6 ms·

Is there anyone here who is greatly familiar with the overall scene/industry in the U.S.? I’m heavily into the scene in Tokyo and I’d love to compare notes. Bas

by level3 8y ago

Is there anyone here who is greatly familiar with the overall scene/industry in the U.S.? I’m heavily into the scene in Tokyo and I’d love to compare notes. Based on articles like this one, I sense there are a lot of differences, but I’d also like to hear more anecdotes/perspectives from the consumer side.

lovemenot 8y ago
I live in Tokyo but hadn't heard about this. Could you please recomment a couple.
- level3 8y ago
  How good is your Japanese? There are a ton of games in Tokyo, but if you can't read/speak Japanese your choices will be limited. In any case, ideally you should go with people you know, since communication will be important. First off, there are four general types of escape games in Japan: 1) Room-type (single team trapped in a room/series of rooms) 2) Hall-type (multiple teams at separate tables in a conference room/hall) 3) Stadium-type (large areas like convention centers/stadiums, sometimes with no limit to team size) 4) Field-type (no team size limit and no time limit; play area ranges from in-store to city-wide) In general, room-types are the best experience for beginners, since they are more immersive, you don't have the distraction of other teams, you're free to talk/make noise without fear of spoiling other teams, and you have the staff's full attention. I get the impression that the majority of games outside Japan are room-type, while hall-type and field-type are much more common in Japan. If you just want to get the feel for what kind of puzzles you'll have to solve, field-types are low-investment, and are less stressful since you can solve them at your own pace. Most of the games I would usually recommend for beginners aren't running, but out of the ones that are (that I've already played), I would suggest these if your Japanese is fine: - 時空研究所からの脱出 (room-type) - 下北沢謎解き街歩き (field-type) - ある牢獄からの脱出1&2 (room-type; highly recommend going with a full group you know) - マグノリア銀行からの脱出 (hall-type) - のび太の宝島からの脱出 (hall-type; better if you like Doraemon) These are also okay for beginners but may be better if it's not your first time: - 2099年からの脱出 (room-type; this is a sequel of sorts to 時空研究所からの脱出) - 不思議な晩餐会へようこそ (hall-type; the tables use projection mapping to advance the story) - Escape from the Red Room (room-type; also can be played in English) - The Mummy Escape Game (room-type) - ある都市伝説からの脱出 (room-type; it's an escape game + haunted house, so only if you like horror) - アイドルは100万回死ぬ2 (room-type; this one's a "time-loop game" where instead of solving puzzles you're trying to figure out how to successfully break the time loop, but very fun even for those who aren't good at puzzle-solving) - Any of the Detective Conan games (hall-type) - ドラキュラ城からの脱出 (hall-type) - 監獄アルバトロスからの脱出 (room-type) All of the suggestions above are SCRAP-produced games, since I feel they're entertaining even for beginners, especially if you're not sure whether you'll like escape games in the first place. If you can't read/speak Japanese: - Escape from the Red Room (mentioned above) - Mystery Mail Box Global Edition (field-type) - Tokyo Metro: The Underground Mysteries (field-type; the play area is city-wide, taking you to various Metro stations; not currently running but they've run one every year, generally starting in October) - Any of the Escape Hunt Tokyo (recently rebranded as Nazobako)-produced games (room-type)
  - lovemenot 8y ago
    Thank you so much for a very thorough answer. To be honest, my Japanese is ok, but probably not good enough for this type of game. Nevertheless I am now considering making a team of people who would work well in such an environment as room-type, since we'd all be beginners. Thanks again.

by level3 8y ago

lovemenot 8y ago

I live in Tokyo but hadn't heard about this. Could you please recomment a couple.

level3 8y ago
How good is your Japanese? There are a ton of games in Tokyo, but if you can't read/speak Japanese your choices will be limited. In any case, ideally you should go with people you know, since communication will be important. First off, there are four general types of escape games in Japan: 1) Room-type (single team trapped in a room/series of rooms) 2) Hall-type (multiple teams at separate tables in a conference room/hall) 3) Stadium-type (large areas like convention centers/stadiums, sometimes with no limit to team size) 4) Field-type (no team size limit and no time limit; play area ranges from in-store to city-wide) In general, room-types are the best experience for beginners, since they are more immersive, you don't have the distraction of other teams, you're free to talk/make noise without fear of spoiling other teams, and you have the staff's full attention. I get the impression that the majority of games outside Japan are room-type, while hall-type and field-type are much more common in Japan. If you just want to get the feel for what kind of puzzles you'll have to solve, field-types are low-investment, and are less stressful since you can solve them at your own pace. Most of the games I would usually recommend for beginners aren't running, but out of the ones that are (that I've already played), I would suggest these if your Japanese is fine: - 時空研究所からの脱出 (room-type) - 下北沢謎解き街歩き (field-type) - ある牢獄からの脱出1&2 (room-type; highly recommend going with a full group you know) - マグノリア銀行からの脱出 (hall-type) - のび太の宝島からの脱出 (hall-type; better if you like Doraemon) These are also okay for beginners but may be better if it's not your first time: - 2099年からの脱出 (room-type; this is a sequel of sorts to 時空研究所からの脱出) - 不思議な晩餐会へようこそ (hall-type; the tables use projection mapping to advance the story) - Escape from the Red Room (room-type; also can be played in English) - The Mummy Escape Game (room-type) - ある都市伝説からの脱出 (room-type; it's an escape game + haunted house, so only if you like horror) - アイドルは100万回死ぬ2 (room-type; this one's a "time-loop game" where instead of solving puzzles you're trying to figure out how to successfully break the time loop, but very fun even for those who aren't good at puzzle-solving) - Any of the Detective Conan games (hall-type) - ドラキュラ城からの脱出 (hall-type) - 監獄アルバトロスからの脱出 (room-type) All of the suggestions above are SCRAP-produced games, since I feel they're entertaining even for beginners, especially if you're not sure whether you'll like escape games in the first place. If you can't read/speak Japanese: - Escape from the Red Room (mentioned above) - Mystery Mail Box Global Edition (field-type) - Tokyo Metro: The Underground Mysteries (field-type; the play area is city-wide, taking you to various Metro stations; not currently running but they've run one every year, generally starting in October) - Any of the Escape Hunt Tokyo (recently rebranded as Nazobako)-produced games (room-type)
- lovemenot 8y ago
  Thank you so much for a very thorough answer. To be honest, my Japanese is ok, but probably not good enough for this type of game. Nevertheless I am now considering making a team of people who would work well in such an environment as room-type, since we'd all be beginners. Thanks again.