Welcome To ShinyLife!

You can find all my reviews on Instagram, Google Maps, and TripAdvisor. All my reviews are based on my personal experience and never paid for! If I received a product or service for free in exchange for a review, I will always mention this in the first lines of the review, and will never let this influence my opinion. I write these reviews for fun and as a hobby!

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After having played The Awakening and Low Memory,

After having played The Awakening and Low Memory, I couldn't wait to get to Children of Wyrmwoods, the third instalment in the Escape Tales series. This series by @boardanddice is a story driven puzzle game, where your decisions determine the direction the story goes in, and ultimately influence the ending quite heavily. I absolutely loooooved the first two games, so was quite excited to get started on the third.

I roped a friend into playing this adventure, despite the box saying it would take 7.5hrs plus. So, we set everything up and got going. There are a few things that work a little differently from the first two boxes, but it didn't take much time to get used to the new way of playing. Basically, you get a number of action tokens, a map card that indicates chapters in the game books, and location cards which you can explore through the two previously mentioned items. Each chapter in the book gives you information, clues, and often puzzle cards, which are then used to solve a variety of riddles and puzzles to advance the story. Throughout the game, you also get decision cards, that give you two, or four, choices to pick from. These are usually pivotal moments that will definitely influence the outcome of your game.

In Children of Wyrmwoods, we played Gilbert, an orphan in a strange world where plant/animal hybrids called Wyrmvines are slowly taking over human living spaces and everyone who touches them is sent into madness. Gilbert has to find a way through all this to uncover dangerous plots and mysterious magic, to save humanity. Along the way we met many interesting characters and had to make so many difficult choices.

Additionally, there were some references back to previous games, which I thought was really well done. We loved our journey through Wyrmwoods so much, we played the whole game through in one afternoon/evneing with just one break from some food. All in all, we got a good 8 hours of gameplay out of it, which is amazing value for the price.

I cannot recommend Escape Tales enough and am eagerly awaiting the next installment in this fantastic series.

#gamereviews #escapereviews #escapegame #boardgames #storytelling #storydriven

Behind Closed Doors by @_27degrees only had a shor

Behind Closed Doors by @_27degrees only had a short 4 day run in Spitalfields, but will hopefully be back again soon. I attended the Saturday evening performance, it was such a novel concept and so suitable for the times we live in.

Covid safe and fully outdoors, there is no contact between attendees and actors at all. The show runs through audio clips (subtitles are available) on a website, short performances inside buildings, viewed from outside through the windows, as well as light installations and small scale art pieces. Through these techniques, Behind Closed Doors tells the stories of a small neighbourhood and the interesting people living within it.

The immersive part of the show happens through decisions each attendee has to make along the way. It is a very interesting concept and so well realised.

It all started off on the stairs of Christ Church Spitalfields (this was the only not-accessible part as there are stairs to climb as well as a bit of a funnel at the entrance where people had to gather and wait, but I'm sure the introduction could have been done outside the church grounds for those who couldn't get to/up the stairs) with a short introduction into how the show would work and what to do to log into the website and get the audio adventure started. From there, each attendee was on their own to make decisions and discover parts of this fascinating neighbourhood. The route only spanned two roads, with each location just a few steps apart, so it was very easy to reach the different show stops and observe the installations or live performances. The only thing I found a bit detrimental to enjoyment was the fact that some attendees stood right up to the windows, blocking everyone else's view, when standing back would have allowed more people to see at the same time. But as each stop only lasts a few minutes, it was easy enough to just wait for people to move on.

I loved meeting the different inhabitants of this fictional neighbourhood and making decisions on who gets to meet and change each other's lives. What a beautiful concept and well realised show!

#theatre #immersiveexperience #outdoortheatre #storytelling #neighborhood #spitalfields

Cruise is currently streaming on @stream_theatre ,

Cruise is currently streaming on @stream_theatre , and it's absolutely worth a watch!

Written and performed by Jack Holden, and based on a true story, @cruisetheplay introduces us to Jack as a young volunteer at Switchboard, the LGBT+ helpline. Going through some personal difficulties and having to deal with intense situations from callers, Jack fields a call from Michael, and things spin off into a very different direction. Michael tells of his life in Soho in the 80s, of excesses, connections, love, endless parties, and of course the AIDs epidemic ripping through the gay scene at the time, of loss and hope, and electronic music.

