Siân O'Brien

Aesthetically, this is one of the best rooms in Birmingham. It's beautiful. Everything worked, which is always a sticking point with me! My only criticism would be that it requires Game Master intervention, so whether you get a decent GM could make or break this game. We got Ellie, and she was fantastic. All 3 women we met today were lovely, helpful and enthusiastic. This is a padlock free game, (depending on your definition!) so the puzzles worked well with the theme. It is only a 60 minute game, as correctly stated on their website. I'm not sure why Escape The Review has it listed as a 90 minute game. It's also a max 7 players, but personally, I would recommend a smaller team.

It was very exciting, with some good jump scares. India Jon's Raiders will be back for more!

This was probably one of our better experiences at Escape Reality, as everything in the game worked. It was just a shame the game was so dull. The aesthetic was flat and not really in keeping with the theme. Escape Reality has a habit of locking you in black empty rooms, that only contain the props necessary for the tasks themselves. So in that sense, if you know what you're doing, you can walk through these linear stories pretty easily. We certainly should have done better in terms of time and was largely delayed by our own anxiousness to interact with (spoiler alert) locks that only have a certain number of attempts. We also tried to avoid using the scanable clues - this is Escape Reality's way of circumventing the unstaffing of their venues. Your games host is also managing other games, e-mails, the phone and walk-ins. They're not watching you on CCTV and they're not listening to you. If you get truly stuck and the scanner isn't helping you, you switch on a light and wait for your GM to respond. Our GM, on this occasion, was lovely and very responsive, but I personally don't agree with the management decisions that are made by Escape Reality. And although this won't stop us coming back, the fact I've ran out of games there will. Apparently there are no plans to install new games, which makes me wonder if they're winding down. So, if you're thinking of going, you might want to do so sooner rather than later! But find a discount code. I don't suggest paying full price, as these rooms don't provide the full experience. Our room didn't so much as have atmospheric music to help lift our dull surroundings. I get the impression many of the puzzles are designed in such a way as to not be tampered with too, as they don't have the budget or means to replace items. So instead, they've just locked things away and now you play by looking. Not touching. It was, overall, a playable game, but just a bit dull.

I'm really disappointed to be ranking this at a meer 2, because we had so much fun and I would recommend it, but it's ultimately badly flawed. I can't say much to avoid spoilers!!! But ultimately, we escaped by fluke; we managed to by-pass most of the room and still only escaped with 1 minute, 3 seconds to go! Had we have played the game in its entirety, I don't believe we would have escaped. And if half a game can be skipped, it's a poorly designed room. So, despite the great hosting and having a great time in a very pretty room, I can only give it a 2 out of 5!

I love the concept of outdoor Escape-esque games, but in my experience they're really hit and miss. This one fitted both categories for us! We were ultimately let down by the tech, hence my decision to rank this room as flawed. 

We had issues booking through the website, then issues booking over the phone. Finally, paying via bank transfer, to then have our Game Code fail on the day. So, we were off to a poor start and although Customer Service is accessible, you shouldn't have to rely on it. 

Throughout the day we had multiple phones crash multiple times, which was a real shame. I think this could have been a good game, as it's integrates well with its surroundings and the puzzles fit the story. It's a well written game, but was slightly too big for the fitness level of our group. 

We were told it was 2-hour escape room, with a limit of 3 hours. We took this to mean we could stop for a drink, etc, and still be able to complete it. Given we'd started so late due to technical issues, we only took one short comfort break during the game and lost by 40 seconds. We were glad the App doesn't lock out after 3 hours; we were able to submit the final answers and get our "You would have won 500 points" message - so at least we finished the game - but it did take us 3 hours, 40 seconds, and we were very out of breath for it. 

The GM got my back up from the start, and the experience left me feeling deflated and underwhelmed.

Firstly, make sure you're at least 15 minutes early!! We didn't realise this, and was then informed our time would be docked for time spent filling in the monstrous 'paper work' for the whole team. 

Once we'd all provided our apparently inoptionable names, phone numbers, DOBs, e-mails and signed waivers for all 4 team members, taking turns on their one tablet, we finally got to the room. 

The room is beautiful and really fits in well with the team. I thought their website had said this room could do up to 7 people, but I wouldn't have wanted any more than the 4 of us in that tight a space. Then, later on, we found one of the tasks would be difficult to do with less than 4 people! So 4 is perfect.

