Complete the missions, defeat the final boss and maybe you can be the mission specialist HintHunt Africa is looking for.
Do you think you have what it takes to defuse a bomb, fight the final boss and know that your whole team is depending on you? Well, I thought I did and I gave Bomb Time a try, and what I got was nothing like I expected. Africa’s first Mission Room is equal parts fun and nostalgia, making it one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
I’ve done escape rooms before and I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t good at it. I just never seem to escape in time. My momma always said I’m no Michael Scofield. Bomb Time was my chance to redeem myself. I finally got the opportunity to prove that I can sometimes follow instructions and clues.
A mission room is different from the ordinary escape room. Instead of trying to solve clues, you go through different levels building up points to take on the final boss. The best way to describe Bomb Time is to say it’s like a combination between Jumanji and Squid Game, except you actually still get to breathe in the end. It’s not just an immersive video game experience, you are in the video game.
You know what, I think it’s better to compare it to Tron or Tron: Legacy in this case. You get transported into a game where you have to build up points through different levels. And before you get to the bonus round, your accumulated score can help you defuse the bomb.
As much as I want to brag about the whole experience, I think it’s best for people to experience it themselves. All I can do is prepare them and hopefully they can beat me and my team’s high score. I can do a quick rundown of all the rounds, or you can go check out my run-through video on YouTube.
The mission starts with a prelude. You basically start playing an 8-bit arcade style game before getting sucked into Bomb Time. I know, easy, right? Wrong. It’s a lot more complicated than it sounds. If you have a team of 4 then you should be able to get through everything easily, or at least not be so out of breath.
Round 1 was the one where I think my team struggled the most, but only because we didn’t pay attention. You need to listen carefully to instructions and then you can easily get through it. Once again, listen is the keyword here.
In Round 2 you have to channel your inner Ethan Hunt, because this mission can be impossible if you don’t move around a little. This also happened to be my favourite part of it all. I think I’m ready to become a world-class spy. We really took it to the max in this round, and I think no one will beat our score.
Round 3 is for all my arcade-loving kids out there, and this is the one where you definitely need to have 4 players to get the most points possible. Think of it as a physical version of Pac-Man, but you need balance and perfect timing. I loved this round, but I kept getting annoyed by how slow I am at reacting.
Round 4 is your final chance to get those points up. It starts out fairly easy and then it’s not. You have to be fast and move like your life depends on it. It was awesome, but a little exhausting. In the end, I think it was a great way to end the game, until…
The bonus round, or at least that’s what I call it. The battle against the final boss. I’m not going to tell you what it is, but you can probably pick up hints from my video. It’s actually pretty easy and straightforward once you figure out how to make it work for you. We quickly got into a rhythm and we defeated that pesky bad guy in time.
Bomb Time is an experience like no other. It’s not just for gamers or adventurers, but for everyone who just wants to escape reality for a little while. It’s for everyone who wants to entertain themselves or others in an 8-bit environment. It’s one of those experiences you can talk about for weeks to come, and the best part is you can go back to beat your score.
It has been one of my favourite experiences in Cape Town, and that’s saying a lot. It made me feel like a hero and it was unforgettable. I can see myself doing it over and over again, which is why I really want everyone else to go experience it as well.
If you are bored or tired of the same old things, then you should try Bomb Time, Africa’s first Mission Room at HintHunt. It’s an easy 5 out of 5 stars experience! Book your place now!
