Hope End has been one of my most anticipated rooms, as it is the best ranked room in southern California. As the room is spooky and didn’t allow children under 12, the Capyparents went along with our extended family while the kids were at grandma’s house.
As soon as you walk in the immersive theater starts, with the very, very chipper intern Janice getting us set up for the room. She gave us the backstory and asked for info about us, which ends up in a cool investigation report you get to keep later. Very awesome keepsake, and probably the best one I’ve seen so far.
Once it starts, the spooky purveyor of Hope End, Dolores Wright, appears from the darkness and guides you into the first part of the experience, which is a split start. This room is fairly standard, requiring both sides to work together, but most of the first part is essentially searching and communication.
The highlight of the experience for me was the next part, in which the theater part shines strongly. Great use of the actress and the environment here, as well as a very thematic and interactive logic puzzle. Nothing new per se, but one of the best themed implementation of it I’ve ever seen.
You’re then left alone in the last room, which is 5 different non-linear puzzles that make great use of the room and the theme. I will note that due to its age, there are some components that weren’t 100% working. Luckily, they didn’t prevent forward progress, but did require some GM intervention.
Overall, it’s very clear that Hope End does 2 things very well: the atmosphere/acting, and the tying of the puzzles to the theme. Enthusiasts who demand brain boggling puzzles might be disappointed, but for everyone else, Hope End is a must try and easily proves the hype real.
Team Capybara 
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