Escape Manor has partnered with Algonquin College to bring a virtual escape room to students.
The online event took place on Oct. 20, and all students needed to do to participate is to register online and have a working internet connection.
Kaity McCrae, the event sales manager for Escape Manor, said their “digital experiences are developed to have a real-life feel to them. You will interact with our fictional characters on various platforms to solve the mission presented to you. You will follow a series of clues and solve puzzles but this is not like a typical escape room.”
Students needed to be prepared for mystery and adventure through a series of sleuthing experiences to solve various INTERPOL cases either individually or with a team through video conferencing.
Escape Manor has been improving and perfecting their online events since the first lockdown in 2020, to provide a fun and safe way to bring everyone together from home. Their digital experiences have found great success and encourages team bonding as they collaborate to solve the mysteries.
“Players will be working together on brain teasers, logic puzzles and/or internet sleuthing (depending on which experience they’re playing) to collectively solve the mission,” McCrae said.
While the event had only a limited amount of space available, students didn’t need more than a computer with a working internet connection to play, though a secondary device for additional online sleuthing and pen and paper to take notes were highly recommended.
The game could be played from anywhere and took between sixty and ninety minutes to complete.
Escape Manor concierges briefed players “on the upcoming experience together, and serve as a hintmaster throughout the experience if players are stumped and need assistance,” said McCrae. This meant players were not entirely on their own throughout the experience.
The event was a success, and students who were looking for a fun way to celebrate Halloween with a spooky experience participated in this one of a kind virtual event.