The puzzles were in keeping with the theme, which is a really big plus, but it's probably the only positive I have. The room is ultimately flawed, as it requires intervention by the GM, who is busy on the desk and answering calls.

Effectively, the room has become run down and I think they've made changes to the room, so there's 'red herrings' left behind by previous iterations. They may simply be red herrings, but it really felt like there were things in the room that were intended to be part of the game. I mean literally... there were padlocks left unlocked! Does that sound right to you?

Here's a Spoiler Warning before you continue reading this review!! I'll try not to go into too much detail, but... it's hard.

There were 2 aspects of this game that I really struggled with; I didn't realise it was going to be so physical. Our mom wasn't too pleased! And I'm recovering from surgery. Going through a tunnel is one thing. Going through it multiple times and doing puzzles in the tunnel was a pain. 

I thought it was great, being a mission on a ship, that we had to use maps and a compass, but they should have provided a unit of measure for the map. Usually, there would be a piece of string or a ruler or something. Parts of the game were physically broken, so the GM had to intervene. And one task in particular had us all frustrated;  communicating and performing Semaphore. It's a great idea - I'm not irritated by the concept - but 14 letters later I was getting annoyed. At that point, you've worked out the puzzle, you've figured out the task... so now you're just watching the time tick away as you perform Semaphore, over and over, waiting for the thumbs up or thumbs down from the GM - taking us back to what I was saying before - any game that requires GM intervention, where the GM is not dedicated to your game, is flawed. 

And I say watch the time tick by, but actually, they haven't included a clock! I found this very frustrating to not be able to gauge our time.

Worst still, there was no end to the game. I don't know what the ending used to be, or is supposed to be, but it didn't happen for us today. We made it into the final room. We had collected the necessary. We're positioning them into place to perform the big team finale sequence - it was set up to have a great ending! Then the GM walks in and congratulated us on winning the game. ... But we didn't finish the game? I don't know what we were supposed to do or achieve in that final room, but it didn't happen. He then apologised for having the booking times wrong, so there was no need to dock our minutes for being late! It turns out the next team aren't due for another half hour - which we could have told him because we know his schedule from the website. So for all the stress and fallout at the start of the game, it was all for nothing in the end.

To be honest, by the time we'd entered the room, having filled in all that paperwork and being told our time would be docked, I wanted to tell him to stuff his room and walk out, but we'd already paid and it had taken us an hour to travel there. 

In the end, it was a pretty bitter experience and I don't think they'll be winning any awards for customer service. I can't even name the GM, because when we asked for his name, he just said "call me Captain." Yes, funny, because we're on the Titanic... but now I don't even know who I'm moaning about. All in all, not an impressive or enjoyable experience.

This is a beautiful, classic Escape Room with great hosts and a couple of amusing surprises, so it was definitely fun. My understanding is this room is being retired now, to make room for a new one, so I won't say much more, but please don't judge the company on this review! Go check out their new room, whatever it may be and whenever it opens! 

I really enjoyed this game! The set design is beautiful and the game is exciting from the offset! This is actually one of the most enjoyable games I've probably ever played and we'll definitely be back for their other games! It was clever, with no padlocks and the puzzles fitted with the theme. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't give this full marks, which I'm going to try and explain without spoilers...

This game was linear, which works well in a 2 but I'm not sure how much I would have enjoyed the game in a larger group, which is a shame because it's such a big room. I feel like the space could be better utilised. Then, there was one puzzle that was intensely time consuming. More annoyingly, it could have been included in a Print-and-Play. It wasn't immersive and resultantly takes one player out of the game while they figure it out. I estimate we'd have been out as much as 15 minutes earlier if not for this dull puzzle. On reflection, me & my game partner agreed that if our usual team had been present, we could have 'accidently' skipped a large portion of the game, for recognising puzzles from previous games we've played, undercutting the linear intent of this room.

Spoiler alert - there's 2 rooms. In the first, everything is well utilised and relevant. In the second room, I found the Steampunk aspect quite distracting, which ruined the big finale; I was left feeling there was so much more to complete, because things I expected to be puzzles were only decorative. And the finale could do with a bit more pizazz. I'm not expecting the Back To The Future scene with the train crash, but more could be done. My expectations were high, given the immersiveness of the first room is so strong.

