Breakout Manchester: Madchester

The staff member was lovely and gave us a lot of extra time to get us out. There was a lot to do in the hour though.

Pilfering & Puzzling

I was nervous at doing a five-star room with just one other person, but you’ve got to face your demons!

Story

Steal valuable stuff from the room of an avid collector of Manchester memorabilia and break out before he gets back. I’m not quite sure what the hoarder (Zack) has actually done to deserve this.

Puzzles

It was all about negating possibilities relating to what the final code could be. There are a LOT of answers to be solved, calculated and found- absolutely no time for hesitation- hidden behind almost every type of lock. I did my first compass lock here, which was immensely satisfying.

Mise-en-scène

While it definitely presented itself as a Manchester-inspired bedroom, being a ‘90s child relatively new to the city, any ‘Madchester’ references went over my head. I appreciated the fun, brightly coloured décor, though.

Final Comments

If you prefer a solid hour of difficult puzzles over the story, this is the room for you. Prior knowledge of the city wasn’t needed (phew). With just two people, your work’s cut out. I’d have felt under less pressure with a bigger team…bear this in mind, unless you really like a challenge!