Prison Island | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
An original creation from Scandinavia, Prison Island has just set up shop in Perth after smash-hit runs on the east coast.
The event is described as an ‘action-game experience’ and at first glance, sounds like some sort of super escape room. You’re invited to form teams of up to five with your friends and family to solve puzzles, smash time limits and clear obstacles – it already sounds like a good time!
Leading up to our stint on Prison Island, I was very curious how the experience would practically break away from the standard escape room formula – which usually revolves around a linear path and one long over-arching puzzle to solve and clinch the win. The differences are all clearly spelled out in the event description, but I just couldn’t envisage how it would play out in reality.
As a team of three, we enter into a courtroom with some fellow groups of escapees-to-be. We are explained the rules – of which there are few – we have 90 minutes to solve as many rooms as we can. There are more than 30 rooms, each marked with a plaque that gives an overview of the challenge within, using a scale that indicates whether the puzzle is a test of strength, technique or intelligence, or even a combination of the three. Etched under the title of each game is a very short hint. That’s it – now we’re in prison.
We’re thrown into a maze of seemingly endless corridors, lined with doors and plaques. There’s no correct path, teams can choose whichever room they please. We open our first door and enter a dimly-lit room with a large ramp on one wall. Wait – so what do we have to do? We start frantically scanning the area for some sort of clue and bouncing theories off one another until suddenly the lights go red. The time limit on this room is up.
We’re so fired up we jump straight back in for another go until we figure it out. Of course, I don’t want to spoil the fun, but I will say I regret coming straight from the office and not wearing sneakers. We fail this one, but hey there’s dozens more to try! From the jump, the Prison Island formula reveals itself to be an innovative and exciting new way to experience this kind of team challenge.
As we open more doors, we’re faced with myriad objects and interfaces that present a new puzzle to solve. Flashing buttons, rock climbing handles, swinging ropes, mysterious machines and basketballs – whatever you stumble upon, the challenge is two-fold: what do we have to do and how do we do it the right way?
Finally, we find our key no longer has the power to open doors. Our 90 minutes is up and we’re all kicking ourselves that it’s over, we were so immersed in the rush of the high-pressure escapades. We’re also surprised to discover there are about 10 rooms we didn’t even enter. Fortunately for the more adventurous, you can tag on more time if you’re not done with your prison hijinx.
Prison Island is as incredibly fun as it is challenging, and it feels like a completely fresh interactive experience. It’s a perfect night out with friends, family, kids or adults – there really is something for everyone. Make sure you get locked up while it’s still in town!
Prison Island is running at 36 – 40 Milligan Street, Perth. For more, head to prisonislandexperience.com
