From time to time, we like to feature toys that are not stuffed animals. This time the exception goes to Mattel and their new Escape Room board game.
Escape rooms have become quite popular over the past few years. If you’re new to them, you take a few friends and go to a special room where you are locked in.
Then, like in the movies, you have to solve a series of puzzles, codes and find objects and clues to escape the room. And some challenges even feature two or more rooms you have to escape in order to complete it.
Some rooms also measure the time it takes to escape and have additional prizes for the fastest teams. According to ToyNews, in 2016 more than 13.4 million people in the US alone went to Escape rooms.
So, Mattel has seen a market niche here. And it’s banking on it with it’s own Escape Room in A Box: The Werewolf Experiment board game. In this game the goal is to stop a mad scientist and you have to solve a series of puzzles, codes and clues. And you have a time limit – one hour. If you fail, you have to start from the beginning.
“We are continuing to expand our games business with on-trend and relevant games, and Escape Room in A Box is the latest addition to the growing Mattel Games portfolio,” said Ray Adler, senior director, Global Games at Mattel to ToyNews. “We know that in a digitally focused world, consumers are gravitating toward social game play. This new introduction brings friends and families together to re-create the thrill captured in the entertainment experience.”
“Once players open the game they have been “exposed” to a virus that will turn them into werewolves. Players are given one-hour to solve 19 puzzles and find the codes to open three-locks to ultimately escape the virus, and the room”. You can even connect the game to Amazon Alexa to keep the time, ask questions for hints and listen to a special soundtrack as you play. The game hits the stores this November in the US for $29.99. Soon after, it will also make its way to Europe. And if it’s successful, we expect to see other editions and stories later on.
