Timebox offers a travel experience once relegated to the realm of cinema and imagination – the ability to move through time. A lifelike journey into civilizations of the past or the future, Timebox is more than just a fantasy. The user must surrender their senses to a malfunctioning time machine, which may land them in Ancient Egypt or the 1920s. No matter where the players find themselves, they must be ready to adapt to a new culture if they want to find their way home. Rebuild the time machine by solving a series of puzzles or quests, specific to each time period. Prove you can survive in the time you’ve found yourself, and you will gain a piece of the broken machine to move on to a new era, and move one step closer to returning home. Timebox is a test of wits, cunning and knowledge. A game that challenges you to question how well you know your surroundings, but also how well you know yourself. How quickly can you assimilate? How long would you survive if you were born in different time? Take the challenge with Timebox.

The Experience

Each room is accompanied by simple instructions for the user. As you enter, you must immediately approach the wardrobe in the room and change into the clothing to match your new time. You will receive a brief note, informing you of the expected customs and historical background of the time, and also explaining your role within it. Players will also witness brief theatrical elements performed by the actors which intermingle with the completion of their tasks. The actors are free to engage with the users as they wish, outside of these staged performances. Users can stay in any room for as long as like, and never return home. They should also be aware that the longer they stay, the greater the danger.

Room 1: 1920s

Enter a small room, appearing to be a library. The walls are lined with books and the room is furnished with only a small table bearing a typewriter. An unfinished manuscript has been left at the typewriter, on the topic of speakeasies. Using clues from this text, you must discover the hidden door to the speakeasy is somewhere in the room. Pulling on the correct combination of bucks on the shelf will reveal a hidden door. When this is done correctly the book shelf slides away to reveal a narrow passageway leading to a single door. Behind the door you can hear jazz, explosions of laughter and murmur of conversation. Once you knock on the door, the players are then given a riddle to solve, and only if they answer correctly can they enter the room. If done successfully, they are welcomed into a lively dancehall with music, dancing and drinking. You are free to move around until your next task: order a drink at the bar, dine with the other guests, take in the music. After a few moments, the actors in the room begin acting out a more dramatic scene, that will delineate between spectator and actor. Your final task will be to master the Charleston for the entertainment of the actors.

Room 2: Western

This room will require more physical intensive skills to succeed. You will be placed in the role of a cowboy and equipped with a gun. If you can prove yourself to be the fastest gun in the West, you’ll be able to move on to the next room. The tasks will focus on manual labour, strength and agility.

Room 3: Rome

This room will demand a certain level of political and historical knowledge from the players. The game is beginning to get more difficult, and if the actors sense you are a foreigner they may turn on you.

Room 4: The Future

The final room will always be “The Future”. The most difficult room to complete, in which players rarely succeed. This room will require a knowledge of astronomy and physics. The tasks are designed to appear illogical, and conflict with your understanding of the world. If you make it through to the second room

Dual Desires: We all seek escape in our lives and Timebox provides a unique thrill to satisfy this urge. Timebox immerses its users in a new time with dedicated actors, and incredibly detailed sets and costuming. Still, there is danger in entering a world we don’t know. Players may find themselves in unfriendly settings if they choose to overstay their welcome. I

The Fourth Wall: Each room is set with actors, and the player must become part of the game, participate in the scene, learn the language and the culture. If you’re lucky you can make it through all four time periods. Others, will find themselves trapped in a world they don’t understand

Originality/Exclusivity/Desirability: It’s more than a game. It tests your historical knowledge. Each room is more difficult than the last, with the final room being so difficult to unlock you may not make it through. Very few players have gained access to all the rooms.