It had been well over a year since the City Adventurers had been contacted to carry out a physical covert mission. So we were overjoyed when a call came from the owners of Clue Cracker that our help was needed. Would we be asked to save the world from Zombies or stop a rogue agent or solve a murder? None of these. Instead we were required for THE ULTIMATE SMASH AND GRAB JEWELLERY HEIST!
Well that was different.
So we grabbed our face coverings and hand gel, and set off for Royal Tunbridge Wells to join Terry T-Bone and his gang. Soon we found ourselves boarding the getaway van and heading to Wells & Sons Jewellers, home to the famous Montgomery Diamond.
Would we be able to crack the security system, dodge the CCTV, dismantle the vault and escape with the famous Diamond before the the Old Bill turn up? Well, our team may be a little rusty, and down to only two players, but the City Adventurers were keen to give it a try.
The Diamond Dogs
We met one of Clue Crackers owners, Katie, and manager, Becky, who briefed us on our mission.
Contained within the vault of Wells & Co was a diamond worth £3.8million. Our mission was to get past the high security and make our way into the vault. We were to steal the diamond for Terry T-Bone and his gang, but anything else we stole was ours to keep. While others had tried and failed, we stood a better chance of success as we would have help from an insider.
We were given rucksacks and walkie talkies so we could communicate with each other (and later the insider), then led to the getaway van. We were to be driven to the jewellers, with the driver giving us more instructions and telling us when to synchronise our watches. We’d only have an hour to do the deed before the police were likely to arrive.
To say the game is immersive would be an understatement. You can tell the owners have set design experience as its like walking into a heist film. (Think Secret Cinema level of immersion). The getaway van feels as if it is moving as you make your way through the town to be deposited in the alley behind the jewellers. In fact, theatrical touches throughout the game, including sound and lighting effects, are designed to immerse you fully in the story.
The puzzles were a mixture of logic, critical thinking, correlation, maths, observation, skill, and searching, Game play was a mixture of linear (as you move towards the vault) and non-linear (as you explore an area.) And you do need to explore. We lost time “searching” for something and had to get help from the insider to find it. That’s more a reflection on us than the puzzle.
A great game to reintroduce us to the world of physical Escape Rooms.
And yes we did get out in time with the diamond…..at 59 minutes 58 seconds and with help from Katie/Sam(the insider)
Highly recommended
For your chance to be a Diamond Dog, book your adventure at https://cluecrackergames.co.uk/room/the-diamond-dogs/
Covid Safety:
This escape room is housed behind The Shuffle House restaurant, so you have to go through the restaurant and its courtyard garden to enter the building. As per Covid rules, masks were required in the restaurant and Clue Cracker’s reception area and hand sanitiser was readily available in the Shuffle House, the courtyard and inside the venue. Clue Cracker allows time between games for deep cleaning. Two games (Diamond Dogs and Prison Break ) are at this venue and arrivals for them are staggered, so you don’t meet other teams inside.
Website: https://www.cluecrackergames.co.uk
*Disclaimer: we weren’t charged for this experience, but this has not influenced our review
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