bloomzy /

Review: Clue Quest – The Live Escape Game

clueQuest – The Live Escape Game
clueQuest Ltd, 11 Plough Yard, London, EC2A 3LP
On Wednesday evening I met up with some shady looking characters in an alley in East London. I’m kidding! Those shady characters were actually some of the lovely people from Nuffnang. We were there to celebrate Nuffnang’s birthday with a night full of experiences and adventure. It was a fabulous night, but today I’m going to chat about our first outing of the evening – clueQuest.
clueQuest is currently the top #1 London attraction on Trip Advisor, so maybe you’ve heard of it?
Well if it just so happens that you haven’t, you’re in for a treat, because this is an attraction like no other. clueQuest is a live escape game where you are locked in a room (don’t worry it’s not scary!) and given only 60mins to escape. The room/s are full of mysteries and clues that you and your team need to figure out in order to progress through the game, and to ultimately escape your room. You don’t need to be strong, or fast. Nope. You just need your wits, common sense, some logic, and a bit of teamwork. Anyone can do it (it’s suitable for all ages), but you will need a team of people, between 3-6.
We arrived at clueQuest HQ and were immediately debriefed.  It turned out Mr Q had been watching all of us bloggers for a long time. He had chosen us, out of everyone in London, as potential new agents. We were handed a clipboard, pen and walkie talkie (to communicate with HQ), and sent out on our mission. Little did we know what Mr Q had in store for us behind that locked door. Now naturally I can’t say much about the room, or show you any photos. Why? Because that would spoil the experience, silly! All I can say is that the whole experience was unlike anything I’ve ever done before. I’m a bit of a gamer and I love solving riddles etc. so this was like Christmas for me. My team – Team Awesome – were all on the ball, and we went into super spy mood as soon as we heard the key turn in the door. So, did we escape the room? Of course, we did! Finally, as we left and celebrated our escape, we were given special secret agent cards. Mr Q was very happy with our work and had recruited us to help save the world!
There were riddles, brainteasers and lots and lots of clues to make sense of. I can’t recommend this enough, and it’s perfect for pretty much everyone – as long as you enjoy a good mystery, and solving puzzles.
Prices start at £17 per person. If you’re curious, head over to clueQuest to find out more and book your escape!
bloomzy /

Animal Crossing New Leaf Diary

It’s been a while since I mentioned Animal Crossing, hasn’t it?
Well even though I took a short blog hiatus I didn’t stop playing.
Since my last diary post, I’ve done quite a bit.
I’ve built a few things for my town, such as the dream suite and camping site.
I’ve also had Sami visit me a few more times, as well as Ken visitine me, and me visiting him.
Club LOL (music/comedy club) has opened, as has Shampoodle (beauty parlour) & Kicks (shoe store).
Not only that but I’ve really got into collection furniture & clothing, and donating items to the museum.
I also got the QR Code reader so I can now download outfits and prints etc. that others have made.
It’s fair to say that after investing more time in playing the game, I want to play it more.
I think that’s one of the big appeals of Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
There’s always something to do, and more to create.
I’ve also been using the pedometer (on the 3DS XL) most days.
I realise now that I do a crazy amount of walking.
You can purchase Animal Crossing in stores on the high street, or online here.
bloomzy /

Animal Crossing New Leaf Diary: Week 1

Screencaps from my town ‘Blomzvil’ in Animal Crossing: New Leaf

A week has now passed since I started playing the new Animal Crossing game.
As you can see I’ve been busy socialising, shopping and travelling…pretty much an average day then!
So far I’ve found the game just as fun and addictive as the first, it’s also filled with a lot more hidden extras.
New Leaf puts you in the role of Mayor, of your own town.
I named mine ‘Blomzvil’ (because ‘Bloomzyville’ was apparently too long).
Ok it may not be an original name but Blomzvil sounds quite prosperous, no?
Moving in was exciting as it meant decorating my house – an ongoing mission, that’s also fun.
Since moving in I’ve expanded my house three times, and have even commissioned a new bridge.
That probably sounds incredibly boring but I am not kidding when I say that this is a great game.
I’ve enjoyed doing all the activities, and the new island feature, which is full of Kappas – I love Kappas!
My lovely Sami was the first visitor to my town last night (I’ve visited her a couple of times already).
I’m really bad at leaving the gates open for friends to come and visit. I just keep forgetting.
I really would like to have more visitors and to visit other people’s towns.
So leave your friend code if you’re playing too!
Another great feature of the 3DS XL is that you can use it as a pedometer.
You can keep track of how many steps you’ve taken as well as earning special credits to spend in your games.
I love this little incentive as it’s a fun way to encourage people to walk more, and take their console with them.
You can purchase Animal Crossing in stores on the high street, or online here.
bloomzy /

