Otah & Friends are back with a new escape room, and this time, it’s bigger and better than the previous three. The newest one is called Otah & Friends: Camp Stardust, and spans 4,000 square feet of the exhibition gallery located on the basement floor of the National Museum of Singapore. Read on to find out what you can expect when you visit with a kid – or without!
In line with the goals of the William Farquhar Collection of National History Drawings, Camp Stardust aims to educate visitors on the wildlife of Singapore and encourage them to overcome their fears, work together as a team, and show respect for nature through a series of interactive games.
Save the ancient star and help it grow and glow
The experience starts off with a 15-minute storytelling session by one of Otah & Friends’ ambassadors under a huge yellow tent.
Get introduced to Otah and his friends, as well as get to know a new little Sambar deer by the name of Sambal. The ambassador will go through the storyline of Camp Stardust and once they’re done, you’ll embark on your new mission to save the ancient fallen star.
You’ll also be able to take one of the Otah & Friends plushie with you as your buddy while you continue your journey as a Stardust Scout.
Open the doors and you’ll see a structure of a huge shooting star with four circular holes on a tree stump. You will have to find four courage badges by going through the different challenges presented and fit them into the holes in order to unlock the room to Camp Stardust.
Moody Cave
The first room is called the Moody Cave, which requires you to navigate a maze in the dark. Don’t worry, it’s not completely dark because it will be lit up by starlight, giving off an ethereal feel. Choose your route correctly as only one will lead you to the courage badge.
The Deep End
After you’ve found it, gently place it on the tree stump and you’ll hear a ‘ding’. Move on to the next room which is called The Deep End. This room is coloured sky blue with a huge ball pit in the middle.
This room is the most Insta-worthy of all, so if you’re looking to take photos, you should snap as many photos and boomerangs here as you can!
Count the number of creatures according to the instructions to get a four-digit passcode. This will allow you to unlock the safe and retrieve the second courage badge.
Valley of Vines
The third room is called the Valley of Vines. Your flexibility will be heavily tested here, as you’ll have to overcome an obstacle course by climbing over and under the ropes.
The lesson to be learned here is that things may look complicated at first glance, but when you take things one step at a time, they become much more manageable. Once you get to the other side, read the instructions to find the real courage badge. Do note that only one is real!
Grubby Grove
The last room is called the Grubby Grove, and here’s where teamwork plays a huge part. Once you press the ‘Start’ button, you will have to press the insect buttons that light up.
This will go on until the meter in the middle turns green! If you press the buttons incorrectly, it will reset the meter and you’ll have to try again. Once the meter hits the green portion, the courage badge will be dispensed and you can take it with you to place it on the table outside.
As soon as you place the last courage badge on the table, the final Camp Stardust door will be unlocked and you’ll get to enjoy a little campfire with Otah & Friends!
You can also enjoy a bit of playtime with your kids outside the Camp Stardust room, where there is a colourful tent and games available.
Take the chance to also snap some photos of your kids in action as they have the time of their lives playing around!
If you’re lucky enough, you might even be able to catch larger-than-life mascots of Otah, Billy, and Luckee for a little meet and greet session.
Otter-themed selfie photo booths available
The Camp Stardust outlet is the only one out of the four outlets to have not one, but three exclusive Otah & Friends photo booths! These photo booths are done in collaboration with Dollop, a famous selfie studio company. These booths are open to non-ticket-holders as well, so even if you’re not participating in the activities, you can still make a trip down here to take some selfies with your family and friends.
The huge photo booth is S$35 for non-ticket-holders, and S$30 for ticket-holders. You get to bring home five pieces of 4R photos, and you get to choose from three types of borders, a white one, yellow one, and one with Otah & Friends.
This exhibition even features the first-ever kid-size photo booth in the shape of Otah’s favourite fruit, a lemon.
And of course, there’s also one for the adults.
These two photo booths print photos that are similar to the neoprint ones we used to take. Yes, that means you get to pose for the photos first before designing them with stickers and such. For the kids’ photo booth, it’s S$10 for two identical sets of eight photos. There’s a perforated line down the middle, which is perfect if your kid is taking photos with a friend.
For the adult photo booth, it’s also S$10 but it comes with only one set of eight photos.
Exclusive merchandise available
Right after you’re done with the activities, take some time to shop at the Otah & Friends store, where you’ll find lots of exclusive merchandise! This includes the Otah Christmas plushie where Otah is dressed like Santa, Otah & Friends Conversation Starter deck of cards, storybooks, Star plushies, and T-shirts.
Each family is given a complimentary pack of ZENKO Superfoods Himalayan Pink Salt Water Lily Pops as a thank-you gift for visiting the attraction. If you are interested to try other flavours, they are also available at the Otah & Friends store.
And since the company behind Otah & Friends is also the ones responsible for the Bubble Tea Factory event back in 2019, they have specifically included the Bubble Tea plushie for you to purchase if you missed out on it previously.
Cleanliness and sanitisation of attraction
Those concerned about the sanitisation and the cleanliness of the attraction will be pleased to know that all touch points are sanitised and disinfected after every session. As for the ball pit, it is thoroughly cleaned at the end of each day.
Since sanitisation has to take place for the next group of visitors, it is important to note that you would have to adhere to the strict 25 minutes to complete the four interactive activities and any photo taking that you would like to conduct. A timer on the wall will let you know how much time you have left in this area. Once the 25 minutes are up, you will be ushered out into the play area, and you will not be allowed back in anymore.
Hand sanitisers are also placed around the exhibition so that you can always sanitise as you move from one area to the next. They are even placed in the photo booths and on the tables for easy and convenient access.
Ticketing details
The Otah & Friends: Camp Stardust escape room operates on a time slot basis, and each time slot is 55 minutes long. Please be on time for your session so that you will have enough time for all the activities.
A regular ticket costs S$24 per person, but if you would like to purchase a group ticket, which consists of five tickets, it will be S$19 per person. Do note that the group tickets will only be applicable to visitors from the same household. If you would like a private session for your family, you can also purchase the five group tickets. If you purchase less than five tickets, please note that your session may be shared with another family.
Not to worry, the ambassadors on-site will ensure that safe-distancing measures are adhered to.
All players must remove their shoes upon entering the exhibition, so you are required to wear socks, or bring them along for it. Otherwise, socks are available for purchase at the Otah & Friends store.
Overall, this was an enjoyable experience and we believe that it’s perfect for kids, youths, and adults alike! This light-hearted escape room is a fun way to spend the weekend and capture new photo memories be it via your phone, or the photo booths available. Come on down and have an otter-ly good time too!
Otah & Friends: Camp Stardust is available from now till 20 March 2022. It is located at 93 Stamford Road, Basement Level, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore 178897, and is open from 10am to 7pm. Click here to purchase your tickets and embark on a camping adventure with Otah & Friends now!
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