Gaming | Geek Life: Augmenting Reality

Toronto is home to countless escape room adventures, but there is one group that stands out from the rest: Secret City Adventures. Thanks to a local Travel Massive Toronto event, I was given the chance to try out Secret City Adventures' newest escape room before it went live to the public, and I can confidently say it's absolutely worth the price of admission. Escape Room: The Dragon's Song The Escape is RealPlaying the Dragon's Song Escape RoomA Helping Hand in Your EscapeAccessibility at Casa LomaDid Team #DragonChasers Win?Celebrate Your Win (or Loss) at CIBO Wine BarMore Reviews of The Dragon's Song The Escape is Real Discover the magic, and save the dragons! If you're not familiar with this kind of game, escape rooms are an hour of fun. A bit of time where you and a group of friends can escape reality, by solving a myriad of riddles and puzzles together, all with the ultimate goal to unlock a mystery before your hour runs out. Classically, the final goal is unlocking the door that has imprisoned your group inside a room at the beginning of the hour. But there are some escape room game developers that bring more mystery and theatrics to the table, and that's exactly what Secret City Adventures does for its Toronto fanbase. For starters, most of their escape games are played within the iconic Casa Loma. Their role-playing games use the mansion's vintage interior beautifully to tell historical and fantasty-themed tales, making it easier to suspend your disbelief of reality and delve deep into the story you've embarked on. It's not hard to imagine you're locked in a castle wing, when you're truly locked in a castle wing. Playing the Dragon's Song Escape Room If you're a fan of medieval fantasy, the Dragon's Song is a must-play event. You're tasked to help a wizard and a knight in their quest to save the dragons through a series of quests. Every riddle requires teamwork, so put together a select team of super-sleuths, and be prepared to make some new friends. This game requires 12 people to play, so you'll be paired with like-minded groups that are in it to win, but more importantly, to have fun. Do note though that you'll be playing within the east tower, which means a number of stairs are involved, even to simply get to the escape room you'll be going up numerous flights to get there. Since this game is so new, there isn't yet a statistic to figure out how complex and difficult the game is. If you're new to escape room gaming though, this would be an excellent choice for your first foray into this kind of fun. While the riddles can be difficult, you won't be figuring them out all on your own. A larger group of players means that you can walk through more of the game, even if solving riddles isn't particularly a strong suit of yours. I've played numerous escape room games throughout the past few years. Some I've won, others I was frustratingly left stuck on a puzzle until the timer ran out. Having a larger group of puzzle solvers means you have a greater chance of completing the game, as you have more people with individual strengths to rely on. A Helping Hand in Your Escape The wizard and knight will also be there to nudge you in the right direction if you find yourself lost. There was one moment where I had stopped myself from touching an item, thinking it was part of Casa Loma, and it's greatly discouraged to touch any historical artifacts that may decorate the room. There will be signs to easily identify if something is part of history instead of the game, just be mindful of the space and all will be good. The item in question didn't have a sign, but it was such a beautifully built prop that truly fit with the mansion's vintage charm, I worried that a sign was simply missing. The knight helpfully pointed out it was something I could happily explore though, which was all kinds of awesome, because the item turned out to be a major clue! The dragons need your help to survive, and you just might get to meet one during your race against the clock! Accessibility at Casa Loma I have been lapse in my normal physical activity for a couple of years now, but was able to get up the series of staircases with a bit of heavy breathing. So, be aware that climbing is involved, but don't let that discourage you from playing unless you have physical restrictions that would make going up numerous stairs impossible for you. While most areas of Casa Loma are wheelchair accessible, the Dragon's Song game is in a section of the building that is not. Did Team #DragonChasers Win? Yes and No... See, if you've ever been in the same room as a single blogger, you'll know that (for better or worse) their camera is always on. We tend to be 24/7 reporters and photographers without an off-switch. Now imagine being in a room with nine bloggers. All of whom are playing the game to have fun, but to also report their expectations and experience to you on their blogs. While attempting to give 100% to win the game, we couldn't help our nature by stopping to take pictures of the incredible set design, while being mindful of not capturing answers in the backgrounds. So, in reality, we were ten minutes off the mark. BUT, if we weren't so preoccupied in taking so many pictures, I wholeheartedly believe that we would have completed our task on time. Please note that normal escape room etiquette would have your phone locked away in a box that you'll be able to pick up once the fun has ended. Cameras are not allowed in the game room, 'cause it's no fun if you accidentally reveal the answers or the ending of the story on Twitter. Celebrate Your Win (or Loss) at CIBO One particularly awesome perk of playing a Secret City escape room is the toast you can give your team after your hard-fought battle. Visit any CIBO Wine Bar location in Toronto after your game (for adults 19+ with same-day escape room ticket in hand), and receive a complimentary glass of prosecco or house wine to celebrate or commiserate with your friends! More Reviews of The Dragon's Song I'll add my fellow Toronto bloggers' reviews when I find them so you can explore The Dragon's Song as much as possible before you play! Saving Dragons: The Ultimate Escape Room Adventure at Casa LomaPlaying The Dragon’s Song – Casa Loma’s newest escape roomHunting for dragons at Casa Loma’s newest escape game: the Dragon’s SongWe Choose Today: The Magic of the Dragon's SongThe Blessing Bucket: Save Dragons in a Real Castle Dragon’s Song, o novo jogo de escape room da Casa Loma (Portuguese)Escape Room na Casa Loma: Dragon’s Song (Portuguese)

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Technology. Collectibles. Travel.

Technology. Collectibles. Travel.