WE got to try out Breakout Quest at the Boardwalk Mall and see if we could riddle our way out of a locked room. The answer is yes, we can totally do that, some of us are just better than others.
Breakout Quest escape rooms have been popping up all over South Africa and unlike international pop stars, they decided to come to Nelson Mandela Bay. They invited a few media guests to compete for charity and although we would have battled each other for the bragging rights alone, being able to give R2500 to Zanethemba Children’s Home was a huge bonus.
I’ll be honest, over here at 041online we decided to hedge our bets with me, the editor in one team, and our Lifestyle Columnist Amanda Klaas in the other.
A win is a win I say, and it’s for charity so don’t judge.
The escape room concept is basic: get locked in a room with a group of people and use clues to solve riddles to get out. There is a quiz master watching you Big Brother-style with cameras and giving you clues along the way, so you won’t need to stay in there indefinitely when it turns out you’re not smarter than a 4th grader.
There are two options to try namely Prison Break and Ghost Ship and as participants, we were divided into two groups to challenge each other.
I was in the Prison Break room and being handcuffed and blindfolded in a locked cell reminded me of something very important. I am not cut out to do time so I should stay away from a life of crime. Even with the price of things like eggs and potatoes making the show Boer Soek ‘n Vrou more popular than ever (they want produce not husbands – in case I was not clear). I should not attempt to make money through illegal means, I hear they don’t have wifi in jail.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I can say that a giant timer might make you anxious and lead you to make silly mistakes as you try to use the clues left in your cell to escape after being wrongfully imprisoned.
Our competitors were in the Ghostship room, where they found themselves as part of a crew stuck on a haunted ship with an hour to retrieve a Golden Orb or risk a watery death.
The Ghostship team members won and since I’m not a disgruntled rugby supporter I can say a wholehearted congratulations! I won’t even mention how being blindfolded and handcuffed might have triggered a trauma response in our team giving them the upper hand.
All jokes aside, it is such a fun experience, entry is R250, and kids as young as 4 are allowed to join.
For more info: www.breakoutquest.com
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