Imagine this: You’re thrown back in time to 1943 Shanghai, into the midst of a murder mystery case, where Paramount nightclub’s singing sensation Red Rose has just been discovered dead in her dressing room.
Everyone present at the club that night has had their names added to the list of suspects — there’s the army marshal who was Red Rose’s lover, the up-and-coming singer she assaulted during a rehearsal, the rich and amoral boss, the maidservant who had to endure all kinds of bitch fits over the years, and the journalist interviewing her for a profile story.
Intrigued? This escape room role-playing game ($48/person) is the newest concept by Xcape Singapore, and it’s the first one in town to actually hide the culprit in plain sight — that means one of the players is the guilty one. Shanghai 1943 takes it even further by providing more than 200 costumes and accessories, so that participants can get all dressed up and really throw themselves into the game, where five players assume the role of the suspects, each with their own dark secrets. The rest search the murder scene as detectives. Think Cluedo, but in real life.
Of course, escape room murder mysteries aren’t exactly new, but they have seen a rise in popularity in the last few years — others include games by the likes of Lockdown.sg and The Escape Hunt Experience Singapore.
Anyway, if you’d like a little escape from reality, head over to the Bugis Village shop house to immerse yourself in the glamor of 1940s Shanghai, where the 150-minute game is set in an elaborately decked out space, which includes the “dead body” of Red Rose (i.e. a mannequin).
Just don’t blame the game creators if you begin to question your friendships after you watch your buddies dodge questions expertly and lie to your face (FYI, only the murderer is allowed to fabricate stories).
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