Enigma Quests of London are a month or two away from launch, but have already launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to help cover the costs of the last few parts of the set-up process. You could draw comparisons with the successful recent Enigma Escape crowdfunding campaign which launched on time and has got off to an excellent response; fingers crossed that this campaign turns out as well for Enigma Quests as Enigma Escape’s did for them.
Enigma Quests take a different approach. They don’t consider themselves an exit game as such; instead, as the name suggests, they are a purveyor of Quests. (Not unreasonable at all; compare with Boda Borg describing their activity as Questing.) As the campaign says, “We design the puzzles with innovation in our minds, and aim to be very high-tech. There are no padlocks in our rooms, no hunt for numerical codes with tiring amount of numbers. Everything feels real and highly interactive.” While the experience caters for teams of three to five, your progress is not measured on a “Did you get out in time?” pass-fail basis; there will be many themed activities available within the room, and you will be assessed on how many of them you complete within the limit of an hour – and, perhaps, which ones. Exit Games UK imagines that the precise details would be likely to vary from game to game and finding them out will be part of the fun.
Were you looking for number nine? Some other Searchers got there firstThe first game will be set in a completely generic school of witchcraft and wizardry, noting the broad and rich literary tradition of magical school stories. The campaign suggests the themes of their intended second and third Quests. If they can raise the funds to make the experience as immersive and as theatrical as they hope, the results could be quite spectacular. (Ah-ah, all the things I could do, if I had a little money…) The hardest parts are out of the way, namely that a location near Liverpool St. station has been secured; this is all about the finishing touches.
The campaign’s video is a great deal of fun, and the campaign gets straight to the point. Your pledge buys you the chance to play the game – either as beta-testers of the nearly-finished product at a cost of remarkably little money but also a little time spent giving feedback, or early-bird tickets at what is still a highly preferential rate. (Beta testers can also play as a two or as a six, which is not the intention for the finished work.) Being on Kickstarter, your contributions will only be collected if the project funds completely.
It’s a slightly different approach, aiming at a different target to the other games. Fingers crossed that Enigma Quests get the attention they deserve and take the chance to really show us what they can do. If this sounds relevant to your interests, or if you just like a bargain, here’s that Kickstarter campaign again.
