Sauve Qui Peut: Wrath Of Poseidon (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada)

"Reussite = Success!"

Located about 40km (25 miles) from downtown Montreal, Sauve Qui Peut was a hidden gem in an otherwise remote and small town. There were quite a lot of games to choose from (nine) and we played "Underground Bar" (18+ theme with a lot of laughs) and, what many say was their best game, "Wrath of Poseidon". The review will focus on latter. From their website:

"The God Poseidon, powerful and undisputable king of the seas and oceans, deplores that for several decades now, humans have been heading towards disaster. They are all the same, unable to take care of the planet, they plunder forests, depopulate and pollute the seas. They jeopardize the survival of all species.

Poseidon is angry and now wants his revenge on humans who have betrayed future generations. He threatens to flood all lands to end the painful weakening of the planet. Your mission steal? Collect Poseidon’s trident before it’s too late…"

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles 

The set design was good with a lot of attention to detail. The start of the game took place in a submarine and was pretty standard as it involved opening quite a few padlocks. The later parts of the escape room integrated more unique puzzles with really clean game flow. There was a fun change of scenery towards the end that we appreciated and it connected well with the overall theme.

There were some sections in the submarine that seemed like a massive red herring but thankfully we were told from the start that they were purely for decor. One thing to note was that the physical space was tight so less players would be the ideal number, otherwise there would be a lot of running into people when navigating the room.

The overall quality of this game was far superior compared to many other small towns that we have played in.

Memorable Moments 

The final stage of the game tied extremely well with the overall theme. It was unique and something we have never seen before. We actually struggled a lot at this point when a child would have probably solved it rather quickly.

Room For Improvement

The start of the game was slow and ordinary. One of two padlocks are usually ok but when you have double or triple that amount in one room, it ends up being a lot. Also, the puzzles felt a bit forced, unlike the last stage where the puzzles felt more thematic.

Overall Thoughts

We had a fun time playing Wrath of Poseidon and highly recommend it if you are in the area. Work through the first part knowing that there is more to come and keep you numbers low in order to have the best experience.

• Set design: Good
• Difficulty: Medium-Difficult
• Price: $30 CAD/person, private
• Number of players: up to 3-8 (recommend 3)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

See their website here: https://www.sauvequipeut.ca/

Action 500: Kidnapping (Montreal, QC)

This post was written by Melanie and Jason, the latest contributors to EscapeRumors.com! This duo will rock your world with their reviews and help you find which rooms suit you best!

Melanie is an architect and became an escape room enthusiast this year! Having an eye for creativity,  details, and construction, she offers a very interesting perspective on the quality that each room offers.

Jason is a chartered accountant and his skills with numbers and puzzles allows him to explore and analyze rooms with a different point of view.

It is important to mention that all the escape rooms in the Action 500 Montréal location are constructed from storage containers. The games are either half the size of a container or the full size. Either way, the physical space of the rooms are SMALL. They also have air conditioning units hooked up in the rooms because it can get pretty hot inside!

When we played the games, there were no camera in the rooms so hints were given by the GM who basically popped in to see how we were doing every 15 minutes. It was not thaaaat bad, but it took a bit away from the immersive quality of the experience - just imagine a guy with their Action 500 uniform popping in every few minutes asking if you need hints.

Kidnapping was one of the newer themes (horror) that opened in the Montréal location. Here is a description and video from their website:

"It’s 1989 and finally time for your big camping party with your friends to a cabin in the woods. As soon as you arrive, you find out a legendary mass murderer has  escaped from prison and turned your vacation spot into his forest of death.

With a killer outside your cabin and stranded without cellphone service, you and your friends must solve clues and riddles and get outsmart a serial killer.

Can you survive the night and reach the police before the killer reaches you?"

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles 

The decoration in the room related well to the theme, and we definitely got a creepy vibe. The puzzles were actually pretty good and flowed well. I would say it was a low to medium difficulty and people with less experience will probably be able to get through it. It was mostly lock-based, but there were some other simple mechanisms as well. The big issue was that when we finished the game, the thing that was supposed to appear didn't, so we were not 100% sure if we actually escaped! We later found out that there was an electrical issue that they have to fix. A little bit disappointing and hopefully it will be fixed soon!

Memorable Moments 

There was a scare component in the room that was incredibly memorable!

Room For Improvement

The ending of the game would have been more obvious if there was no electrical issue. We all wait for that big climax and unfortunately we didn't get it this time around because the video screen was not fully functional.

Overall Thoughts

The room was pretty good, we liked it. Story was creepy and puzzles were decent. We played the game with 6 people, which was way too many. For the physical size of the room and the puzzles involved, 2-4 people is better. I would say that it is a very good room for beginners, but still a fun flowing game for mid-level experienced players.

• Set design: Fine, but small
• Difficulty:  Easy-Medium, good for beginners
• Price: $24 CAD
• Number of players: 6 max, (recommend 2-4), public
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★½

See their website here: https://www.x-cape.ca/en/ (renamed to Action 500)

2017 Achievement unlocked Medalists

Finally, we are proud to announce the Escape Rumors Achievement unlocked Medalists for 2017!

Achievement unlocked medals are given to the top escape rooms played by Escape Rumors every year. On top of being solid escape rooms, these rooms also distinguished themselves in the following categories:

• Best Immersion
• Best Technology
• Best Storytelling
• Best Puzzles
• Best Set Design
• Most Creative
• Most Climactic
• Most Clever
• Most Shocking