Jack Holden takes on a myriad of characters while dancing his way through the basement of the Shoreditch Town Hall. Brilliantly adapted to a recorded performance, Cruise is a touching and intense journey through a pivotal time for LGBT+ people in the UK. Delving deep into the scene of the 80s and how it was affected by HIV, this play is an absolute gem.

It made me laugh, it made me cry, it had me glued to the screen for the duration. What a beautiful tribute and view into the lives of LGBT+ people of a devastated generation. Cruise is running until the 24th April, don't miss it!

#theatre #onlinetheatre #lgbt #cruisetheplay #streamtheatre #whattowatch

On Thursday I watched another installment of the I

On Thursday I watched another installment of the In Camera series of the @oldvictheatre , this time a live streamed performance of The Lorax.

It is the 50th anniversary of the first publication of this well known Dr. Seuss story, so the Old Vic put on a fun little staged version for audiences of all ages. Considering the story was written 50 years ago, it's uncomfortably contemporary in its message of preserving resources and not letting greed destroy the world.

With gorgeous puppets and props, this scaled back version is so well done and a delight to watch. Some of the scenes with the Once-ler seem like a strange dream world, almost delirious and vaguely threatening, which fits the character so well. At the same time, the scenes with the Lorax are a lot more grounded and slower. I really enjoyed this dichotomy.

The lighting and stage design worked fantastically for this scaled back production. The whole thing is such a joy to watch. Only on until tonight, you have to hurry if you want to catch it!

#theatre #streamtheatre #incamera #thelorax #oldvictheatre

In my quest to finish all Unlock boxes, I came aro

In my quest to finish all Unlock boxes, I came around to an earlier box. Secret Adventures comes with three games with vastly different themes.

Noside Story brings us back to Professor Noside, who is apparently our arch nemesis and has brought a thick smoke over the region. We are tasked with finding out what is going on and foiling his plan. This scenario relies mostly on the cards and doesn't have a lot of techy help from the app at all. Some of the riddles are deliberately obtuse and make it quite hard to follow along, or maybe I was just being slow in the uptake, I don't know. I thought the story was quite fun, but the mix of super obvious puzzles that were too easy. and very weird ones that didn't make sense, made this scenario a little frustrating to play.

Next up, Tombstone Express, a Wild West adventure complete with weird Native American stereotypes that feel a bit out of place nowadays. In this game, you're on a train transporting a gemstone that is crucial for peace with the Apaches. Unfortunately the gem gets stolen almost immediately, and in your role as the Sheriff, you have to race against time to find the culprit. This game is definitely more narrative driven than most Unlock, but this experiment doesn't pay off too well. There are too many cards to rifle through to find what the puzzle is supposed to be, with at times more than 20 cards active at the same time, and too many breaks with needless tasks to fight of bandits or quickly distract you from the tasks at hand. I did not enjoy Tombstone Express very much, though the solutions did seem to work quite well. The narrative driven side just didn't work out great with what the game had to offer.

Lastly, there is The Adventures Of Oz, where you take on the roles of Dorothy, the Lion, Scarecrow, and Tinman to follow the well known story of the Wizard of Oz. Now this one was a completely different beast to the other two in the box. With a lot of new ideas and beautifully constructed riddles, it was really fun to follow the narrative and figure out the plethora of riddles. There was only one part, right at the end, that seemed a bit far fetched, but overall definitely my favourite of the three!