I did enjoy this though, and our host, Scott, was very good at knowing when to give and when to withhold clues! I think all in all, we only had 2 or 3 tips, so we're pretty happy with that. And - big plus point - everything worked!! No intervention was necessary, as is so common these days in Birmingham. It was nice to travel somewhere else and see things can be done properly! We'll definitely be back, and we'll bring the whole team!

My 30th game and easily in my Top 5. It's immersive and creepy. If you're looking for a game this Halloween, I highly recommend this one. I've done some scary rooms around Birmingham, and none compare to this. Not because it was totally terrifying (although I suspect they'll up their game for Halloween!) but because everything worked; The puzzles were in keeping with the theme, the immersive surroundings were high quality and everything just worked together. Their use of tech and video within the room was very impressive. You could tell time and care had gone in to the design of this game.

If I had one gripe it would only be because we got the record for fastest time, (Cirque Du Slay are now the Team to beat!) so in my opinion it could have been harder, and the GM shouldn't have given any clues, but I'm sure if you tell your GM at the start of the Game that you don't want clues (we didn't do that), I'm sure they would respect that. I'm sure she, like us, didn't expect us to whizz through like we did!

I highly recommend this room, and stick with the company, because they said they have more to come next year too! 

Exciting Game have definitely upped their game since my last visit! You wouldn't recognise it as the same company. I first played one of their games years ago, when they were just starting up. The games are a lot more impressive, immersive and technically advanced now. 

A major plus point for this room is the ability to set the Difficulty level! You just let them know at the time of booking how hard you want it. I do worry though that had we not picked the hardest possible difficulty level, then we would have escape pretty rapidly, as we had almost 14 minutes to spare. This wasn't the best escape game I've ever played, as I felt the game was too centralised to one area of the room but I will definitely be back to play their other games. The ending was also slightly underwhelming. I felt it lacked a crescendo moment. 

It's always nice for games to not be driven by padlocks and the use of tech in the room amused me. As ever, a big plus for me, everything in the room worked! I've become accustomed to having to rely on the GM's to bail us out when we hit a wall due to faulty equipment, but that didn't happen here. It's well maintained. Our GM was also brilliant. I felt like we could have talked for hours over our love for Escape Rooms. They were also very accomodating for me, as I've had to reschedule my game due to a bout of cancer I was dealing with, so I really appreciate their patience and support with that. 

This game was fun, but I don't have much more to say, as it was unoriginal and fairly dull. As a first escape room I bet this is great. It's definitely immersive and I like the team elements, that require everyone to work together. I just don't have much to say outside of that. There was one massive red herring that had us lost for a while! But I don't necessarily ming that. It was just a bit dull of an experience. We were expecting a scary room too, but actually, this is just "Prison" themed and doesn't quite live up to the expectation set up by naming after the notoriously famous Alcatraz Prison.

I can highly recommend this room! Having now completed Escape Live Birmingham's traditional rooms, this was one of their best. It's very traditional, so it's a great starter room, if you're new to Escapes. It was very traditional in terms of tech too. As a team, this was one of our fastest rooms, but I don't think that's because it's the easiest. I think it was just slightly unoriginal, so we've seen a lot of similar puzzles before. That's why I think this is a great starter room. The hosting was brilliant - and we had no clues! It was lovely to have the space we required to attempt the game ourselves, and we could dictate the when we wanted clues.

A major, major plus point for us is that everything worked! It's a well kept room, which allowed us to focus on game play and no need for the GM to intervene. Perfect. 

As a team, we also prefer non-linear games, and this fit the bill. 

This game was so much fun. Great value for money, so certainly worth a visit. The venue also does Go-Karting and Laser Tag, so you can really make a day of it.

With that in mind, I think they largely focus on family friendly fun. I'd say this is a good first game for a young escapee, so fairly basic. Given the story is based on Peaky Blinders, some might find the back story a little gruesome, so I'd probably say this is a good 12+ game.

We really did enjoy it. The setup is fun, hosting is great, and there's a couple of surprises along the way.

It's largely traditional, ie. low tech, but it's set in 1910, so that's in keeping with the theme and I appreciated that. 

One major plus point is that everything worked! I'm pretty sure this game has been around for a couple of years, and given the antique decor, that's pretty impressive. A big plus point!!

As this is a walk about one, we did stop for lunch! Hence the escape time. This really can be enjoyed in a very casual way in that sense, because you're walking around the city at your own pace. It was very creative and incorporated Brighton as a destination extremely well.

