James Bloodworth

Was I too hard on this game?  I really enjoyed Advent Alley that it replaced, that was a wonderful collection game and I'd hoped to return to play the puzzles I'd missed out on first time round.

I'm not a huge Home Alone fan, I only watched the film for the first time relatively recently so I had some idea what this game may be about but I wasn't really sure.

This is a fun game, make no mistake, I enjoyed this.  Like Survival I played earlier, there's all kinds of nods and winks to the film its based on but all in a respectful yet playful way.  You are basically alone in the house and the bandits are on their way, you have to find and set traps for them.  You find traps by solving puzzles and then you have to place the traps...

I think this approach for a Christmas game is unique and well handled, I may have preferred Advent Alley but this is really, really good.

Looking back, was I too harsh on "The Cabin"?  I've been talking for a while about the games in the UK needing to change their design paradigm and looking back I think Cabin did that without me realising it.  When I played the Cabin it was part of a large group so I missed chunks of the game, would I have rated it higher?

Anyway, this is about the Basement, the sequel to that game.  Once again you are up against a serial killer and his evil machinations.  The theming and set design is once again superb and really does lift the bar for games like this.  Like the Cabin, there is a live actor interaction and again this is where I begin to see the European influence.  The interaction is very different to how most UK games would do it and it really enhances the game, some people will feel awkward talking but others will embrace it.  The Actor was great throughout and responded well to our randomness.  The Puzzles are all in keeping with the overall theme and don't feel out of place.

If I'm honest (and I try to be) I think Cabin was a slightly better game but this is still very much worth your while (and would make an amazing game to play one after the other).  

Unsolved are quietly raising the bar with this series of games and should be applauded for it, I'm only sorry I didn't see it until now.  I can't wait to see what Part 3 looks like.

I really enjoyed my first trip to Hysteria (with Citizen Erased being a firm favourite) but I'd been looking forward to play they Dinosaur Park inspired game for a while.  The game does lean relatively heavily into imagery and themes from Jurassic Park.

This is a collection game where you need to collect all the vials containing dinosaur embryos.  All of the puzzles are themed appropriately, the area (whilst small) is well used.  There's some wonderful nods to the film that I appreciated (even if they went over my compatriots heads!)

This is an incredibly fun room to play, we seemed slow to start as the opening path didn't feel clear but once we were on our way it was great fun.  Our host was Charlotte who was great from the frenetic beginning to the end.  Kids would love some of the puzzles and I would say the ideal group is 2-4.

This is one of the better CSI games in that it actually feels like you are doing the investigation as opposed to opening a series of locked boxes.  The environment is sparse but themed well and the puzzle unfolds in a mostly linear style.  A good usage of an hour.

Who doesn't like a good pirate game?  

This starts off as you might expect for a pirate game but then turns into something I wasn't expecting but was very impressed by.  There are some great moments in this game with props and puzzles I hadn't seen before which added to the overall enjoyment.

One of most family friendly games I've played in a while.  All of the puzzles are in keeping with the theme (even though it featured one of my pet hates, I was able to solve a music puzzle!).  There's a lot of humour including a couple of wow moments when you transition to another area of the game.

Once again, this is a fun game the works well with a wonderfully fun puzzle system as well that kids will love.  This is delightfully whimsical and was just a fun world to be in for an hour.

Bank Heists are a perennial favourite amongst Escape Games.  This one is executed well with two halves of the game but both feature a  wide variety of puzzles that can be tackled.  

I found it hard to engage with this game but I think that was on me, everyone was rushing around so there was clearly plenty to do.  There's some great mechanics that work really well and there is a competition element in it as to how much can you steal.

This is a fun game with some good design elements competently executed.

Lets get this out of the way now, this is not an escape room.  If you go in expecting the same experience that you got with any of their previous games then you will be disappointed.  To be fair to Hounds, they do list it separately from their other games.  This is more of a walkthrough experience with some puzzles bolted on.

This experience walks you through key periods of the famous murderers life and you accompanied at times with a tour guide (I don't know how else to refer to them).  The theming of the areas is excellent and the puzzles are all in keeping with the theme.  The Live Actor was similarly excellent and she handled my improv well.

The end is almost a dramatic presentation of the stories end.

The theatricality was exceptional, but the puzzles felt (certainly in one area) like an afterthought in a couple of cases.

This game almost feels out of place in Crawley, this should be in the West End of London, it's almost the London Dungeon but taken up a level.  Hounds have created something exceptional here, it won't be for everyone (I'm not sure it's really for me) but I enjoyed the chance to experience it.

