Aztec Temple

Review

Game Description

“The recent discovery of a hidden shrine, the “Temple of the Gods”, is being called the most exciting archaeological find of the decade. You are part of the research team tasked with entering the temple and cataloging the artifacts inside. Everything was going according to plan until someone accidentally triggered a concealed trap sealing the door to the temple and leaving you with a dangerously short supply of breathable air. Now, you must find a way to unlock the exit and escape before your oxygen runs out.

You’re now in a race to find a series of hidden idols that are your only hope of escape. Will you unravel the mysteries hidden within the “Temple of the Gods”, or will you become a permanent resident?”

Personal Experience

My bestie and I were down in Gatlinburg, TN on vacation and decided to check out the local escape room scene. There were a few options to choose from but Headcase Adventures seemed to have the best ratings, so we went with them on a lark. They had three rooms at the time, so we went with their intro room, Aztec Temple, to get a feel for them before trying their harder difficulty games. At the time the Aztec Temple room was nearly brand new and clearly a lot of time and money had gone into its construction.

We ended up getting paired up with a couple (not pictured) who were there for their first ever escape room. Fortunately, this made for a great beginner’s room for them, as it was both relatively easy and fairly short (to date my only 30 minute Escape Room). They were pretty good sports about the whole thing and seemed to have a good time.

For me and my bestie, it was fun enough that we went back the next day to try another one of their rooms.

Narrative

The story existed solely in the setup, which was a little disappointing considering how good the room looked. (This was my first non-CU Adventures room, so I had been spoiled on narrative before this.) I didn’t know this was a well-trod trope until much later, but it’s an ancient temple with lasers, which is apparently a frequent grumble from some enthusiasts. So if that’s something that bothers you, be warned. However, given the touristy nature of Gatlinburg, I imagine that a great looking, quick escape room is exactly what the market there is looking for.

Puzzle Play

The puzzles were well-written, well-designed, and fair, though they were on the easier side of things. The room was a Gen-3 room and made extensive use of RFID. There were some playful sound effects and good feedback mechanisms when you solved puzzles.

There were some puzzles that relied on being able to distinguish between red and green (and blue and purple), so if you’re colorblind, you’ll need at least one non-colorblind member on your team to get through.

Recommendation

If you find yourself in the Gatlinburg area, I’d definitely recommend this game. It functions as a really good intro to escape rooms and was the most fun we had in the Gatlinburg area on the trip.