Last week I grabbed a spot on @theescaperoomer 's

Last night I watched the first performance of Dise

Last night I watched the first performance of Disenchanted on @stream_theatre, a digital production streaming this weekend only!
It's an all-women cast taking on the most well known iconic princesses, with a feminist twist to it. The idea sounds amazing, and with a powerful cast of some of the best West End talent, it sounds like a winning combination. Tackling difficult subjects like racism and misogyny and featuring a diverse cast, it is off to a fantastic start. Showing the princesses as disillusioned and fed-up women who really just want to get away from their boring princes, there are many hilarious scenes and empowering songs.
Especially the song for Pocahontas is absolutely amazing and brought me to tears, reminding audiences that the real person behind the Disney princess was a kidnapped and abused young girl.
The Little Mermaid, quite inebriated, sings about how she cannot believe she traded the seven seas for a meagre human existence, Hua Mulan speculates that the reason she is the only one who didn't get the prince is because she doesn't fancy boys, there were so many moments of reflection and hilarity, it was an absolute joy to watch.
I do have a few niggles though, and this might be where it shows that, while being an all-women cast, this musical was indeed written by men. Feminism should be inclusionary of ALL women's experiences, but there are a few moments of outright slut-shaming and derogatory comments towards stay-at-home mothers. The biggest problem for me personally was an entire song dedicated to ridiculing large breasts and claiming they were overly sexual. Some women, like me, have larger breasts by nature and we're already sick and tired of people sexualising our natural bodies and claiming clothes that cover us completely but are tight around our chests are “inappropriate” simply because of breast size. It is tiring and definitely not feminist to ridicule other women for how they look or what they wear.

However, those were a few small moments in an otherwise wonderful musical experience! If you're a Disney fan, or tired of girly princess stories, this might be the musical for you! It's only on this weekend, so hurry and book!

I was lucky enough to get a hold of the first two

I was lucky enough to get a hold of the first two chapters of the Scarlet Envelope, a new-ish monthly subscription game from Canada. This one doesn't so much have a set theme, but they went about it really cleverly. The first letter is an invitation from a secret organisation who have been watching you and want to test your mystery solving skills. It includes a variety of items from all following chapters and an overarching mystery to be solved.

Scarlet Envelope works with a mix of resources included in the envelope, and multimedia resources that you can follow on your smartphone or computer. It's a really well done mix and felt quite immersive in that way. The themeing was strong, with interesting leads in many different directions.

The second envelope shows more of where the series will be going, time travel! You are tasked with visiting different decades and settings from the past to the future to crack mysterious cases. Envelope two concentrates on just one case, that of the disappearance of a cabaret performer in Paris in 1899. Who is she, why has she disappeared, and what are these love letters from her fiance and her lover all about?

The puzzles and leads are all very well laid out, though it can be difficult to spot what to tackle next if you don't pay close attention. With a very clever online system, the story unfolds right before your eyes and each clue gets you close to the solution.

I found the Scarlet Envelopes really fun to play and enjoyed the stories very much. I'm definitely tempted to get a monthly subscription for the whole series! Especially since the price seems very good for the value you get, it's only $20CAD a month, which is about £12, and you get about 90 minutes entertainment from each envelope, so definitely worth while. What a fun project!

#escapegame #escapegameinabox #escapereviews #thingstodoathome #storytelling #2021entertainment #mysterygames #subscriptiongames #monthlysubscription #scarletenvelope

And finally, still out of order, we played the sec

And finally, still out of order, we played the second installment of @swamp_motel 's trilogy immersive series! I do wish we'd started with the first one, rather than the last, as the last one did have a few minor spoilers for episode one and two, but it didn't ruin the fun of the game at all!

The Mermaid's Tongue is played on the company's own platform, beginning with a life drawing class in which our contact secretly gives us some information to kick off a wild chase through the internet. The story is a brilliant continuation of Plymouth Point, slowly revealing more of the dark goings on as we race through a multitude of websites to find clues and solve puzzles.

As with the other installments of this series, most of the game components are pre-recorded, but there is always a live game-lead to hand to help out when needed, perfectly in character to keep the game immersive. We did have quite a few technical issues, and I wish the videos used would have readable subtitles to help with understanding, but we still had an amazing time playing! Our team worked together very well to find hidden clues, crack passwords, hunt down secret identities, and find the mythical Mermaid's Tongue to help bring down a dark organisation.

I cannot recommend this trilogy enough, it's so well thought out and has loads of tasks to work through for the entire team, while being wholly immersive and keeping everyone on their toes. Utilizing a variety of technologies, it seamlessly blends the story and the real word together, creating an amazing experience that will stick in my mind for a long while to come.

