Over the years we have been lucky to work with lots of exciting locations all over the country to devise fiendish puzzles and mysteries.
Mystery at the Museum- The Search for Dippy
Natural History Museum is re-imagined in 1905
The search for Dippy
The stunning Hinze Hall await the suspects
The Search for Dippy - Natural History Museum
The year is 1905 and guests had been invited to a special preview of the newest display at the Natural History Museum - 'Dippy the Diplodocus'. But when the guests arrived the curators were in a panic... something was amiss! A note was found suggesting a crime was going to be committed! Hundreds of guests had to question suspects and track down the culprit before the King and notables arrived for the display's launch the following night. This escape room-like game had guests exploring the Museum after hours while they found clues and interviewed the six suspects, all of whom had something to hide. Which were lying and which were trying to help? The challenge was on!
Joseph Harrison - a suspect for Sherlock Holmes in Portsmouth
William Spalding - a curious case for Sherlock Holmes in Portsmouth
Elena Norton - a lady of intrigue for Sherlock Holmes in Portsmouth
Violet Hunter - a person of suspicion for Sherlock Holmes in Portsmouth
Holmes and Watson investigating the case of the Missing Chivalry
Hilda Hope - an enigma for Sherlock Holmes in Portsmouth
Robert Moran - somehow familiar for Sherlock Holmes in Portsmouth
Sherlock Holmes at the Festival of Christmas at Portsmouth Dockyard
Sherlock Holmes and Festival of Christmas
As part of the Festival of Christmas in 2017, Sherlock Holmes recruited Irregulars on the streets of the Dockyard with a little help from Torchlight Mysteries. Six suspects were responsible for stealing one of the Orders of Chivalry and it was the ‘Irregulars’ responsibility to find out what happened. Luckily Holmes and Watson were on hand to point out where everyone was going wrong. Hundreds of people signed up and played during the three day Christmas Festival.
The site-wide immersive mystery was commissioned by the Dockyard to encourage people to explore the entire site. Live action actors and online tools allowed players to get into the heart of the action, searching the stalls and markets for our suspects. Once they collected all the information and made their conclusions they could find Holmes and Watson to confirm their deductions. Feedback was excellent with many parents saying it was the entire focus of their visit while their children dragged them around the site looking for suspects. All the suspects agreed the children were asking by far the hardest questions!
Actors from the 1920s recounted stories of Aldershot from 100 years ago.
Actors were part of the problem solving route - you just needed to ask the correct questions
Operation Secret Window - Aldershot 2021
Immersive actors who kept in character and period - had plenty of information about the Town
Most teams took one hour to complete the challenge
The route took the players around the Town Centre of Aldershot
Operation Secret Window
Especially created for Rushmoor Borough Council Operation Secret Window was an outdoor adventure game with escape room clues and immersive actors. The game utilised six window art installations created to celebrate the heritage of Aldershot Town Centre. Each window reflected a shop or business from the past one hundred years and the game involved players locating shops that stood one hundred years ago. By asking actors placed on the route relevant questions they could lead you to a shop that stood for over 150 years - a musical shop on Potters Corner. Most teams successfully completed the challenge in one hour. Special congratulations to team “Missing in Action” who completed the route in 37 mins! They had played Operation Secret Agent (a 1940s themed outdoor escape room) and attended the Heritage Tours Torchlight Tours had provided earlier that month. It pays to do your research!
(photos by Rushmoor Borough Council - Shaun Jackson)
