Escape Room Madness: Which Mad Experiments Game is for You? - Xbox Wire (2024)

If you like escape rooms, puzzle games or enjoy delving into a dark and twisted story, you’re in for a treat. That’s because these Xbox games have just been released: Mad Experiments: Escape Room and Mad Experiments 2: Escape Room. However, with two of them to pick from, where do you get started? Well, let’s discuss what it is that makes each game special as well as why one may be better than the other—or perhaps we should say why you will end up playing both anyway.

Choose Your Challenge: Classic Puzzles or Story-Driven Mystery?

Both games throw players into the unsettling world created by Professor Cheshire where escaping requires smartness. Nevertheless, they offer different flavors of escape room gameplay:

• Mad Experiments: Escape Room is for the classic puzzle enthusiasts. It’s all about the thrill of discovery—finding hidden objects, piecing together clues, and solving increasingly complex puzzles. Each of the three chapters—The Mansion Lab, Memory Loss, and Lost Childhood—presents its own set of challenges. This game is perfect if you love the satisfaction of cracking a tough puzzle and want to immerse yourself in a dark, atmospheric setting.
• Mad Experiments 2: Escape Room, on the other hand, takes the puzzle formula you loved in the first game and layers in a more complex, story-driven experience. Here, you’re not just escaping rooms; you’re uncovering the full, twisted story of Professor Cheshire and his daughter, Hildegarde. From the eerie Library to the dangerous Greenhouse and the suspenseful Train, each room tells a piece of the story. This sequel is ideal for players who want their puzzle-solving wrapped in a rich, narrative-driven package.

Solo or Squad: Play the Way you Want

Another key difference lies in how you approach these games:

• Solo Puzzlers: Both games can be tackled on your own, but the first game’s straightforward puzzle design might appeal more to solo players who want to solve at their own pace.
• Team Players: Mad Experiments 2 shines in multiplayer. With its deeper story and more elaborate puzzles, having a team of up to five friends can make the experience even more engaging. You’ll need to work together, communicate, and share your findings to unravel the mysteries of the Cheshire Institute.

What Makes Each Game Special?

If you’re on the fence, here’s a quick rundown of what each game brings to the table:

• Mad Experiments: Escape Room:
  • Classic Escape Room Vibes: Perfect for players who want a pure escape room experience with tight puzzles and a dark atmosphere.
  • Three Unique Chapters: Each with its own set of challenges and a glimpse into the sinister mind of Professor Cheshire.
  • Replayability: Whether you’re speedrunning or taking your time, the game offers a different experience every time you play.
• Mad Experiments 2: Escape Room:
  • Narrative Depth: Unravel the full story behind Professor Cheshire’s madness and his desperate attempts to save his daughter.
  • Four Intricate Rooms: From the knowledge-packed Library to the life-or-death stakes of the Greenhouse, each room is a puzzle and a story in itself.
  • Enhanced Multiplayer: Team up with friends to solve the puzzles faster—or struggle together as you get deeper into the mystery.

Ready to Dive In?

Whether you’re in it for the puzzles or the story, the Mad Experiments series has something to offer every escape room fan. If you crave the challenge of tight, intricate puzzles, start with Mad Experiments: Escape Room. But if you want a richer, more narrative-driven experience, Mad Experiments 2: Escape Room will be your go-to.

Why choose? Go ahead and play both of them – therefore getting a taste of all stages that constitute Professor Cheshire’s universe of madness. Each game offers different kind of thrill and they altogether form one entity— a complete journey into dark puzzling universe.

So, which one will you dive into first?