#theatre #immersive #immersivetheatre #escaperoom #escapegame #escapereview #theatrereviews #swampmotel #themermaidstongue #mermaidstongue #mermaid #internetdetectives #scavengerhunt

After already having played @swamp_motel 's third

After already having played @swamp_motel 's third installment of their current trilogy online immersive game, The Kindling Hour, my small group of gamers decided to get the full story and booked Plymouth Point and The Mermaid's Tongue.

While each of the three games are standalone playable, they are definitely part of an overarching story. Having played the last game already might have given us a bit of peace of mind, knowing the overall ending, but it didn't ruin Plymouth Point at all! We got to experience the beginning of the story, which takes place in a small neighbourhood watch community, where one member has found some strange occurrences that led to her neighbour going missing. We are tasked with helping to find out what happened to her and unearth very unsettling information along the way.

I absolutely love how this game sends you on a crazy scavenger hunt around the internet, with just a few hints and bits of information that see your team tasked with following up and digging deep. The first game in the series is played through Zoom, which actually works really well as most of us have that installed on our computers already anyway. There was so much information to find and a lot to do, so our team of three players was very busy following up all the leads and putting the information together.

While most parts of the game are pre-recorded, there is a live game-lead in the chat that can help your team out, in character, when you get stuck or have any questions. It's very immersive and just so well done, I can't stop recommending the series to people. Swamp Motel pull out all the stops to make this a top notch immersive experience that sits somewhere between theatre and escape room and is so thoroughly themed and brilliantly executed. If you're into internet sleuthing and puzzle solving, this is the game for you!

We started with the last installment first, which is fine as they're all standalone playable, but I'd say you're better off starting with Plymouth Point and working your way up.

#theatre #immersive #immersivetheatre #escaperoom #escapegame #escapereview #theatrereviews #swampmotel #plymouthpoint #internetdetectives #scavengerhunt

I had another go at a Deckscape game, this time I

I had another go at a Deckscape game, this time I tried out Behind The Curtain, a magic show themed game.

Deckscape are pocket sized escape room games, which are played through a series of cards that are filled with clues and riddles, games and puzzles. While the difficulty level is usually somewhere in the middle between beginner and expert, these games don't have much of learning curve and are really easy to pick up. You can play on your own or with a small group.

Behind The Curtain sees you invited to a magic show, where you suddenly find yourself on the stage as part of the show. Things move on quickly and you're thrown into peril, with only yourself and your wits to get you out safely. This game comes with a few extra tricks up its sleeve and definitely keeps you on your toes. I love how Deckscape make sure you have everything you need to solve all puzzles, but doesn't always tell you what those things are. So the more Deckscape games you play, the more you learn to just work on different riddles if something doesn't seem to make sense yet, and eventually you'll find exactly the item or clue you need to get ahead in the story! These games are so cleverly done, game play is very enjoyable once you "get" it.

Behind The Curtain is very much styled after Vegas type magic shows, with thorough themeing and a lot of fun surprises hiding around each corner. I loved playing this one!

#deckscape #gamereviews #escapereviews #escapegame #escaperoominabox #thingstodoathome #escapology #magician #behindthecurtain

Another musical I haven't seen before, @stream_the

Another musical I haven't seen before, @stream_theatre have released a streamed recording of BKLYN last week.

I watched on the Tuesday during the first few scheduled performances. The show is now available on demand until 4th April and I'd definitely recommend you don't miss this gem! Spinning two stories within each other, this is a beautiful musical centred in Brooklyn, New York. A group of street performers tell a tale of a young woman who comes to the USA to find her father, whom she has never met. It's an emotional story told from multiple perspectives, woven in and out of different viewpoints.

Highlighting and humanising less conventional characters, BKLYN is a gorgeous tapestry of fate and opportunity. Sung by a strong cast and with beautiful visuals, it's touching, devastating and uplifting in equal measures.

#theatre #onlinetheatre #streamtheatre #streamedperformance #musical #musicaltheatre #bklyn #newyork #brooklyn

I tackled another Deckscape box, this time it was

I tackled another Deckscape box, this time it was The Fate Of London. Deckscape games are played solely through a set of cards with interesting sequence and handling dynamics. The premise of Fate of London is quite straight forward, you are a Scotland Yard detective, and an undercover agent has chosen you for your talents to help with a very important mission. Four deadly devices are are hidden throughout London and you must disable them to save the city.

