It didn’t take much to convince me to take a trip to outer space. (No, I didn’t have a boarding pass for a Space X flight.) Instead, I climbed aboard Earthrise One: an innovative escape room set on a space shuttle.
Fresh from watching Alien Romulus, I was primed and ready to explore an abandoned space station containing a mysterious biological element. The immersive design enhanced the sense of urgency amongst our team of space cadets, as we worked together to solve the mystery of what happened aboard the high-tech space station. 
My expectations were sky high. The game’s co-creators – Medusa RPG – won my heart this winter with their production of Mysterion at the Hellenic Museum. And my teammates were no strangers to escape rooms, immersive theatrical experiences, and memorable moments.
Earthrise One delivered.
The escape crew veteran on our team described the game as a “unique new narrative escape room experience that felt quite different to what I’ve seen before.”
The producers (PlayReactive and Medusa RPG) take escape room design to a new level by combining dramatic storytelling, immersive design, and puzzles. The puzzles were varied – giving everyone on our team their own moment to shine. With physical dexterity, memory, mathematics, and thinking outside the box all coming in to play. 
Whilst the premise was dramatic, there were also moments of silliness sprinkled throughout the game. It’s light on horror, but there was plenty to get our hearts racing. (Such as the eminent threat of our space station colliding with a planet.) The detailed set design created a fully immersive experience. Even radioing for help to ‘ground control’ was crafted as part of the narrative.
The Earthrise One website boasts a lengthy list of five-star reviews and I hope they amass the following they deserve. They’re producing engaging, imaginative, and considered games. 
If you want to support more unique experiences in Melbourne the team is launching a Kickstarter for their new escape room brainchild: Star Crew. Inspired by Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, they’re shooting for the moon with other worldly designs. And you can join in on the fun. The fundraising campaign kicks off with a free afternoon of taskmaster-inspired games aboard the spaceship. Launching on 8 September, AKA National Star Trek Day.
Here’s hoping these creative minds live long and prosper!
– Jenny
Jenny S. is an event adventurer. When she’s not attending live shows, you can find her sipping a creative cocktail and dreaming of life on earth.
Earthrise One is a 60-75 minute experience for 2-6 players, and open to all experience levels.
Level 1, 133 Church Street. Richmond VIC 3121. Book now.
