Real Escape Game Singapore (Vol 3)

The Crazy Last Will of Dr. MAD

Apparently I've been missing out on some real fun puzzle-solving in Singapore while gallivanting around studying in the US!  This is the 3rd Real Escape Game held in Singapore, and it was hosted at St James Power Station's Power House.  There were several sessions from Friday till Sunday, so I didn't want to leak anything by posting this earlier.

Poster for REG in Singapore Vol. 3

For those who have never heard of this before, the Real Escape Game originated from Japan, and is basically a Puzzle Challenge - you're given a couple of puzzles to start you off, with more puzzles scattered around the venue treasure hunt style.  As you solve each puzzle, the answers will be clues to further puzzles, until you reach the answer to the Final Puzzle.  

In Dr. MAD's case, the Question was about the Secret to Longevity, and the Answer was hidden in a little treasure box placed on everyone's tables.  So clearly all the puzzles must eventually lead to the combination for the lock on the box.

The box.

It was my first time in St James (yes, I'm a geek), so the idea of solving puzzles in a club was kind of weird, but the quirky layout and lighting of Power House made for a great ambiance and a good place to hide clues.    My group had 5 people, but a team for the game was supposed to be 7, so two more guys joined us and it was fun to work with new people.

St James Power Station turned geek for a night.

We were really slow at the start!  There were some locations you could only get to after solving certain puzzles, and by the time we got through them, more than half the teams had already been there.  But things sped up as we got the hang of the game and we opened the treasure box 30 seconds before time was up!!  Sadly that was not quite the end of it so we didn't finish in time anyway... (Only 1 team was ahead of us and actually solved the puzzle though, so I don't feel as bad.)

Yay team 6!

I can't reveal any more of the game than that or it'll probably take the fun away from future Real Escape Game sessions if people got to dissect and analyze questions online, so suffice to say that this is a great way to spend a weekend!  

The puzzles are challenging but not too hard.  If you've had a tiny bit of practice it probably gets easier, but they are perfectly timed to take almost exactly an hour.  So, you get to spend an hour focusing your mental energies more intensely than you have ever done in your life (unless you have taken PhD qualifying exams, in which case you deserve a medal).  It may sound a bit masochistic, but it's crazy fun.  Really.

The World's Most Infuriating Box.
Well, not really... I've seen much more infuriating puzzle boxes.  But almost.

Also, the best announcement of the night was for the next REG:  ESCAPE FROM THE GHOST SHIP.  To happen early next year!  I CAN'T WAIT.  (Follow their facebook page for updates)

Japanese version poster for the next REG in Singapore Vol. 4!
(It's already happened in Fukuoka, Japan, so we get the translated version)

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Budget!

Early Bird - $22

Online - $27 

Door - $35