If you're visiting Brighton, I 100% recommend you do this!! Great value for money, family-friendly fun and a great introduction to the city.

This was amazing!! Get the admin out the way: The tech worked and the staff are lovely. The hints system is great and you can dictate it. The majority of puzzles were padlocks, but each puzzle was weaved into the story.

This was possibly the best room I've ever done. I think the story was so successfully tied to the theme and story that this makes for a great first escape room. If you've never done an escape room before, this one will make sense to you. You'll feel like you're in a movie!

If you're an experienced player, I still think you'll love this room. Even if padlocks aren't your thing, please trust me. This is interesting enough to get over that. And most importantly, from experience, it's well kept and works!!

A lot of other escapes we've done could learn a lot from these guys. This is the standard!!

I find a major differentiator for good and bad games is whether it works. This one works! We had zero complaints. It actually worked! 

There was a mix of puzzles at various skill levels, a variety of practical puzzles and padlocks and some surprises along the way!

It managed to remain linear, while not being boring for a larger team and each puzzle was story driven, so very creatively done.

Our host was lovely and entertaining, and allowed us to dictate the number of clues and when (we had 2).

Overall, one of the better games in Birmingham.

Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao Ciao Ciao!

Theft was on the mind after watching Money Heist on Netflix, so we were excited about this room! 

Unfortunately the room is quite dated now. We had fun, but some things were made difficult by the state of disrepair; draws that don't open, objects held together with cellotape. 

One major aspect of the game had us waste about 15 minutes, to find it wasn't working. Worst still, it was missing it's QR, so hints were unavailable. This would have been only our second hint, so as a measure, I would say this is a fairly easy game. 

On calling the GM into the room to help, he confirmed it was broken. He then couldn't manually release it, so he had to skip the challenge inside. He then gave us a hint towards the next challenge, so in total 15 minutes were lost and 3 challenges!! So actually, it put a real damper on the whole experience; skipping 3 challenges is a big chunk of game play.

When I requested a discount on a future game, our GM said no. He said they don't have the power to do that. I was really gutted.

I've always disagreed with the way Escape Reality is managed, given you've got one member of staff on the desk, seeing people in, delivering the briefings, monitoring your game on CCTV, seeing teams out, answering the phones, covering the desk, selling drinks, resetting rooms... It's just too much.

I get the impression there's a backseat manager somewhere just enjoying the money roll in, while starving the place of any investment, so I'm not sure how much longer Escape Reality will last. Oddly, I had enquired in here a week prior about bringing in a large party, which I thought would be of interest given they claim to host corporate events on their website, but the staff told me no - they don't do large parties that require hosting multiple rooms. I get the feeling there's a big disconnect between management and the staff here.

Fortunately for Escape Live this wasn't our first game with them, because we may not return otherwise. Unlike Time Machine, Room 13 and even Peaky Blinders: The Raid, we did not enjoy this room. I think the Games Master held a grudge because we were 'late'. She says we had 17min to spare, but it felt like we were only in there 10 minutes. To be honest, we were still waiting for the real game to begin. We say 'late' because when she phoned and asked where I was at 2pm, enquiring with regards to my 'lateness', we replied 'in your office.' You see, Escape Live is split across 2 buildings; the one on Google, and one where half the games were. On arrival at the office, we had to wait whilst staff looked after others Teams, both arriving, leaving and while still monitoring live games. Someone then walked us round and let us in to the other building. The other building is locked to enquiring public, which is why we didn't go immediately there. Then, once in the correct building, we waited for our Games Master to come introduce herself, even taking the time to purchase drinks from their bar - that's how long we waited.

Anyway, once in the room, the GM introduced the story and ran over health and safety. As part of this, she explained if we want a hint to use the phone inside the room to request them. Fine. Not a problem. I love using those old school phones anyway. I was quite looking forward to it. She then left. There's no timer in the room, but we suspect the clock had already started at the booked time of 2pm and not our actual start, which was roughly 2.15. The GM then left, at which point a video plays on the wall from a projector. This didn't work. We had no image whatsoever and spent the enter entry video waving at the CCTV and calling for the GM. We got no response. We had then missed all the audio, as we had assumed the game would be reset due to this technical issue. So, as for story, I can't give you any spoilers. I literally don't know what the scenario was, which is a shame, because unlike a normal Escape Room, this officially licensed Peaky Blinders story is actually all about the story. It's not an "escape" scenario; it's a story. It's a mission. So this was important and highly detrimental to the game as a whole.

