Best Play Recommends: Unlock Secret Adventure (Yup more Unlock)
We have professed our love for escape the rooms before. Especially when it comes to the Unlock series.
Well there’s even more Unlock now and we thought we’d give you the run down on what we thought of the latest escapes. As with the previous box of Unlock, this one contains another 3 escape rooms (these are sold individually in some regions).
A Noside Story
This is a follow up to one of the rooms from the first box. You’re back in the evil made scientist’s lair. As with before, this game has some wonderfully over-the-top cartoon art and is equally as ridiculous in its solutions. It feels like an homage to the old wacky adventure games like Maniac Mansions and Day of the Tentacle. A lot of the puzzles in this escape revolve around combining items, just like those point and click adventures it’s inspired by.
How’d we do?
The box implies this is the easiest of all of the rooms but our group failed the hardest at this one. It has some slightly out there solutions which suit the tone but aren’t really that logical.
Our Verdict
This felt most like previous Unlock games we had played — no big twists but a solid escape with a great sense of fun.
Tombstone Express
You’re on an old timey choo choo train trying to protect some treasure. This room quickly changes things up into a murder mystery and even has some surprisingly different mini games that keep you on your toes. Of all the Unlock games we’ve played, this felt the most different, relying more on hidden objects and time-based events.
How’d we do?
Nailed this one, figured out the criminals and solved it in time.
Our Verdict
Probably one of my favourite Unlock games. Not because it was particularly mind bending or challenging, but because of how much variety it showed. If you like this room I’d recommend checking out deeper mystery solving games like Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective.
The Adventures of Oz
A journey through Oz that mostly follows the plot of “The Wizard of Oz.” Actually knowing that plot will make some of the puzzles incredibly obvious, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. This box packs a lot more than the average Unlock game, with a map to navigate and individual side quests for each of the characters. This meant the game could pack in some more challenging puzzles without having to frustrate some players from completing the core adventure.
How’d we do?
Got it just in time with all of the side quests.
Our Verdict
Ambitious but at times felt a little over convoluted, stretching some of the Unlock systems to fit the adventure when perhaps it would have suited finding its own set of rules.
Personally, I enjoyed all 3 of these as I have with every Unlock box. I don’t think they’re the most challenging escape games if you’ve played a few but their sense of place and humour brings a lot to the table over the harder but dryer games like Exit.
You can support Best Play and enjoy escaping some rooms using the links below.
You can buy Unlock as a complete set here if you’re in Europe. The complete set here if you’re in the US.
Or individually if you live in the US here:
