I don't think I've been tricked so many times in one game. 

overview

A private art gallery in Back Bay has become home to the world’s largest diamond, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Assembled in your secret hideout you have the blueprints, the inside knowledge of the gallery’s security detail, and all the tools you’ll need to execute your master plan. Now you just need to break into the gallery and get your hands on the diamond without getting caught!

You have only one chance, and one hour, to get it right. Today you determine your destiny: a lifetime of untold riches, or a decade behind bars?

Heist themes are often difficult to pull off right, especially art gallery themes. They're specifically designed to be bland in the decor, and all about those special moments. And boy, did this heist have special moments. 

This multi-room game has secret compartments, plenty of surprises, and one of the most evil things an escape room has ever done to me. The less you know about this experience, the better. 

In hindsight, the first act is a bit stronger than the second, but overall the experience is still fantastic. This is one of the high-quality rooms in Massachusetts. 

quick stats

gameplay time: 60 minutes

recommended team size: 3-5 players

difficulty: 2/5

scare level: less than 1/5

location: Cambridge, MA

website: https://redfoxescapes.com/

considerations: -at least one player must crawl -fog effects used -loud alarm used

important notes: you must buy at least 4 tickets to play. you don't need to bring 4 people, but you must buy 4 tickets. 

scenery

The heist starts where every good heist has to - the secret hideout. I can't describe it, because it's secret. Duh. It's in this base that we'll start planning our heist and getting the tools for the job. The base looks like it jumped right out of any classic heist movie, and it's a fun place to be in. The attention to detail is very noticeable, as all of their posters and props are genuine and real. It's always fun when you find a room where almost nothing was specifically created for the game. 

Cat burglars will make their way out of the base and try to find a way into the museum. This space allows them to test their newfound tools and acts as a warm-up for the actual heist. Although players will likely spend less than 2 minutes in this room, it's meticulously designed and masterfully crafted. It looks gorgeous. 

Through one of the most fun entrances I've seen in a while, thieves enter the actual gallery. After fixing a minor issue or two, they'll be able to freely explore the gallery and walk among the art, looking for the diamond. Secrets are hidden everywhere, and be rest assured the diamond is well protected in its hiding place. 

The gallery looks like, well, an art gallery. It's not as exciting or well-designed as the earlier parts of the set, but it gets the job done. It's mostly a lot of white walls and light shining on the art, which is the main focus of the gallery. 

The art is real art, and it fits right in. Red Fox got artists to build real art pieces inside their room. Part of the fun of the game is just looking at all the art around you. But you can only focus on that for so long, because that diamond isn't stealing itself!

puzzles

Here's the really interesting thing. At about 15 minutes in, you gain access to the diamond. A simple challenge is all that stands between you and riches beyond measure. But of course, it couldn't be that easy. Red Fox uses ingenious tech to make one of the most evil interactions I've ever seen. I'm both furious and I love it, even days after. 

The first act is a chain of high-tech, immersive, traditional escape room puzzles, with a bunch of cool interactions as well. But the second half is drastically different. Pretty much every puzzle is proudly on display in the art, allowing you to solve them in virtually any order, with the game ending once you complete all the puzzles and find the diamond. 

The second act's puzzles don't feel traditional, either. They weren't very grounded in the storyworld, but they weren't meant to be. Rather, they feel like they came right out of a puzzle book and were drastically improved. It feels oddly similar to something MIT does, where they bring their incoming freshmen to the aquarium to solve these puzzles on pieces of paper in any order they wish. That's not to say the gallery's puzzles were bad, they were just untraditional. 

Depending on the kind of person you are, it's extremely likely you'll like one half better than the other. Either way, Red Fox knows how to construct fun and interesting puzzles. 

pros and cons

pro: engaging set!

con: nobody wants to do math in a heist.

pro: multiple standout "wow" moments!

con: because of the two drastically different halves, the quality of puzzles has a big range. 

pro: one of the biggest tricks i've ever seen in an escape game!

pro/con: you'll likely enjoy one half way more than the other. puzzle fans will appreciate the second half more, and traditional escape roomers or people looking for more immersive experiences will like the first better. 

pro: real art!

overall

Red Fox Escapes has been catching my eye for some time now. I'm glad I finally got to visit, as their rooms are unique and stand out from the traditional rooms out there. The Heist is a good on-boarding for newer players, and it has a variety of puzzles from each style of game. It's a well made game in the middle of downtown Cambridge, and it's clever in so many different ways. The game space has so many secret passages I can't even count, and every piece of art is engaged with in a neat and fun way. This is one of the better games I've played. 

rating

8/10