We then never, at any point, picked up the phone to ask for clues. Instead, after ignoring our requests for tech support, voluntarily guided us through the entire game. We suspect that for 2 of the 3 games in the first room that she actually manually released the objects before we'd actually solved them. This was highly frustrating. As experienced gamers, we've never experienced anything like this before. It rendered the entire experience completely pointless. I was so annoyed. It has seriously got me questioning whether we will go back, but we've already completed all of Clue HQ, Escape Hunt and Escape Brum. It's just not worth playing if your GM is going to walk you through it over a speaker, not even the phone, so it's not like you can hang up and ignore her. Rubbing salt in the wound, she then came in at the end and proclaimed how fast we were, with 17 minutes to spare. We suspect that was more like 37 minutes spare, had the timer started when the game did. And if we had so much time to spare, why was she helping us? Totally pointless. Really annoyed about it. 

The game itself isn't great. It's linear with only about 4 actual puzzles and other 'put this here challenges. It wasn't great. And as I said, I think the GM was manually releasing items, so Escape Live just isn't as technically advanced as other places were played. The rooms aren't very atmospheric and we really missed the thrill of the live action we got in The Raid. 

On informing the GM of the technical issues with the video and other complaints with the game, there was no offer of a future discount or anything else to entice us back, which was disappointing, especially given I'd already enquired with regards to booking a large party with them, utilising their back room, but that certainly won't be happening now. It was actually this weekend. We went to Escape Reality down the street instead.

One final note - and SPOILER ALERT - it was very odd to include a sniffing based puzzle, during a global pandemic, when guests may wish to wear a mask to avoid Covid, or may have had their sense of smell effected by a prior Covid infection. To be honest, I think the whole room needs a serious rethink. 

This is the second game we've done with Keyhunter and it's just not for us. We don't enjoy these games and although we escaped, I'm not convinced we would have without help. When we asked why there was stuff in the game we didn't use, they said that's because there are multiple ways of getting to the same outcome. I find this strange and irritating. I want to play all the games and leave with a feeling of 100% completion. I just don't get that here. 

This was a really great game, and what I really like about playing games with Escape Live is they always work. My biggest pet peeve is when Escape games have broken elements, that require intervention. We've not really had that with Escape Live, so I'll continue to play games with them. 

This game was supposed to be scary, and I reckon it possibly was pre-pandemic, but the hosts can't currently scary guests or interact with the game. This game isn't really massively scary without that, but this is just my opinion. We did have Team members who thought it was scary enough! 

This was a good room. It was nostalgic, it was fun, it was very surprising. That's all great. The only reason I couldn't give it a 5 stars - minor spoiler alert here - there was no big fantastic ending. It was quite deflating, after all the fun we had had. If I could give 4.5, I would.

After asking for a clue in the game, we enquired afterwards as to how we were supposed to have achieved that task alone, our Games Master explained that this is an "immersive" experience, so she is part of the game and would always have given us this clue. This to me suggests the game is ultimately unachievable without assistance. To add to the unfairness of this, the Games Master is not dedicated to your game, so she wasn't there to interject when we reached that point of this linear game, so we lost time waiting for necessary assistance.

Other issues we had included;

- our introduction, delivered by the GM. She mentioned red coloured padlocks were not part of the game, but that they might be attached to something you need later. This put us on a road disaster immediately, as we took it to mean we would know when this object became part of the story. This object in actual fact, was the very first puzzle piece in this linear game, so we couldn't achieve anything until she radioed to tell us the game started with that object.

- The introduction included handing you a note with information you'll need later in the game. And I don't mean in a prop-y "you'll need this to complete your mission" kind of way. I mean in a "part of the game is either broken or missing, so here's the answer because you'll need it" kind of way.

- As she left the room, we realised our clock was already ticking and was already at 54min. We reported it over the radio and she said she would keep count, rather than reset it, and she would warn us in 15 minutes intervals. Our first time reminder was 35 minutes in. Our next was with just 5 minutes to go.

- That first prop is broken and resulted in me pricking my finger on a nail. Ultimately, the GM had to provide the answer to this first task because the prop was broken.

As you can see, our first 15 minutes or so we're an absolute disaster. It didn't get much better and although we were close to winning, a victory would not have felt like a victory given the level of assistance needed to make up for the issues with the game.

