The Cellar
Our investigation, the case of the three missing merchants, led us to Sam’s wine cellar on Flynt Street in Harwood Ward. That fateful place where in 1957 – almost exactly 20 years ago – Sam Benett‘s wife and two children fell victim to a terrible fire. In order not to arouse suspicion, we pretend to be lovers of good wine and work on being invited into the wine tavern for a drink so that we can take a closer look around. But things are not going quite as planned …
Last Wish, in the Athens district of Neos Kosmos, has opened The Cellar in 2020 and call it a psychological thriller / horror. The running time is 100 minutes. This adventure is for players 18 years and over, and includes actors (which is stated on the website).
A second adventure, Omertá, which will be set in the same Cosmos – the community of Harwood – is already being planned and is of course on our to-do list for 2021.
The Cellar has a strong plot, beautiful scenery and a well-done introduction that makes us part of the story set in the village of Harwood in 1976. The decorations in front of, and especially in, the wine cellar are made with great attention to detail (right down to the smell of wine). The atmosphere, which changes several times, becoming noticeably darker and more intense as the game progresses. It is enhanced by the audio-visual effects and music which is adapted to the story, and the presence of actors which keeps the players on alert. The transitions to the different settings are well done. The entire venue is quite comfortable in terms of space.
The puzzles were in theme and above average in quantity and quality for a horror game. The gameplay is well balanced, and our team usually knew what to do and where to go, with no major hang-ups. A puzzle in the final phase requires the cooperation of all players but is rather complicated by the external circumstances and can therefore turn out to be a time-consuming challenge, although the actual task is crystal clear. Luckily, we had Enric as an “acoustic lighthouse”, who was a wonderful beacon to attract things that lurk in the dark (and in the dark shadows his skill shone even brighter).
During the game there are a few passages with physical contact. Just to give a warning to those who do not like this. Maybe there is a way to regulate this in advance. For me, the actors did a good job, keeping us in suspense and catching us out with some unexpected jumpscares. The timing was good, and we laughed more than we screamed – at least two third of us did!
You can feel that the people who work here do it with fun and passion and are proud of their project – and rightly so. After the game there will be enough time for debriefing, comments and feedback.
The Cellar is recommended for teams with a group size of 3-4 players.
