Escape the Review

Some themes are easier to create than others; an outdoor setting is much more of a challenge to build convincingly than, say, an office. A desert island is particularly difficult - but Castaway absolutely smashes it. This room delighted me from the moment I walked in with its whimsical and clever way of setting the scene; it had us all in a great mood from the very start of the game.

The setup is simple: your boat has left you stranded in an unfamiliar shore, from which you need to escape. This...

After two months playing escape rooms in places where the industry is not so developed, walking into the start of this game was a true pleasure - and I suspect it’ll have a similar effect on all but the most jaded. This Alice in Wonderland adaptation is creative with its opening and lavish with its use of space. I’ve played entire escape rooms that were smaller and much less decorated than the section that this game uses purely to set the scene.

It was also refreshing to play a room that claime...

I looked at the name of this game and assumed it was a story inspired by the Matrix… but no, as we discovered on arrival, the premise is actually that there’s a missing child named Neo, and you’re investigating his bedroom to try to solve the mystery.

Honestly, if I were a child living in a bedroom as drab and run-down as this, I’d have run away from home. This is an escape room that’s suffered from the passage of many teams before us, with damage to decor and puzzle items, including a couple o...

There were several rooms available at Quest Project Isolation; we ruled out the horror games then chose Wednesday because it seemed to be their newest, and was listed as their most challenging. The theme is the Addams Family, following the recent movie, as our host explained expecting us to have seen it; but it wasn’t a problem that we hadn’t. In practice I saw little sign of narrative in the game beyond the broad theming.

Led into the room blindfolded, I found I wasn’t immediately sure where w...

Tbilisi used to have more escape companies, but the pandemic took a toll, and at time of writing I believe there are only two available. TTE Rooms is the closer one to the centre, and has just the one room, the name of which I only discovered after we’d completed it. If you’re trying to find this venue, be warned that there seem to be three building entrances with the same number on that street, and you’ll want the third one.

The story is that you’re attempting to steal some gold from a house, ...

This was the latest in a series of rooms I tried at random in countries not normally known for escape rooms. Baku does have several companies, but Portal Games is comfortably the largest, with around a dozen different locations, and over thirty games, most listed as available in three languages - though the majority of those are horror themes, and I was doubtful how many actual puzzles those contained.

Magic Lamp was clearly a non-horror theme, though as it turned out it did have an actor. Sinc...

Most of Almaty’s escape venues appeared to be either horror houses or no longer operating. Quest Zone was the only exception I managed to find, and they even seemed to be happy to run a game in English. For once, the room was more than theoretically playable in English - our host spoke decent English and all written elements in the game had been translated.

The story was that we’d been trapped by a mad scientist who planned to turn us into cockroaches if we couldn’t solve his puzzles. This was ...

After a gap of more than two years, I found myself playing an avatar game again. While the pandemic lockdowns are thankfully a thing of the past, extreme flooding in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul left some of the local venues closed down in a similar way, reliant on offering their rooms in a play from home format to make it through. Currently this is the only room at this venue playable in this style, and it’s offered as a 90 minute experience in expectation that players take longer w...

As far as I could ascertain, there are no escape rooms in Tashkent that can be played in English - the primary language used in the game is Russian. Lovushka Kvest was the only company that I got a reply from, and they made it clear that some materials would use Russian language, but if we wanted to try playing they had no objections. Our host spoke fairly decent English, which was encouraging; I also persuaded them to let me take my phone in, against their normal rules, so that I could use Goog...

Tuzak, which is Turkish for Trap, is located in the Asian half of Istanbul, and currently run just this one game, though I believe in the past they’re operated more. Escape from Heist is based on the TV series Money Heist (La Casa del Papel), though apart from use of the iconic Dali mask I didn’t recognise all that many references to the show.

Even with the additional cost for playing in English, this was an inexpensive escape room, so I wasn’t expecting high-tech glitz. But while I think it wa...

We’d missed Kryptos on our first visit to Sofia six years earlier, and almost missed it this time too, but managed to find time for a trip to it before leaving, and were thoroughly glad we’d done so. On booking we had to choose between ‘normal’ and ‘hard’ mode, and chose the latter; as we discovered later, the difference is that a couple of the puzzles are presented in trickier versions, with less to clue you what to do.

