Escape this Podcast - Episode 1 - Alex's Bathroom by James Spaid

Review by victorvortex

Some good challenging stuff here. I love being able to play the early Escape the Podcast episodes that I haven't been able to go back and listen to yet. Thanks for your hard work!

Review by trollpro

INTRODUCTION.
You are in the apartment of a person whom you know only as Alex. Alex didn't strike you as a crazy person when you two met tonight, but then, crazy people never do, do they? After a few hours of getting to know each other - assuming anything either of you said was true - you felt comfortable enough to go to Alex's apartment for the rest of the evening. Whether alcohol played a role in that decision, who can say?

The apartment gives off an unnerving air of transience; it's as if this isn't a true living space, with its plain decor and inhuman tidiness. There isn't a trace of a flaw, a mistake, or even a passion. It might as well be a hotel room. It gives you goose bumps, and with that prickling feeling, you excuse yourself to Alex and head for the bathroom.

You enter and examine your surroundings. Well, you've found all the flaws. The decrepitness of this bathroom is in stark opposition to the rest of what you have seen in Alex's pristine apartment. As you take in the surprising change of aesthetic, there is a click in the door behind you.

You realize the bathroom door is shut, though you never shut it. Pulling does nothing. On the wall you spot a key code panel.

A chilling laugh comes from the other side of the door. "Soon," says Alex. You hear footsteps walking away.

Soon? What's 'soon'?

You probably shouldn't wait around to find out.

Review by DavyB

I initially spotted this game series last year before it was moderated. Several episodes appeared at the same time so I assumed it was one game cut up into several pieces. That’s not the case, however. Each game is individual, though they share the same look and feel, and are all single room puzzles.

There are many reasons to be enthusiastic about these games. One rarity is that they all have fully documented designs. This is because they were developed, by Dani Siller, in Australia, as table-top role-playing games. Also, all the games have been played out and recorded by Dani and her husband Bill Sunderland on their show “Escape this Podcast” giving the games another dimension to enjoy. Dani acts as Puzzlemaster, guiding guests through the games within the hour each takes to play.

James Spaid has taken on the daunting task of turning these into text adventures…daunting because of the number of games involved and the fact that more are still appearing! He has done an excellent job, however, with the nine completed so far, judging by this, the first one I have attempted. The look, writing and sound effects are all very impressive. The standard of difficulty is well chosen, and there are extensive hints for those stuck or impatient. Admittedly, the implementation currently has a few wrinkles, but these should be easy to fix (and indeed I’m happy to help!), so when done, this is a game I would strongly recommend to everyone.