Props were broken, (a message on a record player had to be recited over the walkie talkie), many aspects of the game are so warn down they are hard to read, the lighting in the room made it hard to read. The GM is not dedicated to your game, despite being vital to its completion. Ultimately, this game is unplayable without support, as attested to by our GM. Given the amount of downtime companies like this have experienced in 2020, there is no excuse to why holes in the game aren't fixed and props and sets have not been repaired.

On a topical note, it was off putting to see the previous team leave as we arrived were not wearing masks, and then the GM handling their phone to take a photo. The GM was wearing a face mask and disposable gloves though, and assured us the locker for our stuff had been sanitised.

I loved this! It was brilliant. It was possibly our best ever time and we made it onto this months leader board! So it was an easier room, in my opinion. (possibly adapted for Covid?) 

This was amazing!! I love it. 

We had Luke as our GM again. He's brilliant. 

If I had one negative, it would be that we did reach points were 2 or 3 people would be working on a puzzle, and the others would have nothing to do. The theme and puzzles were great though. It was a tough room, with a climactic finish, and apparently only a 20% escape rate! 

I definitely recommend. 

This was, unfortunately, the worst room we've ever done. Previously, I did one of the best ever rooms at Escape Hunt Birmingham, so I don't want to hold it against them. It was a bad day for them, so I'm not going in to details. If it had been my first experience with them, I'd have written them off, but their Fourth Samurai was absolutely brilliant, so we will be doing their other rooms. 

Ultimately, this room is unplayable due to broken tech. There was so much broken, we weren't able to solve a single puzzle without intervention and they had to just let us out in the end. This was a combination of the GM's not setting up the room correctly, poor game design that allows the Players to corrupt the game, and broken tech. It was a horrendous experience and means we certainly won't be doing the Doctor Who themed game over at the NEC. However, we have thoroughly enjoyed every other game at Escape Hunt Birmingham, so with that in mind, it must have something to do with the BBC licensing. This was probably bought in and they don't have the parts to fix it.

It was OK. A bit of fun. It's been achieved on a budget and the puzzles are good, although if I'm perfectly honest, there were a couple of puzzles I never worked out, even after it was explained to me. We also weren't sure if we finished it, or if the door just randomly opened.

It was good in terms of being able to split up and multi-tasking as a team. I like that. And puzzles without padlocks. I liked that too. 

Firstly, first game back after Lockdown and I was very pleased and happy Covid guidelines are in place and adhered to. It's been hard getting back out there, after shielding with cancer, so this made me feel very protected and comfortable.

The game itself - brilliant. Nice bright room, great theme and the puzzles fitted the theme throughout. It was fun doing a room without padlocks! And it was atmospheric without being scary. 

I'd say in terms of difficulty, this is probably on the easier side of the spectrum, or maybe I'm just getting use to them! This was my first room with this company and I really liked them, and Luke the games master was lovely. I'll definitely be back! 

This was brill. Lee, who runs the place, I think designs them himself. His such a nice guy. This is his second room, and the second one we've done. It was great. It's a very spacious room! As Escape Rooms go. It was nice and light. I get irritated in darker rooms. If the challenge is to be able to read something, I feel like I've been cheated. This wasn't like that. 

What I love about Lee' s rooms is that you seem to be able to take so many routes. I much prefer that than having 5 or 6 people all looking over each others shoulders, trying to all get a look in and having to do everything one at a time in order. This wasn't like that at all. I really enjoyed it. Can't wait until he opens a third room! 

I really enjoyed this room. And it was my first experience with Escape Live Birmingham and I will definitely be going back and recommend them to others. 

It's not often everything in a room functions as it should do, but this did (maybe because it's was so new at time of playing). 

I love that it's an official Peakys room, so that allows them to do certain things other rooms can't. 

It was, I would say, of the 10 or so rooms I've done, the easiest room I've ever played, but I think given the theme that's a positive. I think fans of the show will be attracted to this room and get a good taste for Escape Rooms, whereas a really tough experience might put them off future games. I think this is a great game for anyone just starting out. 

We escaped... Debatably. We were there to test the game, so having worked out all the puzzles and through some technical issues, we were apparently the first team to complete this room. Based on our feedback to them I can only assume they made radical changes, as I've since seen a lot of photos on Clue HQ's Facebook page of people escaping this room. When we did it, this was hands down the hardest room we had ever done. We're not terribly experienced - I've done about 10 - but this was definitely the toughest. 

