Deadlocked Escape Rooms Reading: The Time Machine

Long room but a very clever concept

I love Deadlockeds style so much. This is one of the most creative games I have ever played in terms of the timing and style - never seen anything else like it. They manage to make immersive, clever spaces with the bare minimum of money but once you are playing all you see is, say, a spaceship. They are so good at creating sets, that spotting a cupholder or a plastic food tray will not at all impact on the immersion (if anything it makes it even more impressive). The hosts are fully in their role from start to finish which adds to the excitement. You will also fall in love with Wexie, the robot and helper <3

The puzzles are ace, the storyline is brill and there is a reveal at one point which genuinely had us excited about what they had done. So clever, bloody love this company.

Oh boy it hurts to leave a negative review for this game. The concept is absolutely fantastic and is incredibly original. There was absolutely great potential here for a top tier game. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to that premise or the hype this game has built up over the years. 

Our biggest issue with the game was the blandness of the puzzles. Very few stood out, with most being frustrating or infuriatingly dull. I didn't appreciate the fact that in two of the four time-zones a lot of the puzzles revolved around very simple mini-games on the computer screen present. It wasn't very satisfying and didn't give any of that wow factor found in other games. Even the best puzzles present were relatively simple and would be filler in other rooms. 

It's a shame as I absolutely loved the concept of the room. Going to different time zones was a unique concept that could've been executed really well. It was especially interesting to see the spaces we'd visited before transformed into different timezones. Sadly this is where the second major issue rears it's head. Now i'm all for rooms being crafty and creating sets themselves. Sadly, I think the sets in Time Machine really let the game down. A lot of the game was clearly made on a budget, which would've been fine had more attention to detail been made. A few of the areas in this game felt incredibly bland (the time machine itself being one of them) and lacked any visual stimulation. Aside from one area, I found the theming to be very rough around the edges. It really tore me out of the experience when I could very clearly identify what certain theming elements were made out of. 

Overall it breaks my heart to write this review as it's so clearly a passion project for the team. It's a simply phenomenal concept that just isn't executed to the standard I'd expect given the price we paid. I felt it was overpriced for the experience we received and the puzzles just weren't satisfying to solve. It certainly didn't help there were some tech issues, ranging from certain parts of the time machine being janky to use, acknowledgement of puzzles being solved correctly being so delayed we got the confirmation mid way through our next attempt and being left entirely in the dark on one of our 'fixing the time machine' phases. I don't know if this was down to the tech or the host, but it was very dissapointing. I hate to say this but there are far better games in Reading. I'd avoid this one.

A very clever room especially with "only 60 seconds" to escape... Thankfully in this time machine, 60 seconds equates to 90 minutes. A unique take on the escape room with a faulty time machine to fix and ending up in different time locations. The puzzles were good and enough to keep you all busy. The only let down for me was the set design... Some may appreciate the fun side with cup holders redesigned in to a spaceship interior but with the effort some of the best rooms put in to their sets alongside their great puzzles and themes this is sadly missing to make this an outstanding room. 

Clearly a place full of passion for escape rooms and sci-fi. 

Our games master James was fantastic from start to finish, and made the experience a memorable one. The sequencing and structure of the puzzles was also very clever. 

The one small drawback was that parts of the set felt a little fragile so we tried to be extra careful while exploring.

A lot of love has gone into this room, and you can definitely see and feel it. Lovely room!

Another great room, full of clever puzzles, and excellent hosting by James & Charlie.

Some lovely little Easter eggs for the geek fans too.

Fix a time machine in 60 seconds with the help of a super cute robot (and fully integrated hint system) called Wexie! 

Original idea and EXCELLENT value for money for a 90 minute room. Innovative set changes & enthusiastic staff actors who add to the immersion. Plenty of well-linked puzzles to keep all 4 of us busy, whilst also allowing a little time to enjoy the scenery and geek out on the easter eggs. Charlie and James were of course, more than happy to talk through every part of the game with us afterwards and answer all our questions. And following our first room with them and becoming immediate Deadlocked fans...we had a LOT of questions!!! A must do for all Escape room/Doctor Who/Sci Fi fans.

We played this game early after opening and even then it felt very special. You can sense the passion that was poured into this room and it was an absolute delight to play. This game ranks at the very high end of my favourite games and I urge anyone interested to play it!