Kryptos is the name of a real-life sculpture that exists at the CIA headqu...

I really want to like Road to Freedom. It has so much going for it, starting with the original setting in which you are Bulgarian partisans in 1876, striving for national independence from the Ottoman Empire. This room looks impressive and immersive from the start, and turns out to be spacious in a way few rooms are, successfully evoking a feeling of being in 19th Century Bulgaria with its detailed and plausibly authentic decor.

In several places the puzzles show real creativity and charm in de...

A Bulgarian room with a Spanish name, El Patrón (think ‘The Godfather’) is based around 80s drug lord Pablo Escobar. We were DEA agents, and apparently we were trying to find a ledger full of evidence, though we may have lost track of that during the game and focused on picking up cash instead. In any case, this isn’t a score-based or particularly story-driven room; you solve puzzles until you reach the finish.

The puzzles are of course heavily themed around drugs and the Colombian narcotics tr...

It was only when en route to Enigmania that we discovered the game’s unusual requirement: that we each bring a small personal item. This needed some quick improvisation, though fortunately they weren’t too picky about the items we provided - there’s no need to bring along your grandmother’s wedding ring or your child’s first baby tooth. But that was an indication that with this room the company is trying to do something a little different, a little more distinctive. The way we were met and led i...

I’ve played several escape games built within museums, and none were like this. For one, BioXcape is not actually in the body of the museum; you enter via a side entrance, and descend into a genuine military bunker. And, thanks to the freedom of having this dedicated space, it has lighting effects and electronics that might not be possible in a space shared with public exhibits.

Bioxcape is designed as an educational game, to teach the threat of ecological destruction. Where entertainment has a...

Funky Monkey’s first game Rebellion was in fact designed by Codex in Bucharest - which is a point in its favour, based on the visit I made to that company some years back. In it you’re infiltrating a secret society so as to unmask the members of the inner cabal, though this is set in a future dystopia where the conspiracy rules the world. That allows Rebellion to blend the sort of decor you might expect from a Masonic lodge with grungy futuristic theming, a combination that worked surprisingly ...

Two of the three rooms at Infinity Escape have a magic school theme, and we dived straight in with the second and more recent of those; which has a story inspired by the second book in a certain series of novels. When booking this room you have the option of selecting an unusual add-on, a 15 minute ‘Mystic Wands’ extra experience, and we played with that included.

This turned out to be an immersive theatre interlude, partway through the escape room though with the timer paused, based around pur...

Back in Sofia for the first time in six years, we played The First Hunt as the first room on a mini-binge. For now it’s the only game available at the venue, and has a fantasy historical theme involving a witch and a curse.

Our host explained the usual game rules within the logic of that setting, which got things off to an entertaining start. He also emphasised that there was no clock and this wasn’t a game to hurry through, but rather a story-led adventure. That matched the atmosphere inside, ...

From the name I guessed this would be a sequel to Saint Rumoldus, but it is in fact a stand-alone story. And a thoroughly original one too - pretty sure it’s the first time I’ve entered a room playing the role of air conditioning maintenance worker.

Hans’ Revenge placed in the worldwide top ten TERPECAs for 2023, so expectations were high. And there’s an instant slickness as the game begins, not just the high production quality of the intro video but the way you’re directed from one space to a...

I would never have guessed from the name that Here I Am is a prison escape theme. But then I wouldn’t have guessed that their previous room Bella Ciao was a robbery theme. In both cases the game is inspired by a television drama which I hadn’t seen at time of playing, and many details and references were lost on me as a result.

Even if I wasn’t familiar with the world it was creating, Here I Am creates a vivid setting. Or rather a series of them, a different style of decor and puzzles at each s...

At time of writing Stay In The Dark is in its last month of operation, with every remaining slot sold out, and no chance of further extension - so either you’ve already played it or you’ve missed your chance. It’s a game to describe with superlatives: at 2.5 hours long it’s the longest game I’ve played outside Athens, and it takes place in the largest set I’ve seen anywhere.

The location is in a rundown district in Vlaardingen, not at either of DarkPark’s normal venues. We arrived and wandered ...