A couple of potential spoilers, so you might not want to read further, but some people might be intrigued to know; there are no padlocks in this room! I think that's pretty cool. 

This was a good, fun game. A bit riddle-y for me. I prefer physically achieving things, rather than reading > find a number > open padlock. There were also some nice surprises in this room though! So I'll definitely go back. I thought the story was good and the puzzles fitted the theme, so overall I would recommend this room. It's also a good starter one you could perhaps do with kids. They have designated it a level 3.5.

I don't find Escape Reality particularly atmospheric and the staff are too busy to dedicate a GM to any group. 

As this is a scary room, we did ask how scary and our GM was very descriptive, which wasn't what I wanted. He gave too much away, but in a confusing way that actually resulted in us wasting time some times doing what we thought we were supposed to do, based on the hints that we'd had. It would have been much better if he just hadn't said anything. 

Overall, the story was good, the execution was OK, the set was quite flat and sparse but we did have a good time. A couple of red herrings threw me, so if you find there's something you can't figure out, try moving on to something else because you might be trying to find something that isn't there. 

I found this game really immersive as a result of care in the set design. It felt really authentic. The GM was really lovely and the story was well thought out. Overall, really enjoyable. I can't wait for this company to open new rooms! 

I really enjoyed this and can't wait to visit Escape Reality again, especially to do their harder rooms! The reasons I couldn't give 5 stars is because it was less atmospheric than previous rooms I've done. The story introduction is explained by the Games Master, so there's no real effort there. And the set was quite flat with textureless wall paper. The puzzles are good though. We had a great time. 

I feel mean giving it such a low score, as it felt like more of a family run business than the bigger companies. It doesn't have the same finesse or sophistication as other places, but it was the care and lack of attention to detail that really let it down. 

As it's my first loss I don't want to seem bitter, but I feel my review is honest because of the issues we had. 

Firstly, should you go to Keyhunter, make sure you read the game synopsis on the website before hand. There's no snazzy video intro here or atmospheric room design to lead you into your mission. It felt like we were in someone's house and had just been led up to a bedroom. The Games Master gave us no background story, just pointed out which puzzles to start with and that if we finished within the time to just let ourselves out. She left us with a walkie talkie and then the clock started. There is a laminated card in the room with the synopsis from the website printed on it, so you can find out the story while you're there but it'll eat into your time to read it. 

The puzzles themselves were more just annoying than difficult. I felt like I was playing 52 Card Pick Up. Once you had completed the puzzles, it then wasn't clear in which order to enter the revealed digits into the padlock. This ate into our time a lot. Mostly because we have not come across this before. Normally a puzzle would reveal a full and complete answer, so we spent more time looking for what we'd missed in the puzzle than just entering the combinations. We didn't want to cheat. Eventually we asked over the radio, but the Games Master confirmed you have to just test the possible combinations. 

I think there radio was also on the same frequency as the local Tesco or something. I'm sure there were other people talking on it. We were never sure if or when someone was talking to us, or whether it was part of the game.

It turned out we were on the last puzzle when the time ran out. The Games Master was nice enough to talk us through the last bit, and I do believe we would have finished if not for the issues in the room. Not only all the above, but the room also required some physical strength I wasn't prepared for having just come out of surgery a couple of weeks before. I've also never been to an Escape Room where you practically have to trash the place in order to complete it. This was too physically exerting for me and there was no warning for that. 

I think if Keyhunter was cheaper than other escape rooms I could be more forgiving of their shortcomings, but it isn't, so I feel they really need to up their game. 

My first escape room. It was awesome. We did however manage to accidentally circumvent a puzzle. We didn't know, as it was our first Escape Room, but I don't feel like that should have been possible. Hopefully that will have been fixed by now, but because of it, I can't give a 5 star rating. 

I loved this. This has been my favourite so far (our of 6). There was a nice big surprise for us in this room, which I don't want to spoil here! There was one puzzle that annoyed me, as the maths involved ignored BODMAS, so I feel like it was dumbed down. I really like that this game has an option to escape, or stay to win treasure!! We stayed. We nearly got locked in because of it, but we did escape with the treasure! 

This is so atmospheric - but not too scary. We were all screaming at other by the end because we knew we were close!! Eventually escaping with just 3 seconds to go!! It was awesome.