Nintendo gives escape rooms a Zelda twist in new US tour

Nintendo has decided to get in on the escape room craze by building its own Legend of Zelda-themed rooms. As if that weren't exciting enough for any fan of the Zelda franchise, the company will be taking these escape rooms on a US tour called Defenders of the Triforce. The tour will consist of eight stops in major cities across the nation, and will last throughout 2017.

Nintendo is partnering with escape room design company SCRAP for Defenders of the Triforce. It insists that calling these experiences "escape rooms" isn't going far enough, either, as Nintendo and SCRAP have designed this puzzle tour to be more than that. "Instead of escaping from a locked room," Nintendo says, "participants work in teams of six to solve a mystery in a huge area, all within a set time limit."

You'll be able to interact with the various tribes found in the Zelda franchise, including the Goron and Kokiri. What's more, you'll discover items as you adventure through these areas, and those items will be used to solve the mystery and complete the challenge. It sounds like Nintendo is trying to make this into a real life Zelda game, which is an exciting proposition indeed.

Nintendo and SCRAP have announced all of the cities that will be hosting Defenders of the Triforce, but so far, they've only announced dates for the first half. Have a look at the full list:

San Francisco – Jan. 31-Feb. 5

Los Angeles – Feb. 10-12

Phoenix – Feb. 15-17

San Diego – Feb. 24-25

Seattle – TBA

Houston – TBA

Chicago – TBA

New York – TBA

The official website for Defenders of the Triforce says that the event will last an hour and a half, and lists ticket prices for the cities that already have dates announced. Ticket prices actually range depending on the city, with the Phoenix and San Diego stops currently offering early bird tickets for $30. Those same early bird tickets are $33 for Los Angeles dates and $36 for San Francisco ones.

All in all, it sounds like a pretty cool experience, so long as you're a fan of the Zelda franchise. While it does seem to be a little pricey, Nintendo's promise of a "huge area" to explore might make Defenders of the Triforce worth the extra cost, especially when compared to other escape rooms. We'll just have to see if Defenders of the Triforce is worth the price of admission when the tour kicks off in January.

SOURCE: Defenders of the Triforce