Vancouver Mysteries' Heroes & Villains Game

Heroes & Villains is an outdoor adventure game by Vancouver Mysteries. Players try to protect the planet by solving riddles in downtown Vancouver.

The game is like an escape room where you have to decipher clues and make your way to the next step. Unlike an escape room, however, it’s played in the streets of the city instead of indoors in a small room. The game is also a bit like a scavenger hunt, but different. It’s a blast to play with friends!

In this article we describe the Heroes & Villains game and the company behind it. We tell you about the cost and what to expect. We also talk about our experience and impressions of the game, and provide a list of tips and suggestions for when you play. Near the end, there is also a Video showing scenes from a game we played.

For the game’s official website, and to buy tickets, click VancouverMysteries.com.

TIP: Use the promo code BESTPLACES when reserving a game online and you’ll save 10% on games played with three or more people.

On a Vancouver Mysteries' Superhero Mission — Game Participants Near Canada Place

Vancouver Mysteries’ Heroes & Villains Adventure Game

Vancouver Mysteries is a company that runs a variety of both online and in-person games. One of its outdoor adventures is the Heroes & Villains game. Much like an escape room, there are clues to find and riddles to solve within a certain amount of time. However, instead of being stuck in a room, participants play outdoors in Coal Harbour between Canada Place and Harbour Green Park.

Heroes & Villains has an epic story that plays out during the game. Earth is under attack by the Muck Monster who is an evil being seeking world domination. Her quest starts by attempting to take over Vancouver. Players act as heroes with superpowers and try to save the city and planet from Muck Monster’s wrath.

There are two versions of Heroes & Villains. The regular game is intended for people ages 12 and older. It requires a minimum of two players and a maximum of 40 players (where there can be eight teams with up to five players each). There is also a “family” version of the game which is easier and recommended for groups with younger kids (ages 6 and up).

Both versions of the game take place outdoors for the most part. Participants get to have fun with friends and family members while also exploring popular areas of the city. The games guide players to places like the Vancouver Convention Centre and Coal Harbour Seawall.

The Kid-Friendly Version

Groups of up to five people can play the easier family version as a team and up to eight teams can compete at the same time. You can sign up to compete against other groups in the public games, or book a private game for a field trip or birthday party.

With Heroes & Villains Family, the reading level/puzzle difficulty has been designed so that teams of 8- to 10-year-olds can play the game without too much help. When just a group of children, there is no charge for the parent/chaperone accompanying each team. An adult, however, does need to tag along.

For the game’s official website, and to buy tickets, click VancouverMysteries.com.

How Much Does It Cost

The cost to play either version of Heroes & Villains is $35 per person. The price is the same with Vancouver Mysteries’ other outdoor in-person games like Secret Mission and Crime in Downtown (which are similar to Heroes & Villains but slightly more challenging).

TIP: To save 10% on this game and others, use the promo code BESTPLACES when booking a game for three or more players. If you do that, it’ll cost just $31.50 instead of $35.00.

What to Expect

We played Heroes & Villains in 2022 with friends and family and we had so much fun. We played with three adults and one teenager (plus a fifth person who mostly just took photos and video).

Mission Briefing with Vancouver Mysteries

The Game at the Start

The game begins at a secret location. There your team meets your Vancouver Mysteries’ guide who explains your mission. Our guide’s name was Agent X.

Agent X gave us a sealed package that was full of everything we needed for our mission. He told us about the Muck Monster and her evil plans and said we had a maximum of two hours to save the city!

In addition to the package full of tools, maps and instructions, Agent X also provided each of us with an identity card that gave us various superhero powers (including x-ray vision and time twisting abilities). We definitely needed those super powers to defeat the Muck Monster!

After our five-minute briefing with Agent X, we were off!

TIP: If you use the promo code BESTPLACES when booking a game you’ll save 10% on Heroes & Villains as well as other games with Vancouver Mysteries.

