Weekly Panda Roundup – Snake Pass and Zelda Escape Game – Defenders of the Triforce

Hi everyone! Welcome to the second edition of Weekly Panda Roundup! Happy Belated Easter! My wife and I had a jampacked weekend with family and friends, including our first road trip with the Switch and a very special experience. We got to participate in Defenders of the Triforce, the premiere “Real Escape Game” based on The Legend of Zelda. I have some spoiler-free impressions about the event.

Let’s start with this week’s uploaded videos, starting with a very special video that where we experience co-op in a unique way! Without further ado, let’s round ‘em up!

Video Roundup

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Snake Pass – 2 Players with Separated Joy-Cons

Our first video is very special! We played Snake Pass for Switch together, each holding a separate Joy-Con for a unique co-op experience. Crystal Dragon was in charge of steering the snake, and I pushed its gas pedal. Attempting to coordinate our controls made us laugh so hard, despite all the frustrating deaths. This is worth watching just to see our ridiculously silly faces, because yes, we now have a facecam! It’s definitely odd for us to see our faces on the YouTubes, and we hope it looks good! This was a very fun experiment that we want to continue, so please enjoy!

Currently, my plan is to upload them on Saturdays, but I may move it to an earlier day of the week, so be on the lookout. Either way, the playlist can be found here – http://bit.ly/2pezKUq

Pandas at Play – Snipperclips

Part 3 of our playthrough of Snipperclips is up! If you haven’t watched the first episode, you can start with this one or catch the first part here. In one of our oddest episodes yet, we destroy tons of Easter eggs, contemplate bird parenthood, and give birth to the Owl Rangers! GO GO OWL RANGERS!

You can find the full playlist starting at Part 1 – Stabby Sticks here: http://bit.ly/2nFmc5v

Defenders of the Triforce – Zelda Escape Game Impressions

Note: There are no spoilers for any clues or solutions. These are impressions of the event itself.

This past weekend, my wife, some of our very close friends, and I participated in Scrap Entertainment’s Real Escape Game based on Zelda – Defenders of the Triforce (http://scrapzelda.com/). It was our first time being in an escape game, although we’d always wanted to try one ever since playing through the excellent Zero Escape trilogy. If you’ve ever played an escape room, the concept is very similar. Instead of being locked in a room, you and your team of six sit at a table in a large banquet hall.

The premise is that you have one hour (which Zelda informs you in a humorous video) to retrieve the Master Sword to defeat Ganon. And what an hour of puzzles it is! Though you start out solving brain teasers together at the table, the game requires you to physically explore the hall to reach locations based on Ocarina of Time – for instance, Zora’s Domain and Kokiri Forest. In each station, cosplaying actors guide you inside the areas, provided you have access. As you get more clues, props, and additional puzzles, you are tasked with putting all the pieces together in mind-benders that test all kinds of intelligence, including thinking outside the box.

Our group was one of the 13 out of 32 that successfully obtained the Master Sword! It didn’t come easy, but I was so proud of our team’s excellent camaraderie as we moved from puzzle to puzzle. This escape game values teamwork and the different strengths each member may have. It’s a thrill traveling with your team and making huge revelations that others may have missed.

After the hour was up, the emcee went over the answers with the group, resulting in laughter and sighs. Afterwards, we took photobooth pictures with fun Zelda props. Finally, we all got to play in a special Switch lounge, where we could try out Breath of the Wild, Snipperclips, and 1-2 Switch. Of course, I tried out 1-2 Switch, playing the notorious milking game and “copy dance,” which actually ended up being fun, especially in an energetic setting.

Overall, I had a blast in the Defenders of the Triforce. It was one of the most unique and fun experiences that I was so thankful to have finally had. I had qualms going in, thinking that it wouldn’t be as good as a traditional escape room and that having 31 other teams would be distracting. The game does an excellent job putting clues all over the place, preventing it from being a strict paper-and-pencil ordeal. And even though the tables are bunched up next to each other, we were so focused on our own puzzles that we did not overhear other teams (and vice versa). The cosplay actors and props were pretty good, and the OoT domains looked decent with colored curtains surrounding them. However, I wish there was more of an effort to pretty up the banquet hall. The setting literally consisted of round tables in a warehouse-looking joint.

Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to do this game again, but I’d love to try other Real Escape Games. They advertised ones based on Final Fantasy XIV and Attack on Titan, and I’d jump on any of those opportunities. Currently, the Defenders of the Triforce game is reaching its end. Chances are, you either went or didn’t at this point. That said, I hope that if they do a second round of cities, that anyone who wants to try it out gets the chance. It’s an awesome experience to share with friends – and they don’t even have to like Zelda to solve the puzzles or enjoy themselves! I highly recommend the Defenders of the Triforce and eagerly anticipate anything else Scrap Entertainment puts out!

Next Time…!

Thank you so much for reading this issue Weekly Panda Roundup! On Thursday, I’ll hopefully be posting a special video that our subscribers will appreciate! Thanks again for your support! See you next time!

How was your weekend? Did you have a great Easter if you celebrated it? What did you think of the videos? Have you ever done the Zelda Escape Game or any other kind of “Escape Room” experience, and what did you think? What kind of themed escape games would you like to try? Let me know in the comments section below! Have a great week!