It starts off a little slow, but then jumps into the action with a variety of puzzles and tests that are really well balanced and in logical sequences. This game kept me on my toes and was a really fun challenge with a lot of tasks to complete. I find it so interesting to see how different games manage to offer such a large amount of different, unique puzzles with nothing but cards to be used.

This is definitely my favourite Deckscape box I've had the pleasure of playing so far!

My first set of customised skates! I bought the Mi

My first set of customised skates!
I bought the Mint Flash @lunaskatesofficial quads from @double_threat_skates as the base. (second picture) The pastel suede is fantastic to dye a darker colour!
🟢
To get a bright green, I used @angeluspaintuk Kelly Green suede dye.
At first I was a bit scared I'd ruin the skates, but I figured if worse comes to worst, I'd just dye them black to cover up any previous mistakes 😂 But fear not, the process is super easy!
Each dye bottle comes with a little applicator, which I used to evenly cover the skates, and to rub the dye into the stitches and corners.
One bottle was enough for about 1.7 skates (I just needed a bit of the second bottle for the heel and the tongue) for the first layer, so you'll definitely need two for good, even coverage, unless your skatesnare tiny (I'm a size 42/UK9)
The next day I applied a second, thinner layer to get a brighter colour, and still had a little bit of dye left in the second bottle.
After letting everything dry thoroughly, I rubbed the skates down with a damp microfiber cloth to remove excess dye and make sure they don't stain.
🟢
Finally I painted some details on in gold and black acrylic fabric paint and added all my accessories.
Black & green sparkle toe guards by @iridescentfaerie_skates
Gold sparkle laces by @derbylaces
Small lone star toe stops by @grindstone__
Custom chainmail skate anklets by @dreaming.pylons
The whole process was so much fun and I'm super happy with the results!
Luna skates ride super smoothly and have amazing precision for micro movements. Can't wait to learn how to use them properly!

#quads #quadsquad #customskates #lunaskates #rollerskating

While I'm working my way through the Unlock line,

While I'm working my way through the Unlock line, I finally made it to the Star Wars box! I was really looking forward to this one, and it definitely didn't disappoint. As with all Unlock boxes, this one contains three different adventures, each composed of a stack of cards, and is played with the aid of an app. The Star Wars box comes with its own app that is packed with a few extra tricks that previous boxes weren't equipped with.

The first adventure, Escape from Hoth, sees the player take the role of a Rebel who must warn Echo Base of an imminent Imperial attack, and help the Rebels escape before it is too late. It has some very interesting game mechanics, as well as my favourite final puzzle so far! I really liked how logical and straight forward the whole adventure was, though it did feel a bit short. But then again, it was the easiest difficulty level, so I did expect it to not take too long. I played it through in just over half an hour.

Up next, the player becomes a smuggler for Jabba who has been captured by Imperial troops and needs to find their way off the Star Destroyer to deliver their important cargo. Again, there are some neat tricks and clever twists in the game and app handling, but I expected this one to be a bit harder than the first. However, it only took me just under 27 minutes to complete. Maybe thinking like a smuggler just suits me better, who knows! I really enjoyed this adventure though.

Lastly, the most difficult of the three, Secret Misson on Jedah, in which the players become Imperial agents who have to track down and secure kyber crystals. This adventure is PACKED with nuance and clever tricks! From the subtle hints in the cards, to really sneaky functions of the app, it was completely different from all other Unlock adventures I've played so far and an absolute delight to work through! It really was difficult but not in an obtuse way, more in a surprisingly clever way!

All in all, I loved this box! The thorough themeing, the variety of story lines and characters to be played, it was all very cohesive and so much fun to play through! Definitely recommend this box to any Star Wars fan, it's fantastic!

It's been a year. A year of isolation and social d

It's been a year.
A year of isolation and social distancing.
A year of staying at home.
A year missing all of you.

Last weekend I sat down to play The Kindling Hour

Last weekend I sat down to play The Kindling Hour by Swamp Motel with a group of friends. I'd been looking forward to this one for quite a while, having seen a plethora of positive reviews and recommendations online.