Introducing: Animal Crossing New Leaf

Animal Crossing: New Leaf for Nintendo 3DS

Earlier this week Nintendo sent me over a new 3DS XL as a gift.
Of course I was very excited, but what it came with was even more exciting.
If you haven’t already guessed, it was the Animal Crossing: New Leaf game!
The original Animal Crossing came out over 12 years ago – can you believe it?!
I had the first game and loved it to pieces so I was very happy to receive this.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf is nothing new to avid gamers, or those living in Japan.
However the game was not released in America, Europe and Australia until this month!
The new game goes along similar lines as the first, but with lots of extras and new gameplay.
So what does Nintendo have to say about it? 
“As mayor of your own town, you make the decisions that shape your town and your life. Experience a living, breathing world where new friends and new discoveries await every day. Express yourself by customizing your character, your house, and your town as you create your own ideal world (loaded with characters, items, and activities). Customise outfits in countless ways. Furnish your house with an extensive variety of furniture, carpet, and wall decorations to reflect your personality. Visit the Main Street Shopping area and Happy Home showcase. Swim in the ocean to find rare shell fish. Collect insects and fossils all year long. As mayor, make the big decisions about what build, business hours for shops, and other new ways to customize your town to your liking. Then connect with friends to show off what makes your character, your house, and your town unique.”

Recently I’ve been wanting to take on new territories on the blog.
Therefore I will be writing a few posts on my progress with the game, and possibly posting videos.
I was really happy with the response that my last game post received, so I’m hoping that you will all enjoy these too.
Please feel free to leave your friend codes if you would like me to come visit you!
You can purchase Animal Crossing in stores on the high street, or online here.
bloomzy /

Review: New Style Boutique for Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo 3DS XL & New Style Boutique Game*
I know it’s not my usual kind of post, but I love playing games almost as much as I love beauty/fashion.
My usual kind of game play involves Resident Evil, GTA or games of the like, not usually fashion related ones.
So when I was contacted and sent a Nintendo 3DS XL and the New Style Boutique game about a month ago, I was very excited to try out a game aimed more at the interests I chat about on here.
What is New Style Boutique?
You start the game as an assistant at a boutique in your town.
Gradually you work your way up as a stylist and eventually the owner of your own boutique.
Working in the boutique means that you get to style your customers, from head to toe – men & women!
There are over 12,000 items of clothing and accessories to choose from, including handbags etc.
You also get the chance to enter stylist competitions and have your look go down the catwalk.
Exciting extras include; a hair salon where you can change your hair style & colour, a beauty salon where you can buy make-up for your character, the ability to decorate your apartment and of course, shopping for clothing for your boutique!
What did I think?
As I said before I don’t play fashion related games so I wasn’t sure what to expect from Style Boutique.
In fact I really really enjoyed playing the game and with so much going on I wasn’t bored at all, and I actually ended up playing the game on my morning/evening commutes to work, as well as during my lunch breaks. There wasn’t much I disliked about the game, apart from maybe the overused dialogue – but I wasn’t expecting Shakespeare, so I can’t complain. My favourite attributes of the game were entering the style competitions and shopping for clothing, for my boutique. If you’re not a fan of gaming but love fashion then maybe this is the perfect starter for you! It’s not an overly complicated game, but it’s in-depth enough that you’ll enjoy the game play. And if you’re like me, a gamer who usually stays away from this genre? I think that if you love fashion then you will love this game.