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People ask whether two is enough. It is, and it is the purest version of the game. It is also the hardest, which is rather the point.
Why two players is harder
In a group of six, someone else will eventually notice the thing you have walked past three times. With two of you, nobody will. Every puzzle is yours, every dead end is yours, and there is no crowd to hide in.
That is exactly why couples who do one tend to do several. There is no ambiguity about whether you solved it. You did.
What it is actually like
Quieter than you would expect. Big groups are loud and chaotic; two people work methodically, talk constantly, and cover the room in a systematic way that a group of eight rarely manages.
You will also find out something about how you two solve problems together, which is either a lovely evening or an interesting one. In our experience it is nearly always the former.
How long it takes
Most of our rooms run 60 minutes. 28 Pasties Later runs a full 90, which for two players is a genuine advantage — you are covering the same room with a third of the hands, so the extra half hour matters more than it would for six people.
Which room suits two
- 28 Pasties Later — 90 minutes and a playful zombie streak. The extra time is worth a lot at this group size. Nothing ever touches you.
- The Lamorna Brown Affair — a Cornish art mystery with no scares at all. The right pick if one of you is not keen on being startled.
- Death By Prescription — a poisoning case. Reading, noticing and reasoning rather than frights.
Tips that actually help two players
- Search separately, think together. Cover different halves of the room, then pool everything you found before you start theorising.
- Say everything out loud. With two people there is no redundancy — if you do not mention it, it is lost.
- Keep solved and unsolved apart. Two piles. It stops you re-reading the same thing at minute fifty.
- Take the hints. Ask the moment you are stuck. Your games master is watching and there is no penalty.
What it costs
We charge for the room rather than per head, so two players pay the room price between them. That makes two the most expensive way to play per person and the cheapest way to get the whole room to yourselves — and the game is always private either way. See prices for the full ladder.
Practical notes
We are at 44 New Street, Penzance TR18 2LZ, open 10am to 10pm seven days a week, so a late slot after dinner is entirely possible. The rooms are in a basement down a flight of stairs, with one puzzle that asks you to bend low. There are no toilets in the rooms themselves — go before the clock starts. Well-behaved dogs are welcome.
Just the two of you
Check availability, or ring 01736 691049 if you would rather ask which room suits you first. Fancy making it a present instead? Gift vouchers let them pick the room and the date.
