Escape Hull: Darker Side of Hull

Museum Mosey

Another room with links to the local area- great!

Story

You're on the night shift at Hull's History Museum but your colleague has disappeared...um, so I think you just had to get out? I'm still none the wiser having played the game.

Puzzles

The vast majority were to do with ships (I expand on this in the next section). A bit of teamwork was needed at the start, after which our group was reunited to crack on with the rest. We needed a couple of hints, but the last part of the game was certainly the easiest compared to some of the preceding tasks. I took an educated guess for one of the puzzles; when I was shown the proper way to work it out, it made sense but seemed a bit too inconspicuous. Information in the game is provided by a local historian, which is a lovely touch.

Mise-en-scène

It was a museum, yes, but...a nautical one. The finer details such as an opening plaque and donations box were included, and the paintings, models and other objects on display were authentic...but they were entirely ship-related. I understand that Hull has a rich maritime history, but, from the title, I was expecting to be solving puzzles in a dark, gruesome and sombre set of exhibits. There was a mere trickle of this genre shoved in. Two of us being locked in the caretaker's closet at the start was my highlight, but this doesn't say much about the rest of the room.

Final Comments

'The Darker Side of Hull' is a misleading title. However, if you want a fun, agreeable escape, take a team of three.