"Against my better judgement... I'm impressed."

overview

Your group takes on the role of a team of archaeologists, tasked with unsealing the newly-discovered tomb of a long forgotten Pharaoh. Once inside its pitch black halls, you’ll have only your wits and a flashlight to guide you. But tread carefully – the mighty Pharaoh is not happy with your intrusion into his resting place!

This tomb is filled with ancient riddles, deathtraps to outsmart, and tests of skill and courage. It’s up to you to solve Pharaoh’s challenges, find his burial chamber, and set his spirit free… or fail, and face his wrath.

So. Uh. No biggie. 

quick stats

gameplay time: 30 minutes

recommended team size: 3-5 players

difficulty: 2/5

scare level: 2/5

location: various (we went to Albany, NY)

website: https://5-wits.com/

considerations: -fog effects used -air cannons used -low lighting conditions, including some moments of pitch black darkness

5 Wits is technically not an escape room. i'll explain how it works.

5 Wits is a company that designs 30 minute adventures spanning 3 rooms. One group will be in a room at a given time, meaning 3 groups will be in an adventure at the same time but never see each other. This allows 5 Wits to send in groups every 10-15 minutes, and this is why bookings are optional at 5 Wits. 

5 Wits adventures are all computer run. The computer monitors every puzzle, seeing how quickly a given group solves it, and runs programming for lights, doors, and activates other puzzles. This allows for staff to have an easier job and check cameras less often. 

The puzzles are all resettable by computer as well. If a group had a puzzle making them move objects from A to B, the next group will be assigned a puzzle making them move those objects from B to A. Because puzzles are all run by a computer, there are no padlocks or small objects (in most cases, there won't be objects at all, everything will be in a fixed place). The computer also keeps track of your score, which shows you how well you did once you complete the adventure. Puzzle solving time, hidden secrets, and bonus puzzles all factor into your score. 

If you do not solve a puzzle in time, the room will find an excuse to skip the puzzle, and move on. You won't have to finish the puzzle, but your score (and possibly your ending) may be affected by unsolved puzzles. 

5 Wits adventures are heavily on the easier side of the escape room spectrum. Pretty much everyone should be able to solve the puzzles. Adventures instead focus much more on storytelling, crafting a meaningful story from beginning to end through lighting, sound, lore, and puzzles, with no reading required. This has sparked a series of negative reviews, saying it was too easy or not puzzly enough. Know what you're getting yourself into, people. 

5 Wits was never meant to be challenging. 5 Wits was meant to be an immersive experience like no other escape room you've ever seen, and I think they've achieved that. And that basically sums up what 5 Wits is, but in my heart, I will always define it as "an escape room for theater kids". 

scenery

5 Wits adventures always deliver on the wow factor, and Tomb is no different. It's got three massive Egyptian tomb sets, a lowering ceiling, beautifully carved canopic jars, a lowering ceiling, a full size sarcophagus and mummy, a lowering ceiling, and a larger than life pharaoh statue. Did I mention it has a lowering ceiling?!

Unlike the other 5 Wits adventures, each room is pretty similar in theming. Each of the three rooms take place in one of the tomb's many large rooms, complete with columns, sandstone floors, and of course, hieroglyphics and paintings everywhere. It looks gorgeous. 

The best part of having all rooms pretty similar is that it allows 5 Wits to really go to town and show off their skills with lights. Even when you're not solving puzzles, you're marveling at the light show that's going on every time the Pharaoh talks, even if he is calling you an idiot. 

This might be the scariest out of all the 5 Wits adventures, and that's competing with a giant squid, a dragon, and explosions. Except this time, the real fear is the unknown. There are multiple moments where you're left in a pitch dark tomb, or when you have to reach your hand into mysterious holes. We all love doing that in spooky escape rooms.

Tomb is one of the best sets I've ever seen, and it all comes to life through the lighting design. My inner Egyptologist was going insane during this. 

puzzles

If there's one thing I've learned from escape rooms, it's that the easiest way to get around the "puzzles don't fit into the story" roadblock is to center your story around someone/something forcing you to do puzzles. Tomb is a primary example of a room using this ploy successfully. The Pharaoh will only let the truly worthy enter his burial chamber, because come on, man, it's his personal space and he's been feeling very vulnerable and protective these past few milenniums. He's decided to test explorers and see if they are worthy enough to enter his burial chamber and help him with something extremely personal, in exchange for them not being brutally killed in his tomb. 

And boom. Just like that, it makes perfect sense why we're solving a bunch of puzzles in a tomb. It's such a clever design that can work so well when you do it right. 

The Pharaoh's puzzles all test different parts of the mind. He tests your sight, sound, speed, courage, teamwork, and work under pressure. Emphasis on the courage part - be prepared to nervously put your arm into a glowing jar, not sure if it will come out again (with a very loud hiss of an air cannon). 

The puzzles are all well designed, and definitely on the easier side, because 5 Wits tries to appeal to all levels of escape room players. However, there are a ton of bonus puzzles that can only be unlocked by quick and smart puzzlers. We were lucky enough to experience a second round of a puzzle involving floor tiles, after doing the first round incredibly quickly. Almost every puzzle in Tomb has an added challenge for those who complete it quickly, to make sure nobody's waiting for a group in front of them. This completely revolutionizes the game, ensuring all skill levels are kept busy. 

However, two moments were broken in our second playthrough of the game. A deposit tube didn't function as intended, and we had to trip the sensor with our hands to continue the game. Near the end, a light puzzle proved finicky, as all light puzzles do (although to their credit, it's difficult to make them work). These hindered our enjoyment slightly, but the rest of the experience was so amazing that it entirely made up for it. Just make sure to take your phone into the last room, just in case. (But don't use it anywhere else. It will ruin the game and I will hate you.)

I've gone this far without mentioning the opening scene. Each 5 Wits adventure begins with an epic sequence (being teleported, fairy tale creatures physically breaking out of a book, wire cutting, debugging a rug shop, secret painting passageway), but after all these years, Tomb's sticks out the most. After a very quick warm-up puzzle, you're in the tomb with nothing but your wits and a flashlight, and what results is a sequence that made my heart race. It's the most badass and terrifying opening I've ever seen, and I still think about how something so simple could be so effective. (To be fair, I haven't really done any horror games yet, so this is probably mild in comparison to those.) 5 Wits minded every detail to create an unforgettable game. 

pros and cons

pro: incredible theming!

con: light puzzle is finicky. might need to polish those plates, 5 Wits. similarly, a certain tube at the start should be smoother. 

pro: light work compliments the room!

pro/con: 5 Wits advertises themselves as "family friendly". for the most part this is true. still, I would not bring anybody under 9 to Tomb. it's spooooooooky. 

pro: neat puzzles that go along with the story!

pro: tons of hidden bonus puzzles and challenges!

pro: the Pharaoh has a lot of funny voice lines!

pro: no bookings required!

overall

What can I say? 5 Wits is probably the best escape room company on the planet (or escape room adjacent). They consistently produce amazing games with plenty of surprising and incredible moments, and top that off with a beautiful set, tons of special effects, and the willpower to do anything, and you have yourself a must-visit attraction. They're soon releasing a new murder mystery adventure taking place in a Victorian manor, and you bet I'm gonna be first in line. While I dearly miss 5 Wits Foxboro and the incredible work done there, I'm glad the title carries on and amazes customers for years to come. 

rating

9.5/10