be sure to get started much earlier in the day when my brain power is flowing a little better. I wish that this detail had been available before actually starting.
Overall, it was a fun time and we are both really excited to check out the next one. The level of detail put into the adventures is really apparent--they cover the bases! Of course, there are some super cool actual escape rooms out there, and I don't think this subscription could replace them completely. However, if you enjoy challenging your brain with those types of puzzles, this is a wonderful way to get a similar experience without even having to leave the house!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign-up today? Yes, this particular box is available as a standalone purchase, no longer as part of their bi-monthly subscription. You can purchase it as a one-time order here. Order between now and the end of February and your first box ships out the first week of March.
LIMITED TIME DEAL: Use code VDAY19 to save 20% off your first box!
Value Breakdown: This box is the latest of their subscription, $29.99/bi-monthly, but this specific mission is now "retired" and available as a one-time, individual purchase of $39.99 from their shop. The prices for in-person Escape Rooms near me are around $24-30 per person. In my opinion, getting an escape room experience for the cost of just one ticket is totally worth it.
Check out all of our Escape The Crate reviews and more puzzle subscription boxes in the Geeky Subscription Box List!
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