Present, in November 2023, were: The Ant, Aunty Ant

Another festive game on our Kent tour, although this has a bit of a difference, being a returning seasonal staple rather than a one-off pop-up. Also a partial return for us – this is a new venue but we had previously played Citizen Erased at Unsolved Mysteries‘ sister company Hysteria, so we had a mixture of high hopes and not knowing entirely what to expect.

What we definitely didn’t expect was Fort Amherst. Being northerners, we’re pretty much entirely ignorant of South Coast wartime defences, so this historic site was a bit of a shock. It is an impressive area, fun to explore, and the horror nights in the tunnels here must be a total scream. Unsolved Mysteries only have a tiny square of it – a vintage bunker (the Redoubt Guardhouse) near the top of the hill – but they make full use of their atmospheric location.

Advent Alley was previously in Hysteria’s town centre site, but it could have been born to be in this setting instead. Buried underground, utilising the original paved floor, walls and archways, it is genuinely impressive in a small area and has the strength of feeling like a real alley. Added by a terrific intro from the adorable elf Bradley, we started with a great sense of adventure (and, oddly, a box of gin…)

First impressions are beautiful … and a touch overwhelming. It is more or less entirely non-linear, so we spent about five minutes running around, flabbergasted as to what to tackle first, before it all started to click. Divide and conquer is a good approach here, and almost essential for a team of two.

The key here is that everything is so much fun, with so many clever touches. Even the clue system, the wonderful Donald Cox (the reason for the gin) is hilarious and in-keeping with the spirit of the game (if completely bananas). Aunty Ant found a task or two temporarily frustrating (possibly annoyed I was rattling thorough puzzles without her!) but then a few teamwork tasks brought it all back together again. It all culminates in a crazy (possibly totally unnecessary) section which we nearly couldn’t complete for giggling, and we spilled out, having saved Advent Alley, on an absolute high.

Have obviously left it unseasonably late to post this review (Christmas got in the way) and this lovely game is due to be retired soon, but given the quality we experienced at Unsolved Mysteries, any replacement would definitely be worth playing too.

• Storyline: A fairly standard spin on saving Christmas and a fair amount of ER logic, but it all follows through.
• Theming and Set: A lovely piece of world-building in a restrictive, atmospheric area.
• Searching: This is all about the puzzles.
• Puzzles: Plenty to get your teeth into, including some practical tasks.
• Physicality: Room itself isn’t very accessible but only hand-eye coordination required in game. 
• Scare factor: None, although our Mariah Carey-oke was probably terrifying.
• Company Age Guidance: “Must be at least one adult (18+) in the room at all times.”
• Age suitability: Perfectly suitable for kiddies of all ages, no notes.

  Unsolved Mysteries website