Puppet master
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Date Played: May 6, 2024
Team Size: 2-8; we recommend 3-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $36-$56 per player, depending on team size
Ticketing: Private
Accessibility Consideration: Some players need to climb stairs
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
2024 Golden Lock Award Winner
"Artistry ruled the kingdom in this tale of chivalry. Here we encountered a hero's quest and a dream world full of puppet characters. Castle Flüffendor stood out for its engaging show-like quality, a culmination of acting, design skills, and creativity all rolled into one beautiful, must-play experience."
REA Reaction
Castle Flüffendor is the third game in the Chimera Corp dream traveler trilogy, and it's a significant departure from the styles of the other two. In this game, we found ourselves in a kid's dream, where a young boy wants to be the hero and save the princess - his sister - from the evil queen's spell. We found the story whimsical and engaging, with a show-like quality that was so well-integrated that at times we didn't even think about the fact we were solving puzzles.
Escape Artist Greenville leaned into the aesthetic with castle walls that appeared to be made from cardboard boxes and rooms made from oversized furniture, as if viewed from a child's perspective. The large, multi-leveled set encouraged exploration, as gameplay took full advantage of the uniqueness of the space. There were times we gazed up at action taking place over our heads.
The main characters in this charming story were played by puppets; in fact, we encountered an amazing variety of puppets: hand puppets, stick puppets, Muppet-like puppets, and more. Even the hint system was through a puppet. This was such an effective design choice, because why wouldn't a kid imagine a heroic tale through puppets? These characters moved the narrative along, drove connections to puzzles, and provided hilarious, ad-lib humor that were some of the best moments of the game.
Puzzling was varied and fun, with both quick solves and layered, complex puzzles. There was only one puzzle that was difficult to solve using the intended prop, no matter how many times we moved it around. But overall game flow was smooth, with puzzling that worked hand in hand with the characters and narrative.
The finale was simply enchanting, with Disney-like special effects that surprised and delighted us; it was a fitting end to this heroic tale. Escape Artist Greenville has a number of excellent games, but Castle Flüffendor stood out as artistically unique, a culmination of acting, design skills, and creativity all rolled into one beautiful, must-play experience.
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