If this was "Escape the Experience" then it would get a solid 10 but its not so I have awarded the score I think appropriate.  Elements are exceptional but it's not what you might be expecting.

Mention games like "Monkey Island", "Zak McKraken" or "Maniac Mansion" then you might see some people get misty eyed.  Combining ideas as diverse as Tron, Zombies and classic point and click adventure games then you might start to get some idea of this game.

You start in a classic video arcade and to reveal anything more is a spoiler!

The theming and set design is excellent and completely in keeping with the theme, some of the best I've seen for a while, the puzzles are the same and stay with the theme and  are wonderfully executed as well.

The finale is suitably frenetic.

I never really got on with the earlier games from this company, but this and Temple Quest are exceptional and well worth your time.  The hosting was excellent and I really can't praise it enough.

This is a tough one.  I though the first half of "One Wing Airlines" was great but was let down by the second half, I thought "Into the Reliquary" looked fantastic with some genuinely clever moments so I had been looking forward to playing Shamleys.  

The game looks great and carries on the same level of build quality and attention to detail that we had enjoyed in the previous games, the story was also intriguing and there's a clever start that was a nice touch.

The opening phase of the game is a fairly typical search and assessment of the environment, it was the main puzzle in that first area that probably derailed us.  With the theming of a toy shop there are some puzzles based on famour toys/games and (I'm trying to be as spoiler lite as possible) whilst they may have looked good on paper, I don't think they worked as a puzzle as the answers were open to varied interpretation.  This would be our problem in the second room with a similar setup.  We failed to escape and from what I've been told we were just over halfway through.  I also hadn't appreciated the fact that with it not having full height walls we could hear the team next door in Reliquary (they were stuck on a puzzle, we were fairly sure we knew which one and nearly offered assistance).  By the end, I had endured enough and wanted it to be over.

I think the game looks great and has some genuinely clever potential, I've played similar games with similar themes and ideas but with a much better puzzle execution.

Hints were delivered by a pocket thermal printer that whilst very effective (and I am looking to buy one for a project) wasn't overly in keeping with the theming.

What really irked though was at the end the GM (who was excellent, she was absolutely brilliant and hinted us well but it still wasn't enough) told us that we had got about as far as they expect teams to get and that if we could get a discount if we rebooked for another attempt.  

We won't be rebooking.

I have no problem with failing to escape a game, it happens, but this was just not a good experience, but the thing is, it really could be..

Dark Master is seemingly gaining a reputation and not one it probably wants.  

This is a fabulous game and worth the trip to Worthing!  You are participants in a game show where the objective is to win the most money (or is it...)  This is a puzzle fest but each puzzle is chosen for you at random, complete that one and move onto the next, you can be working on multiple puzzles at once as some puzzles are really only solvable by one person.

Our host was Olive who was excellent throughout and kept up the suitable frenetic energy continuously.  This may not be the best puzzle fest game but it's very much worth your time with a fun spin on a format.

This is a family friendly excursion into the dubious world of Gin smuggling.  None of the puzzles will surprise you but they are presented well and the overall theming is adequate for the story being conveyed.  Our GM was Jamie who was great throughout but I don't think we troubled him too much.  The overall layout is well utilised and features a great start as well.

A solid game presented well.

In my 2024 analysis of the Escape Room industry (www.linktr.ee/roguecolonel) I thought we would start to see a shift in game design to echo what was being done in broader Europe.  I didn't expect to see it this quickly.  This game have been in development for a long time, when I visited 18 months ago to play Time Machine, James was telling me then of his plans for this room and it sounded intriguing then.

I don't know if the historical basis is true but it feels like it combines elements of "The Woman in Black" with other classical ghost stories.  You are taking part in a TV show investigating the fore mentioned Witch and from the off things don't go as you might think.

There's an awful lot to like in this room, from the environment, to some fabulous touches of theatricality, some genuine jumps and so much more.  I hope that this is the start of the  paradigm shift the UK ER scene is looking for but if not then it is absolutely showing the way and I hope provides inspiration for others.

The game is creepy but not overly scary but has great signposting as even though it was a 120 minute game, I don't think we stood around at any point wondering what to do next.  James and Charlie have done a great job here and its well worth your time.

Interesting reading the previous reviews as this game has clearly been changed since they played as we didn't have to google anything.  This is a linear style bank heist where the goal is to escape with as much loot as you can.  There are a collection of safety deposit boxes that you have to corroborate various documents to work out the combination.  There's bonus puzzles and also the big one to get the gold bars.  It's a good concept that's been done elsewhere but this is a solid implementation of it.