This was our first ever room which is what gave us the escape room bug. The thoughts and details that went into this room are superb. As it was our first room, Charlie from deadlocked let us go over the time a little. From the moment we got into the building, the fun began and I can't wait to come back here to do the other rooms and visit deadlocked in Loughborough 🙂

Loved the idea for this game and how it worked - very clever. Great hosting by James, who was kind enough to have a long chat about the puzzles and gaming generally afterwards. 

Another great concept, well executed from Deadlocked.

Every now and then, an escape room excites or astonishes me - however, it has been a while since a room has made me genuinely happy while playing through it.

Cannot recommend enough, excellent puzzles/story/design throughout - of personal note was the fantastic music throughout the experience which I would happily listen to again.

I think our host was very new, so i want to make it clear i think our experience wasn't exactly typical - but it did affect our enjoyment of the room. There are some very very clever elements to this game which i haven't seen anywhere else - but the puzzles just didn't quite do it for me! We were left confused at the end and the host didn't really answer our questions. 

Really fun format with having exactly 60 seconds a time to fix the time machine (kinda stressful in places but the fun kind). Good variety of technology based puzzles and everything worked well and was very much in the Deadlocked brand. Whilst the set was definitely a homemade feel it added a fun quirkiness to the game. We also really enjoyed having Wexie back (known famously in the Insiders online game) to help us along the way - only one clue needed and apparently a very quick time for a team of 2 so we're very pleased!

The Owner was extremely passionate about escape rooms, we love this. A lot of thought and effort had gone into building this one and the use of recycled materials was very impressive. There were lots of sections to this escape room which made it fun. We especially liked our robot companion. This room is really recommended as it is a good challenge, fun and the owners really care about providing a good experience.

This was one of the best overall experiences we have had doing an escape room in a while! From the moment we were greeted by our games master Charlie, we were transported into the adventure and I can't wait to play the new game when it's all ready to go! Great mix of puzzles and a lot of attention to detail in the room - if you are in Reading, you should check these guys out! 

Such mixed feelings about this room!

On the one hand, it’s incredibly novel and a really cool concept. The GM was in character from the second he opened the door.

On the other hand, it’s smells of damp and the room is built out of paper mache…

If there's one thing I've learned playing Escape Games is that Time Travel rarely goes to plan.  Such was this adventure in Reading, a time capsule has malfunctioned and we are the team to save it!  Across several time periods and with some brilliant play mechanics we did just that.  Our host was James (the owner) who was wonderfulyl ebullient throughout.  Some elelments of the scenery could do with some work but the gameplay was very good and the puzzles, although devious in some cases, were well signposted and flowed well.

Fun room, the GM has to be quite hands on in this game and that aspect of it is fun! Some parts of this game were a little worn and they definitely needed a little TLC 

Such a clever idea and loved the added touches of the room.

The owner then showed us little things in the room which we both enjoyed

A really enjoyable room that was very well designed.  Lots of inventive puzzles and an inventive use of the space.  The hosting was superb and the whole family had a really enjoyable time.

10/10 Hosting, by far the best we've had so far. 

The game itself felt straightforward with its own little twists. 

Great attention to detail on some aspects of the set, some touch-ups wouldn't go amiss on others. 

There's some great puzzles, and interesting tech in this room, with all the electronic elements (puzzles, lighting, props) being very well executed.

However, the room is let down by the poor craftsmanship on the physical elements of the room (the set, props, decoration), which takes away from the theming and immersion of the room. This results in a room with some great storytelling and mechanics, but doesn't provide the escapism (pun not intended) that I like to find in an escape room.

This wouldn't be my first choice for a room to complete in Reading, and my experiences at Escape Reading far surpassed this room at Deadlocked.

Absolutely loved this room. 

The premise - you are in a time machine that will reset in 60 seconds - is new to me (which is always nice). The flow of the puzzles is excellent and while the room is clearly handmade (everything is made in house) it does not detract from the experience. I don't want to give anything away but when you see the last section it was a "wow, how did they do that?" moment for us. 

The room only takes four people (which shows Deadlocked's commitment to art vs money). The size of the room also means that you know pretty much everything that happens - for me I like to understand the whole thread of the story and puzzles so this was a big plus for me. 

We would love to have taken Wexie home with us! One of the most adorable game guides I have seen!