Small and mighty
Location: Newhall, CA
Date Played: October 20, 2023
Team size: 2-4; we recommend 2-3
Duration: No time limit. Expect 60-90 minutes.
Price: from $122 for a team of 2 to $152 for a team of 4
Ticketing: Private
Accessibility Consideration: This venue is located on the second floor of a shopping plaza. However, we expect there's an elevator and we believe the game can be adapted to be wheelchair accessible as long as at least 1 player is able to walk and bend down.
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
When we were discussing how much we loved The Ghost of Mentryville in our Patreon chat, Dan Egnor replied, "Might be the best room in the world in awesomeness per square foot." I think that he was dead-on with that assessment.
The Ghost of Mentryville was a legitimately small game in terms of square footage. 2 players is the ideal team size, and I would only play with 3 or 4 people if everyone agrees to be especially chill.
Beyond the small size, The Ghost of Mentryville wasn't packing a lot of the detailing, aesthetic refinement, or technology that we typically associate with world-class escape games. Yet, I can comfortably tell you that this was one of my favorite escape rooms. In some ways it was incredible because of its small size, lack of technology, and rustic construction. Arcane Escape Room took a tiny space and figured out how to fit the perfect game into it.
The Ghost of Mentryville may also be the best game in Southern California that nobody has played. It spent years on ice during and after the pandemic because of how small it was and the fact that Arcane Escape Room needed to put a performer into that small space with the players. They don't have a ton of bookings available for it because it is a complex game to operate. Our performer/ gamemaster was exceptionally skilled.
With The Ghost of Mentryville, Arcane Escape Room made the closest thing to black box theater that I have seen in escape rooms. It was minimalism that allowed the experience to shine.
You have to put in work to play The Ghost of Mentryville. It's difficult to get a booking, you should have a small team to play it, and it's a bit of a drive to get to Arcane Escape Room. Let me assure you, however, this is a must-play game. Whether you're a player looking for a unique experience or an owner/ creator seeking to understand what greatness on a budget can feel like, go play The Ghost of Mentryville.
Who is this for?
- Story seekers
- Small teams of 2-3
- Players looking for something different
- Lock afficiandos
Why play?
- Novelty
- Strong character performance
- Ingenuity. They do a lot with a small space.
- Impeccable storytelling
Story
Between the years 1870 and 1900, Mentryville, a small oil drilling town of 200 residents was an ideal community of modest homes and puritan ideals. However, there was a dark secret hidden within the town, and we were about to learn the details intimately.
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