Review: The Virus | Get The F Out Room

Get The F Out Room presents...

"THE VIRUS"

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VENUE INFORMATION

Company: Get The F Out Room

Company Website: Click Here

Address: 1500 S Los Angeles St Unit 4, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Game Name: The Virus

Game Website: Click Here

Time Limit: 60 Minutes

Difficulty: N/A

Capacity: Up To 8 Players

Room Type: Public/Private

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GAME OBJECTIVE

"A deadly virus has ravaged the planet. Join a team of top scientists and descend hundreds of feet to a military laboratory below. There you must discover an antidote and save the world. But be careful not to set off the computerized decontamination system or you may be sterilized...for good." (via official website)

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YELP REVIEW

Please note:

This room, experience, or game is currently not available for booking or purchase. The blog entry will remain on site for your reading enjoyment, and for Mattster's own personal bittersweet trip down memory lane. Please inquire with company if this will become available again in the future, or what other exciting options are currently available. Thank you.

Here is a carbon copy of my Yelp review, posted originally on 02/27/2019:

I'd admit that trying out The Virus had been long delayed due to some of the less positive things I've read on Yelp, though now I would like to assert that even by 2019's standard, The Virus is still a decently solid escape room with its own unique charm.

Synthesizing a cure to save the world from a viral pandemic is hardly a new crisis in the world of room escapes, but here's condensed version: scientist figured out the correct formula for a virus antidote, did not want it to end up in the wrong hands, so locked away the secret through a series of intricate puzzles. But doh, he dead, now you gotta synthesize it in his spirit before the virus eats you away too!

This rather simple and familiar plot line may not have the strongest pull, so this company embellished the experience with a VR intro vid to fill you in the deets before you get busy cracking codes. (With a not-so-subtle cameo from the owner, Bob, too!) While technically not necessary, the VR was a genius way to augment an otherwise limited gaming space to a much grander dimension. It made me excited, and felt more immersed in my role of world-saving chemist.

As mentioned, the entire game took place over a modestly sized laboratory, with no extra room to explore. (If you prefer room to room progression, explore their other game, The Experiment.) As a result, I have two immediate thoughts: [ONE] don't overstuff your friends into 1 game, I recommend 5 at most. (Pro tip: with 4/8 spaces booked, game can become private upon request.) And [TWO] in a rather tight space, can the creators really keep us that busy in 60 lengthy minutes?

Turns out, oh yeah. Not a minute flew by without frenzy, either.

And the particular sequence that kicked off the hour--I knew about it, and my friend fell for it. It's always comical to push your dear mates in the face of great danger, lol. I lived for that moment.

Anyhoo, having a smaller space actually worked towards the venue's advantage because they were able to furnish & decorate every inch of the room into a plausible looking lab, without a single bare corner. Furthermore, labs are naturally full of cabinets, so the lock placements (for puzzle solutions) were arranged throughout in a mostly organic way that translated into a smooth, linear game play. The overall *format* was well structured, easy to pick up, & suitable for players of all levels.

The *puzzles*, themselves, however, were not exactly easy (though I was both ill and tired from work today). In any case, they occasionally stumped this group of non-beginners. We were allowed 3 hints max, and we used all 3. (And that's not counting the gentle nudges we received for free along the way.) Puzzles came in a variety of formats, some relied on pure brain work, while others were super skill based.

While I found the collection of challenges enjoyable, some were questionable in my opinion. For instance, a physical puzzle we tried early on proved to be frustrating, since the control was difficult to master. Two other puzzles would grant players with prior knowledge or training an advantage, which fortunately, gave my teammates a chance to shine, though there's definite evidence of tweaking on the designer's part that attempted to level the playing field for everyone.

The good news is, since there's a long roster of puzzle, you'll probably find something more to your style, and all is forgiven. Although this game was developed some years back, the creativity stood the test of time. There's a heavy usage of padlock based reveal, so this is mostly a gen 1 room, but the creators were not afraid to make use of myriad interesting tools to guide you through the journey. And precisely because there was such a variety of ideas thrown into the mix, chances are, players of all levels would still see something new, or at least more than your handful of common escape room tropes.

Certain puzzles may at times appear loosely tied to the main narrative, but they did all carry an undeniable flavor of "science" (hehe!), and that won my respect and appreciation. However, they did say the original scientist wanted to keep prying hands from stealing the formula, and these eccentric puzzles most surely *almost* did the trick! (Of note, my ability to quickly navigate around a periodic table got a slight ego stroke tonight! Ahhh, chemistry, at least you're useful in escape rooms.)

As I was saying, these puzzles *almost* won, but they didn't, 'cause we got out. Whoo!

The inclusion of a bonus puzzle was the cherry on top of a wonderful, contagion-infested night. We were so close in winning that bonus, too!

I'd like to thank Julie the gm who helped end the next potential global extinction. She doubled as an in-game actress who gave both a committed performance as a lab tech and some just-right hints to help us advance. And Bob, thanks for treating your fellow enthusiasts with such kindness, and of course, RIP.

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POST GAME PHOTO

Virulent fun: saving the world beyond the microscopic level | Get The F Out Room

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Signing off,

ESCAPE MATTSTER

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