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Review: Vet Office (Remote) | Fuzzy Logic Escape Room
- Escape Mattster
- Jun 13, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 19, 2021
Fuzzy Logic Escape Room presents...
"VET OFFICE" (Remote Version)
(Played In: June 2020, With 5 Players, Success!)
► VENUE AND GAME INFORMATION ◄
🏢 COMPANY: Fuzzy Logic Escape Room
🏘️ ADDRESS: 130 Ogden Ave, Downers Grove, IL 60515 | Google Map
🗾 COUNTRY: United States
💻 WEBSITE: Company
🕹️ GAME: Vet Office (Remote Version)
💻 WEBSITE: Game Info | To Book This Game (Discount Applied)
⏲️ TIME LIMIT: 60 Minutes 💬 DIFFICULTY: Hard (Official) | Easy To Medium (Mattster)
👨👩👧👦 CAPACITY: Up To 8 Participants
🔐 GAME TYPE: Private
💰 PRICING: $69.99 Per Game
► PREMISE AND OBJECTIVES ◄
Official Premise (from Fuzzy Logic): Animals have gone missing, and all signs point to the local veterinarian! Complete your rescue mission before authorities claim you are accomplices! (An award-winning escape room, this room embraces core escape room techniques and incorporates them in fun ways!)
► ROOM ESSENCE AT A GLANCE ◄
📚 NARRATIVE: Objective is all-ages friendly, a bit of urgency thrown in
👀 VISUAL: A standard but complete set that supports the game suitably
🧩 PUZZLE: Golly gosh! So many of them! :D (Gen 1 locks/keypads based)
🧠 IMMERSION: A tad light, but our avatar does good job at hyping us
🎮 REMOTE INTERFACE: 2 camera angles, plus Trello inventory screen
🏪 VENUE: N/A
💁♂️ STAFF: The very definition of being both affable and hospitable
💭 OVERALL: Really lives up to the brand of being fuzzy and logical!
🎟️ BEST FIT FOR: Family oriented groups, wholesome theme fans
🎫 IDEAL TEAM SIZE: 4 to 5 (experienced), even 6 to 8 (if inexperienced)
Fuzzy Logic Escape Room is officially certified by the NGLCC (National LGBT
Chamber of Commerce) as a business majority-owned by LGBT individuals.
Your patronage helps support diversity and the LGBT community :)
► WHY ARE PETS AFRAID OF THE VET? ◄
Fuzzy Logic Escape Room features an adorable raccoon logo with the critter wearing the letters o and g from "logic" as his spectacles. Cuteness overload, anyone?
And that, to me, is a pretty accurate preview of what you can expect from this company--cute, family friendly, and fuzzy all over.
Well, perhaps not the last one exactly, though it does somewhat pertain to "Vet Office", an escape game involving furry good boys and the titular building. Only one problem: the animals are actually... missing?!
Creatures, big and small, in seem to be all disappearing in the city, and the authorities only have one lead, the local veterinarian could be up to no good. All right, mystery gang, it's time to check in while the doctor is away, and see if we can find the latest missing pet, Mr Mittens the cat! Hurry!
While I do have some burning questions about the plot setup, let's acknowledge that this is a decent premise, especially for their younger audience. You have two clear objectives: 1) Find your feline friend, and 2) get out before getting arrested for breaking and entering.
Our delegate (or avatar), Jayson, who's still a little skittish about the entire mission, (well, it wasn't our fault that you drew the short straw now, was it?) awaited our commands. We can see his live body cam video feed, AND an additional overhead security camera feed. Tech was on our side!
He managed to sneak into the waiting lobby, but had then activated the security system. Now we gotta get him outta there within 60 minutes, or he's toast! Unfortunately, luck was NOT on our side!
With a quick scan of the room through the two camera angles, and some additional photos of the room overview and key items on a Trello-based inventory screen, navigation and investigation were easy.
Now, if I may, let's divert our attention to the Trello-based inventory system for a brief moment:
First of all, prior to this day, I had no idea what a "Trello" is. (Gosh, I am old and falling out of the interweb.) Apparently, "Trello’s boards, lists, and cards enable you to organize and prioritize your projects in a fun, flexible, and rewarding way." Hmmm, so, a collaborative bulletin board.
While Jayson was the "face" of the game, another staff member Andrew was quietly but busily working behind the scene at updating found objects and removing items used on the Trello board for the players in real time. In my, ie the customer's, perspective, this worked smoothly without a hitch.
Great job on an innovative use on an existing internet tool.
Another commendable point: a comprehensive list of all locks to be solved within an area was pinned on the Trello board as well. This simplified our own note taking and enabled us to focus only on solving the puzzles, sparing the frustration of recalling which combo code goes where.
This high level of structural organization was also evident in the puzzles.
If I recall correctly, "Vet Office" was a classic style gen 1 room, with 100% of its puzzles emphasizing on finding the correct combo for locks or keypads.
While this may attract (or repel) specific subsets of the escape room community, I am happy to report that these challenges were thoroughly thought out and executed with precision. If I were to sum it up, it'd be "nice and clean". There's absolutely no misleading red herring at all.
Though a few puzzles fell flat for me due to their predictability, there was at least a good handful that made a lasting impression: some due to their respectable difficulty (one got me staring at a blank, hard), and some naturally because they're fun to do, simple as that.
One in particular would probably have me smirking if I ever walk down a dog toy aisle in the future. So simple, yet the "a-ha!" moment felt so pivotal.
Though not overall too perplexing, this is a very ambitious room with what some may consider an overwhelming amount to do. I consider it "a lot more bang for your buck". Either way, be prepared accordingly!
My team was highly experienced, and Jayson performed phenomenally, being as swift as a... umm... coursing river; we found Mr Mittens, alive and well, with 4 minutes to spare! Considering how much was thrown at us in only 1 short hour, we petted [yes, it's a pun] ourselves on our backs.
Though potentially a family favorite, "Vet Office" has room for improvements.
For instance, I would love to see a more pronounced check in station or window at the waiting lobby area because that would seriously complete the look! That's what struck me as obviously missing while I first arrived, so if incorporated, the added authenticity would greatly benefit the aesthetics.
But way more importantly, why was there no clear explanation at the conclusion? Don't leave me hanging!
Where are all the other (purportedly) kidnapped animals, and will the vet, if found guilty, be punished to the fullest extent of the law?
Those are the questions that will keep me up at night.
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