Escape Notice Games
Alexandria's own Escape Notice Games has released its second escape room-style multiplayer game, Spies of Liberty.
Escape Notice Games started in Alexandria as a pandemic project, led by entrepreneur Lisa Shaw and her teenage children. The first game, Stolen at Sea, came out in late 2020.
At the time, Shaw told Alexandria Living Magazine, “One of my [girls] had a birthday and we were trying to find something to do at home because we were quarantined together, the two families… So we ordered online an escape room in a box. It was ok — you know, it was enough to entertain us for a few minutes — but we love escape rooms, we’ve done them all over the world. We sat there thinking, 'We can do this better.'”
So, they did. From an educational perspective, the project was better than almost any internship, Shaw said, as they had to learn sales, marketing, finance, manufacturing and more, go through a beta-testing process and bring the game to market.
Escape Notice Games
Audrey Shaw, Lisa Shaw, Sophia Hill and Charlotte Hill were on the development team for Escape Notice Games.
The new game, Spies of Liberty, allows players to engage in Revolutionary War espionage as members of the Culper Spy Ring, where they help George Washington outwit the British forces and turn the tide of war in favor of the patriots. Historic spycraft tools help players solve puzzles, read ciphers, navigate vintage maps and uncover hidden codes.
"No internet is required, so everyone can unplug for a bit," Shaw said. "You can think of it as an escape room in a box."
The game works best with two to six players, ages 14 through adult. The game is for sale through MadeinALX.com as well as EscapeNoticeGames.com and at local retailers such as The Shops at Mt. Vernon, Red Barn Mercantile and The Old Town Shop.
