In Short: Tension, puzzles, characters, atmosphere  – a Theatre made game that really worked

Heist is a team game, and I went with some of the most competent gamers and game designers I know. It was going to have to be good.

It was.

The premise was art theft, the location a disused office block – a perfect fit and cleverly used so that minimalist set dressing created maximum impact. All the character actors were strong and capable of interaction with us and most importantly of all, our actions changed the storyline that we witnessed – multiple different endings were clearly possible.

There was also loads of choice in tasks for the team – sneaking, hiding, planning under huge time pressure, code cracking, and we had a character guide in case we struggled and risked holding up the flow of the evening.

Minor niggles were a blurred threshold crossing space which included some nasty (supposed to be funny) real world insults in naming the team, and one question ‘do you trust me enough to do this’ really early on which had me needing to put a ticket buyer’s head on to stay in the game.

Impressive overall – though don’t bother planning your cover story, costume and ID cards in advance, you won’t need them!

Vital Stats:
Show: Heist
Company: DifferencEngine and Theatre Delicatessen
Venue: London
Date:  2014

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