The Kindling Hour is the third installment of a continuous storyline, but can just as well be played as a stand alone. This new online game is a mix of escape room and immersive theatre, both of which I am a huge fan of. For this experience, we got thrown right into the deep end, with just a short recap of the story so far, and a clear goal of identifying the mole in a secret organisation to find out how to help bring them down. Tech-wise, this game is pulling out all the stops, with in-house video conferencing, screen sharing, phone calls and text messages, outside websites to discover, it's a delight to see what's on offer.

On the downside, there was quite a bit of lag at times, but this may be due to my laptop being a bit of an old timer. I'll get a new one eventually, but I just don't use it often enough to warrant upgrading at this time. Still, despite a few little tech hiccups here and there, we had a lot of fun weaseling our way through the tasks at hand, breaking into the database of the evil organisation we were trying to defeat, and pulling out all the stops to win the game.

We finished the game successfully with 43 minutes and 25 seconds left on the clock, and a strong eagerness to play the other two installments of the story very very soon!

#escapereviews #escaperoom #escapology #mystery #swampmotel #immersiveexperience #immersive #onlineentertainment #lockdown2021

Remember, remember... Treason the musical is a br

As with all Unlock boxes, Mystery Adventures comes

As with all Unlock boxes, Mystery Adventures comes with three games that are completely card based and work alongside an app. It's a great way to play an escape game and add a few extra elements without having to destroy parts of the game to solve puzzles.

The first game in this box is The House On The Hill, in which a group of teenagers accidentally unleashed a curse, so we must find the book and undo the curse. It's quite dynamic and plays well, though it is very evident that this is one of the earlier boxes, as the app isn't utilized as well as in the later games. Some of the riddles are a bit obtuse, but it's quite solvable.

The second game is The Nautilus Trap, where your diving adventure is interrupted by a sea monster attack, so you flee into an old submarine, but the monster still pursues you. To escape, the giant octopus must be fought off. This one was a really frustrating game for me. I found most of the riddles to be very obtuse and deliberately complicated in a way that feels counter-intuitive. Usually the puzzles make sense and flow well, but for some reason this particular game just didn't feel that way.

Lastly, The Tonipal's Treasure is a real pirate adventure. This one turned it around again and was such a joy to play! Racing against time to make it to the treasure first, there are so many wonderfully done and creative riddles and puzzles to solve. With great visuals and a real treasure map, it's definitely my favourite game in the box!

I really love these Unlock boxes, I'm almost through the entire series though with just four boxes left to solve!

#gamereviews #unlockbox #unlockgame #escapegame #escapegameinabox #escapereviews #thingstodoathome #boardgames #storytelling #2021entertainment

After having played Low Memory, I had to get my ha

After having played Low Memory, I had to get my hands on the other Escape Tales games in the series. And it was definitely not a disappointment.

The first game in the series, The Awakening, has a very different story line. You play a character named Sam, whose wife died a number of years ago. Now, his daughter is gripped by a mysterious illness and has fallen into a coma. Her doctor has little hope for her recovery, but you follow a trail to find out about a ritual in a mystical book that might save her life.

This game is played through an immersive story based on many decisions by the player. You can severely affect the plot and outcome with your decisions throughout play. This makes it such an interesting and unique experience.

The Awakening is quite a dark game, with lots of occult and magical references. However, it is a lot of fun to play, but also anxiety inducing with the intense decisions to be made along the way.

The story seems quite thought out, with many forks and surprises thrown in to make it more interesting.

I played The Awakening in one go in just over four hours, with a few breaks thrown in. I ended up with a fantastic ending, but nosed my way around the game book to see what other endings were possible. Throughout, most of them seemed quite a lot more devastating than the one I got, so there is definitely potential for defeat. As it's a linear story, it doesn't have a lot of replay value, though a completionist may find it interesting to try the other choices to see the unique puzzles and plot points that result through those.

I for one cannot wait to play the next escape tales game and hope they release more in the future!

#gamereviews #escapereviews #escapegame #escaperoominabox #thingstodoathome #escapology #boardgames #storydriven #storybasedgaming #chooseyouradventure

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