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Escape from the Asylum [Review]

Cindi S.

June 5

Choose your way out

Location: at home

Date Played: March 15, 2024

Team size: 1-6; we recommend 1-3

Duration: Approximately 60 minutes per chapter, 10 chapters total

Price: about $50

REA Reaction

Escape from the Asylum was a unique tabletop escape game that not only put us in the center of the action, it put us in the driver's seat; it was our choices that determined the narrative path and outcome of the game.

The story was told in first person, and this, combined with a choose-your-own-adventure-style of gameplay, brought a level of immersion not usually seen in tabletop games. This structure also made it easy to play a chapter, then put the game aside until next time, though it helped to jot down a few notes of key story points between plays. We needed paper and pencil for solving puzzles, but no internet; there's no wifi in the old asylum.

We liked the way game space was created, with a simple map showing the layout of the building and envelopes illustrated to look like doors to rooms: solve a puzzle and enter the room (open the envelope) to proceed. It conveyed the feel of moving through game spaces in person. Each envelope contained game components leading to even more puzzles.

Escape From The Asylum game boxes and components laid out on the table.

In fact, Escape from the Asylum was packed with a variety of often challenging puzzles. One puzzle required multi-layered logic to solve. Others made creative use of more tactile components. But a couple of puzzles needed prior knowledge, and a few had major logic leaps, including one we couldn't even solve with the answer provided in the hints. However, the vast majority were very good, a real puzzler's delight.

All in all, we experienced more than 10 hours of gameplay before finally solving the mystery – our version, at least. You may discover a different ending. In the end, we had a small stack of cards that weren't ever used. The completionist in me wanted to follow other paths to see alternative endings, but there were so many decisions throughout the game that it would be nearly impossible to go do down each unique path. If you like tabletop escape games with puzzles that challenge, this is the game for you.