Gozsdu Mission: White Mission

Budapest’s reputation as an early centre for the escape room explosion is legendary; and White Mission is among the city’s most famous games. That’s due to the game’s concept, startlingly original when first created, that instead of a room filled with clues and items the players would find themselves in what seemed to be a nearly empty white room.

Many years later, the novelty of that idea has faded, but it’s still a nice concept. The game certainly shows its age, not just in the simple decor and mostly low-tech mechanisms, but for example in a couple of brain-teaser type of puzzles that you might see shared on social media. That’s the exception though, and for the most part White Mission is full of clever ideas that remain satisfying to solve. And although there’s no storyline, an abstract theme provides a good excuse for focusing purely on puzzles.

The hint system consisted of a button that we could press to request a clue, which was then delivered over a speaker. Our host was professional and nice, but also handling the venue lobby and perhaps other games, so it sometimes took a few moments to get a response; she also gave the impression of paying little attention until buzzed for a hint.

We enjoyed playing White Mission, and it still delivers despite its venerable age. However, I would no longer place it in the top rank of Budapest rooms: there are distinctly better options available these days, and the strongest reason to include it in your schedule is its place in escape room history.