Vault 405

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We arrived at Pandora’s Locks and we were greeted in a friendly manner by the staff member behind the desk. We put away our belongings in a specific locker that was based on the room we were about to play. The locker had a cord so you could charge up your phone. Bonus. The small waiting area consisted of a few seats and props for victory photos.

Pandora’s Locks, an escape room company in the New Westminster area of Vancouver, is a very short walk from the Columbia Sky Train on the Expo Line. There is a parking lot across the street and limited free 2 hour street parking. Next door to Pandora’s Locks is a game store, which is owned by the same owners. (It would be great if they offered win a small discount riddle to the game store, if you escape and manage to solve the riddle.)

Our game master lead us into Vault 405. He told us the story of the vault, a fallout shelter that was created in case of a nuclear explosion. Set in the future, there is now a problem with Vault 405 and we needed to restore power and fix the control panels in 65 minutes or less, otherwise all those in the vault will perish.

Vault 405, named after the address of Pandora’s Locks, is an adrenaline filled escape room. The fate of your fellow survivors are in your hands. The control room was formally managed by Bob, a character you get to know as you explore the room. He seems to not have taken very well care of the room, been comfortable with dated material, and used security protocols lightly. Through humor, the character is revealed as you solve the puzzles and hopefully save humanity.

The puzzles followed a clear pattern of solving. The hint system in Vault 405 is via a computer screen—only once you have restored power. If you need more hints, there is a lever at the door you may press down and the game master will enter your room, which takes away a bit from the urgency of the game. Pandora’s Locks offers unlimited hints.

What makes Vault 405 unique is they offer alternative endings. If you pass a certain mark by a certain time, the game is extended. I appreciate how the game’s ending could be adaptable and for players with more experience, they can have more game play.

Can you fix what has broken so you and perhaps your fellow survivors will live?