Cryptic Escape Rooms Manchester

I LOVE Monsters, Inc. and so made sure to give this one a go before it shut down 💔

Story

Complete monster training to become a new scare team.

Puzzles

On the surface-level side, but to be expected from a challenge geared more towards children/families.

Mise en scene

Diverting and silly, with some pleasing nods to the film such as the scream cannisters and travelling through a door.

Final Comments

My team were told that our time was 6 minutes off the leaderboard- top scaring!

Fumbling in the Dark

A brilliant Groupon allowed my group (5 of us altogether) to embark on 2 adventures: this was the second.

Story

Find an axe to help get your homeland back.

Puzzles

Slightly varied and on-theme, but one puzzle in particular really stumped us.

Mise en scene

Too dark! Phone torches are permitted, but it really would benefit from a bit more light. The Viking mountain cave setting was credible, though some components were on the worse for wear side.

Final Comments

We got out with about 15 minutes remaining.

Tinfoil Hats

A brilliant Groupon allowed my group (5 of us altogether) to embark on 2 adventures: this was the first of them.

Story

Track down a conspiracy theorist who has gone missing.

Puzzles

It borrowed some aspects from a game the room previously occupied (Secrets of the Upside Down) but the puzzles themselves were all new, incorporating visual and physical challenges.

Mise en scene

A touch on the basic side, but this was a conspiracy theorist’s abandoned home- in other words, nothing too fantastical. There was one small section in particular that I wasn’t expecting (and enjoyed!).

Final Comments

We set a new record by escaping with around a third of the time left. While 5 was a feasible team number, take one or two less people if you want a tougher challenge.

We had fun doing the Halloween special here. It's our 3rd visit and we enjoy it everytime. Our host Lloyd is fantastic and really gets into character. We like how he manages to join all 3 rooms together to create the 90 minute special 

Son Seekers

I brought a friend here with a Groupon that got us 20% off.

Story

Rescue your son from The Upside Down before sinister beings cross over from this other dimension.

Puzzles

I remember there being a decent variety at an engaging difficulty level, tied in to the decade the TV series it’s inspired by is set.

Mise-en-scene

I haven’t seen Stranger Things, but the ‘set’ here seemed on the mark.

Final Comments

I didn’t mind this one: not the best, not the worst. We got out with 5 minutes left, a few clues pushing us towards the victory. I’d recommend a team of about 3.