Alchemy. Astronomy. White Magic. The Order of the Three Keys is the most powerful organization you’ve never heard of– until now. Join their ranks, and investigate the heretical experiments of Edmond Cavanaugh– a man whose actions reverberate through time itself.
Your choices will determine what you encounter as you dig deeper into his manor. Powerful elixirs, long-forgotten demons, experiments with the nature of life itself– different rooms and different stories will open themselves to you depending on the choices you make.
Heresy, 1897 will put you face-to-face and side-by-side with a member of the Order as you work together to solve the deeper mystery at play, resulting in one of the most immersive escape rooms you will ever experience.
As you enter, you know something is not right here– the building is aging unnaturally, and the staff hides secrets you cannot discern. But what truth will you uncover? Disowned children who seek their birthright? A soul that cries out from the hell it was trapped in? A Great War perpetuated by a creature of supernatural origin? Or perhaps an experimental breakthrough that perverts the nature of medicine itself.
Only you can say for sure: the choices made in 1897 will continue into 1917, and the story and characters you interact with inside these walls is completely dependent on what came before.
A collision of immersive theatre and escape room, Madness, 1917 will change drastically one each playthrough. But one thing is guaranteed: what happens inside the decaying halls of Hollow Grove will defy even your wildest expectations.
(For a third party synopsis of these shows, we recommend reading Room Escape Artist’s article here)
The Paradox Cycle is a blend of immersive theatre, escape room, and interactive story-telling, where your choices directly impact the narrative both within each room and across multiple chapters.
From the beginning of your journey, you’ll enter the Paradox Bar- a place in the center of a fracture in space and time. Get a drink and meet the people there- all of whom have fallen in from various eras.
“From the moment you arrive to mingle with characters at the bar, you feel transported and in control of your destiny.” – Room Escape Artist
When ready, you’ll go back in time (to 1897, or 1917, or another year that has yet to stabilize) in an attempt to discover what is breaking time, and find the right combination of choices that might fix it.
In each time, you will encounter different rooms and challenges, and meet different characters based on your decisions in the game.
“It’s a show that engulfs you and eventually recruits you to become part of the cast.” – Escape The Roomers
Most importantly, your choices in 1897 will affect 1917, and so on- creating a persistent reality and story that is yours alone. You can choose how to play- experience every chapter of your story in a day, taking time between in the Paradox Bar to collect yourselves, or coming back at a later date to continue your journey. There is no time limit- whenever you choose to return, the choices will stay with you.
“Impressively, a whole world exists for every choice. As a player, the agency is exhilarating. You can’t see everything, at least not at once.” – Room Escape Artist
Perhaps, at the end of your journey, you will discover what is breaking time, and a means to fix it- or perhaps you will learn greater questions that beg to be answered on your next journey- making different choices will guarantee a completely different experience.
“I feel the creeping realization that I am going to be coming back to Doors of Divergence for years.” – No Proscenium
If you’re curious about the creative process behind the first version of our production, we invite you to watch these Behind The Scenes videos, produced in partnership with Future Proof.
To create reactive, puzzle driven immersive theatre that emphasizes and rewards player choices creating a truly unique and superior experience.
Doors of Divergence is an immersive entertainment company specializing in narrative puzzles. We design, build, and operate our own original scenarios, each of which has branching narratives that continue episodically from show to show. We give our audiences a unique experience that responds, in real time, to the choices they make.
We believe that the traditional “game master in another room” model is passé. We hire professional actors to engage the audience in a story that adapts to them.
Every major choice an audience makes diverts their story down a new path. Decisions you make in one show directly carry over and permanently alter the following chapters, creating over thirty unique arcs to our three-show story.
Our shows have many challenges that require various degrees of puzzle-solving, and all elements are designed with audiences in mind. Using a combination of state-of-the-art technology and traditional immersive strategies, our shows will make sure that you never feel stuck or helpless and are always able to experience a narrative based on your decisions.
We aim to transport you to a completely different reality. Enter our doors and leave your previous life behind- interactive characters, deep storytelling, meticulous set design, and an immersive light & soundscape will make you forget the outside world ever existed.
In a word, very. Heresy: 1897 boasts two completely separate storylines, each with a unique puzzle flow, and four different endings. Each of these endings creates a different version (or “divergence”) of Madness: 1917, with its own story, characters, and challenges, and leading to yet more endings based on your choices- and so on into our upcoming chapter 3.
In addition, the day and time you book may also cause you to encounter different characters in Paradox lounge, who may have their own quests for you or games to play. Or perhaps certain actions in 1897 or 1917 will lead to new things you haven’t seen before- All things considered, you could play through The Paradox Cycle dozens of times and discover something new each time.
You can use the Rift Map to keep track of the divergences you have seen, as well as all the things you haven’t.
You may play any of the shows of the Paradox Cycle in any order you choose, but in order to have your decisions track between shows, putting you onto different and exclusive divergences, you must play in chronological order.
Simple! When you purchase your tickets for Madness: 1917, you simply need to select what ending you received in Heresy: 1897. We’ll do the rest.
Show duration may vary, partially determined by how fast you complete the challenges and which choices you make. A good rule of thumb is to expect to spend between 2 to 2½ hours in the Paradox cycle, including your onboarding and debriefing in the Paradox bar.
The Paradox Cycle is not a haunted house, but does contain horror elements. Depending on choices you make in Heresy: 1897, you can end up with a more intense variant of Madness: 1917. If this is a concern to you, you can always ask the characters you encounter in Paradox how to avoid these particular story paths.
Absolutely. Persons who are pregnant are welcome to participate in shows of the Paradox Cycle, as long as they are cleared by their doctors for mild activity, and are familiar with our content warnings.
No. There is no nudity in any shows in the Paradox Cycle.
Heresy: 1897 offers both public and private bookings.
Madness: 1917 offers only private bookings at this time.
PRIVATE TICKETS– Reserve a show for just you and your guests. Once a timeslot has been booked with private tickets, the slot is yours, and you can add tickets (up to the maximum of eight) at anytime before your show. Private bookings also come with a free beverage at the bar and more flexibility for adapting shows to your group’s needs.
PUBLIC TICKETS – Book a public ticket if you don’t mind playing with strangers, or want to play as a solo on an already sold day. While you still get to have the same amazing experience as private players, you may have a little less control over your destiny than you would with a private booking, as your group might have to make choices together with strangers (who could just be friends from your future!). Keep in mind, purchasing public will not prevent unsold tickets from being sold, so last minute additions to your party may not be available. Once a timeslot has sold public tickets, the option for a private booking is no longer available. This ticket type does not include a free drink at the bar.
Email contact@doorsofdivergence.com and we’ll be happy to take care of this for you. Refunds on individual tickets or whole reservations are subject to our ticketing policy.
While the Paradox Cycle is not designed as a solo experience, we do have the option for single players to join an existing open booking, but only if a minimum of two tickets have already been sold.
Due to both it’s split team structure and the continuing narrative from Heresy: 1897, we do not offer single ticket options or public bookings for Madness: 1917 at this time.
In this unlikely occurence, we will reach out to you to offer either a reschedule or a refund, regardless of timeframe.
We offer discounts for group size on private shows based on the number of tickets. We do not offer any other discounts at this time.
Unfortunately, our shows have a maximum capacity of 8 people, no exceptions.
We’d be more than happy to accommodate a special engagement based on your needs. Please email contact@doorsofdivergence.com and we’ll respond ASAP.
Please reach out to us at contact@doorsofdivergence.com with any other questions.
