We had no family staying with us for Easter this year, so we decided to try something a bit different and booked to have a go at MTG’s new escape room – Secret’s of the Stellar Horizon. We are massive fans of MTG Escape Rooms having thoroughly enjoyed doing a number of them in the past, so we had high expectations, and once again it didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was unanimously our favourite yet as it had a lot of new techy things we hadn’t seen before (like lasers!). Without giving too much away, here’s how we got on…
What is an Escape Room?
For those that haven’t played an escape room game before, it’s where a team of players has to discover clues and solve puzzles to achieve an end goal, and all this takes place in a series of rooms, whereby you have to complete the challenges in one room to unlock access to other rooms.
Fun Fact: We learnt that it is illegal to lock people in a room in Guernsey without means of escape, hence why the door isn’t actually locked!
Intergalactic Fun
MTG Escapes’ new game Secrets of the Stellar Horizon is an intergalactic escape room perfect for players of all ages. We played the game as a family so there were 2 adults and 2 children (both 11 years old).
The games take place at the St Saviour’s Community Centre and if you haven’t been before, the entrance is located at the back of the centre. Head to the back of the car park and on your left you will see an MTG sign which shows you where to go in.
Let the games begin...
The game begins by a member of the MTG team telling you the 3 rules of the game, which are very simple…1) if something is screwed or glued it doesn’t move, 2) Do not tidy up!! This was music to my girls’ ears. It was explained that there is a lot of stuff in the room so just leave it where you find it 3) Don’t touch the big white button by the door (it lets you out but it also kills the magic).
Instead of a handheld walkie-talkie, for this game, you are given a walkie-talkie watch. Lottie was the very proud wearer of the watch and touched every button on it before we got in the room! You can use the walkie-talkie to ask for clues if you need them (this was used it frequently in our game!).
Once the formalities are out of the way, you are taken to the spaceship entrance where you watch a short video on the command unit that explains your mission. The year is 2311 and all of Earth’s major resources have been drained, and human civilisation exists solely in space colonies with many intergalactic species battling to find the power for their spacecrafts. The Diblions are taking particular interest in human life and persistently stealing from human space vessels, it is clear they are up to something, but what? When they abandon their research ship, it is your mission to find the source of their power and why they are so obsessed with the human race. They are an hour away, so you must complete the mission within the hour so you are not on their ship when they return!
In the Command Centre
The spaceship is very impressive when you get inside, ahead of you is 5 TV screens above lots of controls and buttons. There were 3 control panels on the right-hand side, a unit in the centre of the room, some pipes on the left and a cabinet on the wall on the left-hand side. The only advice as you enter is to start on control 1 and not try and jump to solving control 3 like we did! Once you have solved the puzzles the door in the control panel opens with a clue inside for the next puzzle. The room is packed full of so much more than you see on first glance, with a secret underground room with a button pushing challenge, a pink sparkly manikin challenge(!), a remote control robot challenge and numerous word challenges. There really is something for everyone!
We made it off the spaceship!
After some serious help via the walkie-talkie we managed to complete our mission and make it through the laser field and off the spaceship. We took 1hr3mins to complete it, and you get your photo pegged on the timeline against your time. We were in good company with lots of other teams getting the same time, though one team completed the mission in 39 minutes with no clues!!!!!!!
Our Verdict...5 Stars!
This was genuinely a fantastic experience, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. There was such a mix of tasks that everyone got involved and it’s definitely suitable for children. My girl’s favourite was the remote control robots and the laser guns. The good thing is that there is a lot of support as you can ask for as many clues as you like. For me, the biggest challenge was the fact I couldn’t read any of the clues! Top tip, if you wear reading glasses, take them with you!!
Those with additional needs
If anyone in your group has an additional need, I would definitely mention it at the time of booking so that accommodations can be made. They want it to be an experience enjoyed by all, and I can certainly vouch for that. One of my girls is autistic and doesn’t like dark rooms, loud noises and generally anything unexpected, so in the past she has been shown the rooms before we started the game so she knew what to expect. This made a massive difference for her in the past, and I really appreciated it, as it meant she could enjoy playing the game as much as everyone else.
Thank you MTG Escapes for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and one I recommend to anyone looking for something fun to do as a family. The new Escape games costs £16 for adults, 12-17yrs £12, 7-11yrs £10, under 7yrs £5. Note that all teams must have one adult player. For more info and to book CLICK HERE.