Another historical game at the venue!  As before, the game is relatively linear and padlock heavy but the puzzles and sign posting are relatively strong and the GMs are clearly passionate about their work.

A touch of history with this game.  In keeping with other games here, this game is relatively padlock heavy with strong signposting and overall puzzles.  

As previously noted, I'm a sucker for a pirate game.  This one is mostly padlock heavy but the puzzles and signposting are solid enough that I don't think we needed a clue for this game.  

It's rare for to find a game thats only aimed for two players (the only other one I can think was a poorly received game at Komnata in London).  You do start this game hooded and handcuffed and you do have to work for your freedom.  I wouldn't call the space partricularly claustrophobic (I've played in much smaller spaces) but I like the idea where you have to work together and this has a lot of that.  As with the other games at this venue, its padlock heavy with some physical puzzles mixed in.  Sign posting is good and we only needed one clue for an inevitable search fail.

I've been a fan of Cave Escape for a while and thought their first two games were some of the best I've played.  This carries on that tradition with both a clever story and some ingenious hi-tech puzzles.  There are also several victory conditions which is a nice touch.  If I'm honest, I think Monuments is better but this game is very much worth your time.

A great story with some wonderful hosting and some really 'magical' effects thrown it.  This is a great game from this venue (I think Daylight Robbery probably still trumps it but it's very much worth your while.  There's a couple of logic leaps to make but mostly the game is relatively linear as you move from puzzle to puzzle with some very clever ideas to work with.

This is an excellent sci-fi themed game that features a non-linear approach so your party can split up and work on different puzzles.  This is also a very hi-tech room and not a padlock in sight.  This reminded me a bit of Enchanted Forest at their Loughborough branch but I think this one is better.  A phenomenally fun game with a lot of great ideas and puzzles.  Recommended.

Don't let the Easter theming put you off, there's a lot to like here.  It does feature a split start and communication is very much the key (you start in the same space as Captive).  The puzzles are a combination and show very much EO's flair for puzzle design.  Sign posting is very good and it's only rarely we were seemingly stuck before spotting something we had missed.  As with EO's other games there is also a bonus element so once you've rescued Edgar you can then complete a series of bonus puzzles before finishing the game.  Our hosts were Kelly and Kodi and were fantastic throughout.  EO really has become one of my favourite venues for both their game design and approach to games.  It might not be as clever as the rest of the games here but it's still very much worth your time.

My favourite game at this venue, I do love a sense of adventure, the chance to let loose my inner Indiana Jones if you will!  Exploration is key in this game and some of the hightech puzzles feature elements I'd never seen before.  Again, this is mostly non-linear but the puzzles are excellent throughout.

There's a real sense of exploration here, elements of the room may seem daunting when you first get in there but it holds more than one surprise.  Another non-linear game with people able to work on different puzzles.  There is a central puzzle that I think could do with being slightly clearer as to what you have to do as to tore through the room until we encountered that but its still a great room and very much worth your time.

A fabulous science based room (you know when there's a periodic table in the room thats going to be used).  Gameplay is mostly non-linear but co-operation is most definitely needed towards the end.  Theming is excellent and hints are provided from a screen in the room.

Who doesn't love a Christmas room in the middle of Summer?  With some innovative puzzles and clever gameplay this room is sure to raise the cheer of anyone who plays it.  Puzzles are a real combination of search, logic, physical and dexterity but are well constructed and sing posting is good.

There are some wonderfully clever puzzles in this game that gave us a few issues figuring out what they wanted but we had a great time doing so.  Theming is once again very good and this is a fun light hearted room.

Clearly gaining some inspiration from another wizarding franchise this a fun game in the centre of Nottingham.  Puzzles are mostly electronic in nature with a couple of clever observational ones thrown in.  Theming is good if a little basic in places but had some nice touches that brought a smile to my face.  I enjoyed Break Escape in Loughborough and a lot of the same nice touches were present here as well.

Houdini's does seem to be carving out a reputation but it's probably not one they would want.  The hosting here was fabulous, but the room was broken in a few cases and it was clear it needed some maintenance doing on it.  It was on ok way to spend an hour but not worth going out of your way for, for the numbers only.

Justifiably one of the UK's most highly rated venues with a changing storyline around the same location that keeps on changing.  This time we had to solve the mystery of the toffee shop and recover the missing toffee's...  Puzzle design is absolutely flawless, rarely were we standing around not sure where to go as the sign posting is incredibly good.  There's not much tech here so a lot of padlocks but the puzzles are so well designed you won't notice.  Booking on can be hard but thats testament to its popularity.  This should be on everyones play list.