Time Run expands
Even while we were away in Budapest, we could still feel the excitement stirring in the loins of UK-based escape fans, as Time Run announced their second game. With its huge production values, Time Run is widely regarded as one of the best sites in the country, and would appear to have been a huge success, perhaps unexpectedly given their website URL has a hyphen in it.
One would rightly assume that a new game would therefore be more of the same: another three time zones to adventure through. But initial reports suggest otherwise. The story is in line with what we’ve seen before:
“A rogue goddess, once imprisoned, has broken free of her shackles – the titular Celestial Chain – and is moving freely through time; wreaking havoc and leaving a trail of devastation in her wake. Time Runners must journey from the distant past to the far-flung future , gathering lost and concealed artefacts to bind the goddess once again; or risk the end of the world as we know it.”
However the rest of the press release tells a different story. Highlights include:
- “a set amount of time in each time period”
- “in just over two hours, seven teams will be able complete the experience”
- “a number of possible endings”
- “teams of 3-4 people”
- “An exemplary scoring system will enable teams to chart their achievements against other Runners and offers the opportunity to return time and again to beat previous scores.”
The original Time Run game was unique in that it used the three time periods you moved through to increase the customer throughput: the next group can start on period one while the last group is in period three, and period two is being reset. It was a neat idea but it did mean that you were essentially not allowed to get too far ahead or behind. The new game seems to take this even further – one would speculate that you’ll be playing through 4-5 zones, each with their own time limit and goals, contributing to a final score and ending. Which should make for a adrenaline-fuelled, if nerve-wracking experience!
The last point, of course, is the escape room holy grail (which may well be one of the artefacts we’re collecting). A game that players will want to come back and replay, without feeling cheated, or finding the second play-through trivial. It’s not really been done successfully yet, and my more cynical side does wonder if a game where the ticket price is the best part of fifty quid per person might not be the one that cracks it, but we shall see!
About the Author
Dean Love Dean is a professional writer who has worked for The Mail On Sunday, The Digital Fix, MicroMart and others.
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