Kelly Archer

A beautiful looking room with puzzles that definitely tie into the theme except for the last room (where I don't understand how this puzzle ties in with the story at all). I was playing with colleagues who have not done an escape room before and I think this was a good introduction - the quality of the decor and mechanisms are all excellent, though a few of the puzzles must have been based on GM switches and didn't necessarily lead to anything (just solving a puzzle that needs to be done to finish a room - hard to explain without giving things away).

There is not much to tie to the story - the theme is very good for a magician but we didn't really find out what his final illusion was going to be, which was a shame. 

Overall an attractive, solid room and if I was in the area I would try the others out.

Amazing room - fully immersive from the get go (which is absolutely on brand for Deadlocked) which reminded me of some of the TERPECA rooms we have done in Barcelona.

This is a horror escape room BUT it has actual proper puzzles so you need to try and concentrate while feeling tense. The styling of the room is well done and the way you are introduced to the room means that the guidance from the GM does not break the immersion at all - it all makes sense. 

The story is great with top notch acting, a few moments of real terror on top of the continuous sense of dread. There is a lot to do and there is some crawling involved, but it is well padded and spacious (we are both over 6ft and had plenty of room) but make sure you are suitable dressed for this.

Not for the faint of heart but, as someone who doesn't like horror rooms (I know...) I am so glad I played it. Don't let the horror theming put you off if it's not normally your thing.

So much fun, I wish I could delete it from my memory and play it for the first time again.

(Play the Time Machine while you are there - it's a fun room with some clever ideas that I have not seen elsewhere)

An enjoyable game, solid puzzles and nicely laid out ideas. The cabin itself is pretty spacious and for those places that are not so well lit a torch is provided from the very beginning.

The host was friendly and enthusiastic. There was no intro video or storyline (only what I had already read on the website before booking) but it all made sense and we asked the host what our goal was.

All the tech and puzzles worked well except the very last one, where we couldn't tell if it had triggered anything and kept swapping it over, which was a bit of a sad way to end. This is their newest room so perhaps the ending is intentional.

The clue /help system was quite unusual. They give you an ipad which you use to scan QR codes that are located around the room, adjacent to each puzzle. The host said that these are not so much hints as solutions so we didn't use it at all. The alternative was that we press a button by the main exit door and the host would see a light at the reception desk and could come in and help us if we explain what was wrong. We could see cameras in the room but maybe no one is watching? No idea.

Anyway, we solved it with about 10-12 minutes left - the clock didn't stop and the host never mentioned a time. We didn't need any clues, just occasionally if we were stuck we would go back and remind ourselves of what we hadn't used and figure it out.

Really loved the creepy soundtrack. Aside from all the dead bodies and satanic symbolism this wasn't scary.

All in all a solid room. 

This is just a joyous room to play. The theming is brilliant (without giving away too much), the game is fully automated - no one pushing buttons when you look like you've solved a puzzle. It's witty,, it's logical, it's well run and the staff are really lovely.  

We had a riot playing this, it's such fun. 

This game was a bit of a disappointment to be honest. We picked a game that looked really immersive with nice set design as an introductory room for my father in law. Sadly the immersion was ruined by the loud screams from the teenagers playing the "Saw" game next door and the room played on its styling with extra darkness. The very first puzzle (this won't spoil anything, it is obvious) is doing a tangram - the search for pieces was incredibly frustrating; looking for pale wooden objects in the nooks and crannies of a dark room is not my idea of fun.

We had quite a few clues because some of the puzzles were obtuse (this was game 131, we do not normally struggle on this) including one puzzle which the GM admitted needed a clue every time because otherwise no one would get it - in my opinion that means there is a flaw in the design.

It was such a disappointment because some of the ideas were good but the flow just wasn't there. 

We really enjoyed this game but we felt that there were a few things that could be fixed or improved on to make this a five star game. 

When we went into the room (no fog for us, not sure why, I know it is normal to have it and when we played Riddled next door the team after us had fog) and one of the secret doors was already open and the GM had to come back in and wedge it shut. Later on when legit opening it the "switch" was very stiff - the door fits too tightly in the frame.

It's marketed as a horror room but it isn't scary, just ridiculously dark. One weak lantern between four people isn't enough. In the areas with lamps we ended up taking the lampshades off to give more light. A few more noises when opening doors and rooms could make this more intense. 

There is a lot of crawling. A lot. The flooring  in the crawl bit has cork chips and they do provide kneepads (which I really like) but there is a lot of crawling and it needs at least two people to do this.

There is a lot of reading - you're given a notebook with clues in which guide you at various places. The script used is very small and intentionally gothic - because the notebook is quite old and worn the font is very very hard to read, especially in the low light. 

There is a constant thumping noise which we thought was intended to create a creepy atmosphere but it's actually the axe throwing next door! At least it fitted thematically (not so much for the wizard school room, where the thumping is just annoying).

They make really good use of the space, this room works on lots of levels. Overall we really enjoyed this but with a little work it could be superb.

Yet another magic school I know!

We struggled so much with the first puzzle that I am embarrassed (and one of our team was ready to give up)! Once we got going we were fine, Mo the GM was great (and very much enjoyed being in character at the beginning and end). 

A good solid room. Some of the puzzles were quite obvious, but this would make a great room for new players or a family with kids. 

Our host, Matt (?) was nice and enthusiastic, though when we first arrived they were having some tech problems with the booking system so we were waiting ungreeted for quite a long time.  One of the puzzles (tin man related) had a bit of a dodgy connection so the solution took a bit longer to get, even though we were doing it right. It could do with a bit of tweaking to make this better.

