3D Escape Room: Frequency is an audio podcast series available free on a variety of podcast streaming apps such as Spotify (Owl Field, n.d.). The producers of the podcast, Owl Field have created possibly the first instance of a new genre of interactive audio podcasts of this ilk (LockHouse Lockdown, 2020). The series features 40 episodes, each up to 15 minutes long. The first episode is titled ‘START HERE’ and contains the instructions for the rest of the series. Headphones are recommended to experience the ‘3D’ surround sound effects; however, I listened with my partner through laptop speakers and still experienced the 3D effects. Although the experience is fully interactive, it is delivered completely through sound alone, thereby limiting its use by those with hearing impairments.
3D Escape Room: Frequency Trailer
An important fact to note is that the series is rated ‘explicit’ which limits its use in a classroom setting; however, aside from minimal swearing and references to topics such as extra-terrestrials, conspiracy theories and government cover ups, I believe this series can be played by younger listeners with parental guidance.
A narrator instructs the listener to grab a pen and paper and a timer and tells you when to start and stop timing. Then the narrative begins. The story unfolds with three characters: Maddy, Dylan and Will, walking through the bush to check-in on Maddy’s reclusive friend, Lenny. As they arrive at his trailer, Lenny seemingly locks them inside after which the four communicate to solve 9 increasingly difficult puzzles within an hour.
Despite including 40 audio tracks, there are actually only 10 puzzle tracks including the opening track. The remaining tracks are decoy files meant to add to the challenge. The title of each track is the answer to the previous puzzle. Most of the tracks rely on audio distortions to provide the puzzle to be solved and some listeners may find this irritating. Tracks are the same length with similar names to limit guessing the answers. Once a track is selected the story cleverly recaps the previous track, telling the player whether the correct track was selected or not. The downside is that the remaining 30 tracks are effectively wasted as they are not needed by the player. The game is easy to navigate practically; listeners need only be proficient in using their podcast platform of choice and to scroll and click play on the correct tracks.
Once the ‘game’ starts, there are no further references to the podcast tracks and the player is completely immersed in the story. Well written dialogue creates believable well-rounded characters with authentic motivations and emotional responses. My partner and I found ourselves talking about the puzzles and yelling at the characters as though we were locked in the room with them. The puzzles used a variety of deduction techniques including problem solving, arithmetic and comprehension skills such as information combination, transfer, and analysis. The narrative was well written with numerous language techniques and detailed references to cultural, historical, and social contexts, such as referring to ‘events’ occurring as far back as the 1940s. The production quality was excellent featuring a range of voice actors and soundtracks. The game improves on standard ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ novels, table-top and role-playing games as it utilises dialogue, music and sound effects whilst maintaining the ability to take your own notes, using traditional print media. Furthermore, it allows the writing to avoid the aggravating 2nd person ‘you’.
Because the characters within the game are attempting to escape too, they solve the puzzles in real time with the listener, meaning that as soon as you hear the clues, you can begin to solve the puzzle. If the listener is struggling, the characters work to solve the puzzle itself; as the track progresses, the puzzle gets easier to solve, allowing for varying degrees of difficulty and intensity to the game in a subtle way (differentiation). However, the faster you solve each puzzle, the more chance you have of ‘escaping’ before the 60 minutes is complete. The time challenge adds to the intensity of the experience ramping up the emotional response of the player.
The major downfall of the podcast is that like any puzzle or escape room, it can only be completed once. However, the podcast is a free series, providing listeners with an opportunity to experience an immersive literary escape room without leaving the safety of their own home; a priceless factor in these trying times.
Owl Field has produced other award-winning interactive audio experiences that listeners can enjoy after finishing 3D Escape Room: Frequency and hopefully other creators will add more digital literature to this niche genre.
References
Lafrance, M. (2019). (Producer). (2019, April 8). 3D escape room: Frequency [Audio podcast]. Owl Field. https://open.spotify.com/show/3PB2MQahfHB54NLdNFKY6h?si=sw4C8DW1TMmtnxnX-dNZLQ&dl_branch=1
Lafrance, M. (2019). (Producer). (2019, April 8). START HERE [Audio podcast episode]. In 3D escape room: Frequency. Owl Field. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pXdmfBJM2GwL1Z1puKBwo?si=7c712ad11e724732
LockHouse Lockdown (2020, November 21). Audio escape games to play at home. Lockhouse Escape Games. https://lockhouse.co.uk/audio-escape-games-play-home/
Owl Field. (n.d.). 3D Escape Room: Frequency. Owl Field. https://www.owlfield.com/pf/escape-room-frequency/