Mass Escape New Bedford has opened a new room. Here's what to know before playing.

NEW BEDFORD — Escape rooms continue to be a popular form of entertainment, and now, there's a brand new escape room to try at Mass Escape.

The Pentex Conspiracy, the latest escape room from co-owners Daniel Turpin and Jacob Martin, has just opened its doors to put teams to the test.

"When we first opened, before we were planning the business, we thought we would be switching our rooms every six months," said Turpin, who opened the escape rooms at 13 N 6th St. in 2017.

"But we didn't anticipate that there are people who will travel for it and continue to want to play," he said.

An escape room is a physical adventure game in which players are usually locked in a room and must solve a series of puzzles and riddles in order to escape within a set time limit. At Mass Escape, the goals are more geared around solving an issue than escaping a room.

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One unique aspect of Mass Escape's approach is not only offering three different rooms for customers to experience, but they range in difficulty based on the team's level of experience.

Coupled with the team's dedication to creating themed and immersive experiences, it has kept customers coming back for more.

"That's usually my pitch," said Turpin. "It's like being in your own movie for an hour. And you have to solve the mystery of being in the movie."

Inside the new escape room

The Pentex Conspiracy takes players on an adventure in which teams must work together as a team to uncover the truth behind an energy company's mysterious power source. As players enter the escape room, they are split into two groups and must navigate through different rooms.

"We break up the teams into two groups. Normally, we send the team into the first room, and the door is closed. Then, they have a few different options to go through, and once they are in this room, we send the second team in," said Martin.

"The goal is for both teams to eventually end up in the final room together."

The escape room features a variety of props and puzzles, ranging from a Minecraft-inspired puzzle to a fog machine and hidden compartments. "We wanted to create a unique experience for our customers, something that will challenge them but also keep them engaged and entertained," said Martin.

The inspiration for The Pentex Conspiracy comes from the escape room culture and the idea of creating a spooky but PG-rated mystery for players to solve.

"We want players to feel like they are part of uncovering a conspiracy as they work together to unlock the final door and reveal the truth," added Martin.

Testing the escape room

Before opening to the public, the escape room underwent beta testing with a few selected groups, according to Martin.

"We wanted to make sure that our puzzles and clues were at the right level of difficulty, so we invited experienced escape room players to test it out and provide feedback," said Turpin.

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One of the interesting features of The Pentex Conspiracy is that both teams have access to both rooms, allowing for movement between the spaces and a continuous flow of gameplay.

"We want players to feel like they are constantly moving forward and progressing towards the final goal," said Martin.

Turpin said that escape rooms have become a popular form of entertainment, people have started planning their vacations around which escape rooms to visit.

"We expect players to come from a radius of 260 miles, with many from Boston and other areas specifically to try our escape room," he said.

Making sure anyone can enjoy the escape room

For those new to escape rooms, Martin and Turpin assure that their system caters to both beginners and advanced players, with the main objective being attainable. The game masters make sure people move along to have the full experience by sharing clues at different times within the hour to push teams along.

"We don't have a strict policy on clues, and our game masters are trained to provide hints in case players get stuck," said Martin.

Although the main focus is on solving puzzles and completing the mission, the escape room also caters to team-building and camaraderie. "We have seen groups of friends, family, and even co-workers come in and work together to uncover the conspiracy. It's a great way to bond and have fun," said Turpin.

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As for the future, Martin and Turpin have plans to expand and add more rooms to Mass Escape.

"We are always looking for new and exciting concepts to bring to our customers. We want to be an experience that people come back to and recommend to others," said Martin.

From spooky horror-themed rooms to more cerebral puzzles, Martin and Turpin are eyeing either a "Stranger Things" inspired or Dungeons & Dragons fourth game room in the future.

"In a big way, our rooms are kind of like playing a video game," said Turpin. "It's being able to play make believe as an adult... you don't get to do it very often."

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Mass Escape New Bedford opens doors on new Pentex Conspiracy room