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Remote escape rooms have only been a thing for a couple of months, but if one takes a look at Project Avatar, it sure feels like this sub-genre of escape rooms had been evolving for years.
This niche market induced by the pandemic came out of nowhere, but thanks to the creativity and ingenuity of escape room operators, it has been on the rise ever since. Even with the lighter public restrictions, it seems like remote escape rooms are here to stay – who wouldn’t want to control an avatar on the other side of the world, in an atmospheric environment, where one might never be able to travel otherwise?
So, what does Project Avatar bring to the table? Well the experience is somewhere between a video game, a movie and an escape room. Your team controls an avatar around an abandoned building (and at some point, even outside) and solve puzzles, collect items for your inventory and kick in doors. You read that right, by collecting “power ups” around the map, you can ask your avatar to kick in doors, eat snack bars if they’re out of energy and use medkits if they get hurt due to your actions. The intro, outro and cutscenes are all very well-made and reflect the high production value. Energy drinks and other usable items also have their own visual effects. A HUD-type user interface helps you keep track of your health, energy and collected items.
The game offers a 600 m2 area to explore with two major indoor areas and an outdoor location. Even though the game is filled with destroyable props, everything’s returned to its place neatly. And there’s a lot to return… The avatar kicks in doors, cuts chains, hits planks with a crowbar, throws props, items and paper stacks away. There’s plenty of goofiness going on too in smaller skits, may it be on your command, or the decision of the avatar to give you a few moments of lighthearted fun. And while we’re at goofy fun and live actors – the fact that our avatar leaves the building and roams the roads of Ukraine with civilians around him added yet another layer to the whole experience.
As we mentioned, giving the “wrong” commands to your avatar might get them hurt. We found out in a conversation after the game that these are all avoidable if your team decides not to give said commands. While this does not influence the storyline of the game, we hope to see something like this in the near future. Video games and even series like Black Mirror Bandersnatch have done it, why would we miss out on this fun feature?
All in all, Project Avatar is a milestone in the remote escape room industry and we can’t wait to see what future endeavors will have to offer. Until then, make sure you visit Project Avatar’s website to book your adventure.
