One Hour: Lost Asylum

 

Game experience: EXCELLENT
Immersion	Puzzles	Hosting

An intense atmosphere of fear and paranoia The interactions with the gamemaster The interactions between players to solve some puzzles	Nothing

Book here

This Lost Asylum at the end of Paris’ 11th arrondissement had been teasing my curiosity for many months already, and I was looking forward to explore it. It had closed its doors in 1952 – the rumor says that a patient assassinated several doctors… But it must be some story to scare children, and we should not be impressed, right? Well, maybe we should have: as we enter one of the cell, the door closes behind us, we are locked. And wait, how many people were we in our team when we arrived here? I’m not sure anymore if we are too few or too many now… Are our minds playing tricks on us? Can we escape before confusion and paranoia make us lose our mind?

An escape game is usually immersive thanks to an adequate use of decorations or scenario. The setting is for sure very convincing here, with its aging walls and derelict objects, accompanied by its range of disturbing noises. However, another factor was the main contributor to a wonderful immersion: the game will constantly stimulate your fear and paranoia. This is the only escape game I played, with Skeleton key, where I was positively afraid to go by myself in a room without my friends. Until the very end, the game will play with your nerves and mislead you, in order to break your self-control.

A couple of puzzles are a tad classical, and they overall do not involve fancy hi-tech, but they are all well integrated into the room, as they revolve around the tortured souls of its former inhabitants. This scenario will also definitely test your team building competences and your stress management.

Finally, this was a masterwork of hosting. The welcome was very friendly and unpretentious, and as you will quickly notice, the gamemaster will be very dedicated in following your progresses and helping you… or maybe bothering you if you are too efficient?

More than a year after having played it, Lost Asylum is still in my top 5 of Paris escape games. Do not worry though: the game will not terrify you, just constantly play with your nerves. And eventually, you will exit. In which state of sanity though, I don’t know…

Game played in December 2016

If you liked it, you should try:

• Saw at Leavinroom (Paris)
• The Cursed Crypt at Skeleton Key (Paris).

Other reviews (in French): Polygamer, Escape game Paris, Journal du geek, Escape Paris, Top escape game, Allo escape, Meilleur escape game, Le Meilleur escape game