Bad Machine
Every great escape room trip also needs a critic, someone who is not completely enthusiastic about everything they see. Escape games is an established term in Finland,which is used as much as the word escape room.
I am used to the fact that it is a game, not just an experience. I have traveled the world and “played” escape rooms in almost thirty countries, there are of course many regional differences, but China made me redefine an escape room in my mind. I think that in an escape room, your own presence/action should be important in order to reach the goal, if you are just a moving spectator in a show, then it is more of an immersive theater, which many escape rooms in China were for me.
The next experience is an adventure in a toy factory. I have always liked games of this theme and based on the name, this was the game I was looking forward to on our list.
It’s the year 2048, amidst massive robot riots caused by Dr. Emma’s robot research, a robot extinction law has been enacted, which is being steadily implemented. However, we happen to come across a flyer for a robot factory. Due to the hefty salary promised in the advertisement, we decide to inquire more about it. So, let’s get to the adventure.
It quickly becomes clear inside the factory that this is a truly character-driven experience, the actors are incredibly good in their roles. Bad Machine offers the best costumes I’ve ever seen in an escape room. Large, clear factory spaces, and in the Chinese way, an incredibly fine sounds and musics.
As the adventure progresses, we laugh and cry, the game digs out many different emotions from us, offers experiences, mechanics as they are called in China, but in the right proportion, so that they don’t feel unnecessary.
The characters in the story are incredibly evil, super cute, funny and scary, and above all, they tell us a very touching story. One of the main characters in our adventure does such a great mime role that this is the best character I’ve ever encountered in an escape room.
The game also offers a nice amount of functionality and sometimes you have to run and work out in a sweaty hat, which is a refreshing counterbalance to just being a spectator. Unlike many other experiences on the trip, Bad Machine also has a few tasks that we can complete during the story.
A big part of China’s great horror experiences are also the ending credits, we get to meet the characters in the story once again and see great effects and music chosen for the game, Bad Machine’s ending credits were also definitely bull’s eye.
In the end, however, I escaped for my life, leaving the factory behind. I have to admit so this really was an escape(room)Factory, and an incredibly good one.
