Odyssey Escape Game – Ripper: Solve the Mystery (Review)

Location: Alpharetta, GA

Players:  2-8 (We recommend 3-4)

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Get Ripped.

Theme:

The year is 1888, and you are Scotland Yard’s finest detectives, hot on the trail of the notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper. His most recent victim, Mary Kelly, has been found brutally murdered and you’re the first on the scene. You don’t have much time until Jack flees London, so you’ll need to act fast in order to figure out his true identity.

First Impressions:

Mary Kelly’s boarding room is very well detailed and, barring the standard escape room screen and camera, felt appropriate for the time period. The same was true of our first look at our office at Scotland Yard. The opening story gave us a sense of urgency, and the absence of any out of place locks was welcome. We were truly in for a different experience from the standard escape the room fare here.

High Points:

Most escape rooms give you something to mark down notes with, but the way it was handled in this room was fantastic and allowed for many players to take notes simultaneously and in a on theme way. We were told at the beginning of the room, that there were only a few locks, and that the majority of the room would involve interacting in non standard ways, and this held true. Puzzles were fun to figure out, and barring a couple, were very good at giving us feedback on our success or failure. The nature of our investigation was exciting, and allowed for a much different, but largely successful, flow to the puzzling. The final two revelations were thrilling, and the ending could feel a little anticlimactic for some, I very much enjoyed Odyssey’s take on this historical mystery.

Low Points:

Two things within the boarding room felt out of place, both due to their anachronistic nature. One was heavily part of a puzzle, so it felt less immersive. Moving between Scotland Yard and the boarding room could be difficult at times, due to it’s nature, and would preclude accessibility for some. Twice we asked for hints which confirmed we were doing the right thing, just not “right” enough, due to some finicky puzzles.

Verdict:

Odyssey excels at bringing their historically themed escape rooms to life, and Ripper: Solve the Mystery is a great example of how escape rooms can tell these stories in an immersive fashion. The mystery presented is slowly unraveled in a unique way, and the story unfolds naturally through the puzzles. The room focuses on investigation and allows for quite a few a-ha moments, which sets this room apart from many others in the South. Enthusiasts will definitely enjoy this distinctive challenge, but I suggest new players do a couple rooms before taking the Ripper on, as this is a fairly difficult room. Book your investigation here!

9/10 (Excellent)