Solving Heroes and Villains Clues

Tracking Down the Muck Monster

The package that Agent X gave us helped us track down the Muck Monster. There were maps showing us where to go and what to look for at different locations. We had to decipher codes, find hidden clues and then race on to a new location.

The adventure took us all around the outside of the Vancouver Convention Centre. We were outdoors almost the entire time. We did, however, have to go in an elevator.

The game took us 90 minutes to complete, which we were told was slightly faster than average. Working together, we managed to solve all the clues and defeat the Muck Monster and save the city! For our efforts, we were awarded stickers of merit and a certificate, plus the satisfaction of completing the task!

During our adventure we never actually saw the Muck Monster, but we knew she was always lurking not too far away, no doubt watching our every move!

Spying on a Vancouver Mysteries' Group — Our Team on the Coal Harbour Seawall

For the game’s official website, and to buy tickets, click VancouverMysteries.com.

Our Impressions About the Game

Heroes & Villains is a lot of fun! We thoroughly enjoyed our time playing. It was very cleverly put together. There was a good variety of things we had to do and it made us think.

We estimate that we probably walked about 1.5 kilometres during the game, so it wasn’t too far, and we didn’t have to run (but we could have had we wanted to). The game was a good level for us. It was challenging, but not too challenging. It was fairly easy, but not too easy. Everyone in our group thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

We really liked having Agent X explain the game at the start and answer questions. We also liked having the hard copies of all the clues and materials we needed to solve the riddles and achieve our mission.

It wouldn’t have been the same if everything was digital, on our mobile devices and without the live host (even though we were with him for just 10 minutes between the start and the finish). Again, it was a very cleverly put-together game.

VANCOUVER MYSTERIES’ ONLINE GAMES

In addition to its live outdoor adventures, Vancouver Mysteries also offers a number of fun online games to play with friends and family from your home computer. These include Black Skull, Super Trivia and Big Top Werewolf. One is a murder mystery game, another is like a TV game show, and the third is kid-friendly, involves acting and has a circus theme.

For details about the games you can play online, click Vancouver Mysteries’ Virtual Games.

Heroes & Villains Video

To give you an idea of what to expect from a game of Heroes & Villains, check out the video below. It shows scenes from the game when we played it with friends in the winter.

As you’ll see in the video, there is a game host who you meet at the start and end of the game. After getting your assignment, and your superhero powers, you head off on your mission!

The game takes you near Canada Place and around the outside of the Vancouver Convention Centre. You have a package of clues and instructions, but have to find more clues and decipher things along the way.

There are stairs you have to go up and down, but most of the route is flat. And if you can’t manage stairs, there are ways to avoid them too.

(Note: Not all scenes in the video are exactly how they appear in the actual game. Most of them are, though. That being said, you do have to keep an eye out for the Muck Monster! She’s watching your every move!)

Tips & Advice

Below are some suggestions to help you make the most out of your game.

TIP #1: You don’t have to like superhero stories or know anything about DC or Marvel superheroes to enjoy this game. You don’t have to be particularly fit or super smart to play either.

TIP #2: We’ve also played Secret Mission and Crime in Downtown with Vancouver Mysteries. Both of these other outdoor games were excellent too. If you plan to play more than one, we recommend playing Heroes & Villains first. It’s slightly easier and will give you an idea of what to expect in the more challenging games.

TIP #3: When playing Heroes & Villains, watch out for bicycles. Unlike the other two games, you don’t have to cross busy streets or need to look out for car traffic so much. There is a bike path around the Convention Centre and Coal Harbour Seawall, however. Don’t get so focused on the game that you aren’t aware of where you are walking or standing.

TIP #4: Play with a group of friends. You can play all of Vancouver Mysteries’ outdoor adventures with between two and six players. Three or more, though is best, especially with the more challenging games. What’s most fun, though is playing in a larger group with two or three different teams. Playing with friends and family is a blast. Competing against a different group of friends at the same time, however, and making it a competition to see who finishes first, is even more fun!

TIP #5: Don’t forget that if you use the promo code BESTPLACES you can save 10% when booking an adventure for three or more players.