E-Exit: Secret Subway

Long a fixture on the Budapest scene, E-Exit has several often-recommended rooms, but Secret Subway is the newest and longest, at 75 minutes, as well as the one that tends to get the highest plaudits. In it you’re delving into a forgotten inventor’s hideaway and investigating the writings and machines he’s left behind. It has a classic steampunk aesthetic with brass pipes and gothic Da Vinci diagrams; the website suggests bringing a large team, but we found it fine with two, and probably more comfortable that way.

Several of the games I played in Budapest on this trip suffered from slightly lacklustre hosting, where staff gave the impression of being bored or disengaged. That emphatically wasn’t the case at E-Exit, where our host was energetic, enthusiastic, passionate about the game, and eager to make sure we had as good a time in it as possible.

There are several distinct stages to pass through, each with a different style, in places poring over papers but more often getting hands-on with lovely chunky fantasy machinery. I really enjoyed how the puzzles not just fit the theme but form a natural progression, as you get to grips with the inventor’s equipment and gradually power it up. This culminates in a particular cool highlight that provides a satisfying payoff for your work so far.

The game didn’t finish quite as dramatically as it deserved: the final section was I think intended to resolve the narrative, but the connection wasn’t all that clear and the result was it felt that we’d run out of puzzles more than we’d reached a conclusion to the story. However, in physical terms it was a memorable ending, much better than simply having an exit door swing open.

The rooms in Budapest are wonderfully affordable when you’re used to UK prices; Secret Subway is sophisticated and impressive enough to put to shame many more games that cost twice as much to play, and is among the best Budapest has to offer.