Note that this room does not have air con - we played on a hot summer's day and it was incredibly stuffy. The other Panic Room site at St George's Centre is much more comfortable.

A really different game, so much fun because of the risque elements and some fab hosting by Reese. We laughed a lot playing this, and enjoyed messing about with the props!

The puzzles are actually great as well -way better than they need to be considering the theme (and I kind of expect this to be a hit with stag and hen dos, where they are less likely to be escape room fans). Many more layers to this than it appears when you are first tied to the bed (only with soft handcuffs, it's all good).

This has jumped to the top 10% of my rooms (out of 125) because it is so different to other rooms. A really silly, fun but also challenging game. Memorable counts for a lot.

A really nice twist on the Sherlock genre - this time you play on Moriarty's side. The ending puzzle was especially original, even though the rest of the game was fairly linear and, of course, decorated like Sherlock's lounge so not going to be the most exciting from that point of view.

Meg was a great GM (she hosted us twice that day), though we didn't need any clues for this, finishing in about 30 minutes (not noted on the photo so I am not totally sure).

A great solid room, plus Escape Rooms Cardiff will give you a 25% discount if you book an additional game after finishing another one (so good value).

A really beautiful room, very immersive and built on site by the team. Meg was a great GM, even when we needed help with a cryptex that seemed to be broken (one of the letters was stuck, but it was stuck on a correct letter). Some great, original puzzles and good background music. A really enjoyable experience.

Not that difficult - yes we're experienced but we finished in under 35 minutes as a team of two.

We were recommended this company by the GM at Escape Boats. A great shout.

This was a solid room with nice theming, well decorated and with great puzzles. Not the most original, seeing as it's Sherlock Holmes themed, but the puzzles were interesting and unusual and everything flowed logically. We managed to escape with no clues, even if it did take us a few minutes to "get" the last puzzle.

The GM, Daisy, was great - really enthusiastic, knowledgeable and fun to chat to.

It's hard to describe this room. The puzzles were mostly good, though the ending required the GM to see the final act via camera (which we were naturally standing in front of) in order to know we were done.

The immersion is very low in this room, with very basic decor - it felt a lot like it was in a shed, with some rather basic bits and bobs from the pound store as objects in the room. 

There was also some crawling with no padding, which I know would be tricky for some.

The GM was good, though when we were done he was gone before we had got our stuff out of the locker and we had to see ourselves out - the Clockwork Door is also a board games cafe and I think he had other things to get back to.

Really loved this - a unique experience. The escape is really, truly, on a boat in a small harbour in Dublin. We had hard hats as protection and there are even wellies in the room to keep with the theming.

The puzzles flowed well and we really cleverly designed to fit with the space. A cracking end section made this a must visit escape room. I wish we had had time to do the other room on the boat (which CAN be done as a two player, despite their website saying it is minimum 4 players).

We have blooming loved all of the Ctrl Alt Esc games that we have done. Superb ideas, creative puzzles, super enthusiastic hosts and we love chatting with them after.

The set design is hand made and very cleverly fits with the theme (they are even getting a license so you can have a drink while you play). The GM is in the room with you for most of the game which feels weird at first (I was trying so hard not to ask idiotic questions) but fit the storyline perfectly. 

Bessie (I hope I have that right) is a great feature and the voiceovers, decor and finale make this such a fun game, I highly recommend it. They may not have the expensive polish of some of the big games companies but the ideas and creativity are some of the best in the UK. Highly recommended, you will have FUN!

A solid game and worth doing if you're already in the area. It's set in a bank vault and it felt like they didn't quite make full use of the space (there is a lot of time in a corridor, and not so much in the mostly empty vault room). Matt the GM was enthusiastic and clearly knew their stuff.

The last puzzle was a bit illogical so we needed a lot of help on that which meant it ended a bit flatly but overall a decent game.

Ignore the 75 minute timing, for most people this will be a standard 60 minute game.

We LOVED this game so much. 

The host was fully immersed in his role right from the get go, the first section of the room is very non linear which is great for an experienced team (though it's small enough that we could still see what everyone else is doing). The theming is great with some simple cues to tie the puzzles together. The tech all worked (even when we did accidentally circumvent a bit of it) and the second half gives you a great finale and loads of excitement. Very innovative ending with a nice wow moment/reveal.

Honestly I can't say too much but this is a great great game. Far better than Atlantis IMO.

Expectations were high going into this game - we had just completed Quartz (the newest Escapement Broadstairs room) and Atlantis is a Terpeca rated room.

It's very much a game of two halves. The first half is excellent, with some great ideas, and clever styling. The second half felt so much like style over substance - yes, it looks great but the puzzles aren't that original or tricky and there is so so much crawling that it could do with a warning beforehand (the floor has some rubber style surface but this leaves black marks on clothes and it was crumbling which I found very hard on my palms).

The very last section of the game was a bit meh. I won't go into it to avoid spoilers but the only thing that made this section tricky was trying to hear the instructions.

Overall a solid game but TERPECA? Not for me. Do Quartz instead, that is epic.

A good solid room. Some clever puzzles but quite a lot of padlocks. 

This one really split the team in terms of opinion. We loved it but I know the other half of the team felt lukewarm.

It is beautifully made and looks in mint condition (even though it's been open 3+ years) and has some very clever tricks and original puzzles. There are definitely moments where 4 people seem to be too many - a team of 2 would probably enjoy this more but might find it hard to finish in the time. It's very tech driven and all of that worked faultlessly. Clever, fun, a great room.