Escape Stations: Prometheus

In the packed Nottingham escaping scene, Escape Stations is a newer company that’s now starting to register on visiting enthusiasts’ schedules. At present Prometheus is their only physical game, though there’s another one under construction, and the company also offer an unhosted digital game.

Prometheus takes inspiration from Greek mythology, though your initial impression might suggest something different – it’s set in the modern day, and you’re investigating an ancient site uncovered by construction work. I quite liked the resulting incongruity between how it starts and then how it then progresses from mundane to mythical. Our experience was that the earlier sections felt like the tricky part of the game, and as it went on it got more linear and easier to work out where to focus; though that might just have been due to us failing to notice a particular clue.

Prometheus feels, in several respects, quite home made. The downside of that is that the scenery has some rough edges in places; the decor is pretty but didn’t seem to quite reach to some of the corners. We had one tech problem, and while that didn’t particularly interfere with our game, some elements felt a little fragile, ambitious in design but not always equally robust.

On the other hand, that ambition also felt interesting and creative, making for a game with energetic design and no shortage of nice ideas. The Greek mythology makes for some pretty decorations, complementing some cool puzzle ideas; one in particular was something I’d not seen elsewhere, which I rarely get to say these days.

There are certainly plenty of excellent games in Nottingham competing for your time, and Prometheus is one that I suspect some teams will have a great time with, and others not so much, depending on personal preferences and how the team’s experience goes. In places it could use a little more polish or more robust components. But it’s an interesting game with character; and if that appeals, then you should certainly consider including it on your list.