Breakout have an interesting location at the top of The Machinist, a historic building that used to be a naval academy. Our game was built in a converted attic space, with old floorboards and ominous nooks and crannies that immediately gave the experience a quality of atmosphere that’s difficult to achieve in standard commercial premises.

The Caretaker is as it sounds a creepy game, involving a kidnapped student who you need to rescue. The challenge for companies using that sort of premise is t...

I instantly liked Book of Mystery, and found little to change that first impression. From the moment of entry there’s a multitude of interesting or cool things to catch your eye; this is the opposite of stripped down minimalism.

The plot is the bit that’s stripped down, in that there’s very little of it; officially it’s something about a mysterious book and dark forces, but essentially you’re in a house full of occult symbols and arcane objects, and you need to find your way out.

But the house...

Enigma010 have two rooms and we played both of them, starting with Enigma. I’d wondered if it were a WW2 theme, then saw the game artwork and decided it must be a superhero story. That wasn’t entirely correct; the main villain has that sort of style, but feel of the game is grittier and closer to a crime story than the bright primary colours of a superhero theme.

Enigma’s decor is based around concrete and metal and computer screens, in sharp contrast to the lush interior of the company’s other...

My first impression of Escape World was of a rather chaotic venue, but I think that was the fault of the hen group who were on their way out. Once they’d gone and the staff emerged from hiding, it was a lot calmer.

The Golden Ticket takes inspiration from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; you must first find the eponymous ticket in the sweet shop where it’s hidden, then pass the tests of the chocolate factory.

This is a cute and brightly coloured game, all the more so as it progresses. There’...

The top rooms in the Netherlands tend to sell out weeks or months in advance, and even booking six weeks ahead of time we were very fortunate to be able to grab a weekend slot for The Alchemist. Because although it wasn’t the game for which we’d decided to visit the Netherlands, for me it was the exquisite highlight of the trip.

The experience here is carefully crafted from the start, including the briefing and even the confirmation email, which are used to set up the story and the scene. Sherl...

In terms of reputation to live up to, it’s hard to beat being the current TERPECA #1. Hype can damage enjoyment of a game, and in any case there is always huge variation between individuals as to which games they like best, so it’s always best to go into such highly rated rooms with expectations firmly under control. But still: there is good reason Molly’s Game is famous.

The game description gives only a teaser of what the story is, which is a sign either of a room where the storyline matters ...

For me this room will be more memorable than most, because it was the first one I booked into solo. On my own in Zadar for a few days, that was the only way to play it; the venue seemed a little bemused by my request but happy enough to let me try.

ClueGo is currently the only escape company in Zadar; the company also runs a site in Zagreb and an outdoor game in Split. Of the two rooms here I went for Morana mainly because it was a 75 minute game. The story follows fairy tale tradition with the...

Escape Hunt doesn’t always have a great reputation; the games of theirs that I’ve played have been a mixed bag. That shouldn’t put you off trying Eye of the Sun God. It’s probably the best of theirs I’ve played at any of the chain’s branches, and is genuinely worth going out of your way for.

That’s partly because of the pretty decor, though that’s often a strong point for Escape Hunt games. But they’ve done a fine job of evoking a lost temple sort of environment here.

More importantly, the puz...

The problem with doing 24 escape rooms in the space of a long weekend is that it tends to blur many of the details of the games in memory, such as individual puzzles. But if my recollection of Crimson Lake Motel is hazier than normal, that’s not because the game was forgettable; in fact it was probably the best of the half dozen games I’ve played at Breakout, across their various branches.

The story is straightforward; you’ve checked into what should be a luxury getaway but is actually a dubiou...

Honestly, my favourite part of Frankenstein is a section of the decor, which is exceedingly pretty but not actually part of the game. Which isn’t to say that Frankenstein is a bad room, but there’s not a great deal that reaches a higher standard than ‘pleasant’.

It’s an attractive Gothic sort of set, in keeping with the theme. You might find you get off to a slow start, at least if (like me) observation is not your strong point; fortunately I had teammates who were sharper eyed.

Much of the ga...

The name is arguably misleading: Espionage is much more a prison game than a spy theme: one of your group has been arrested and you need to break them out, and also they’re a spy.

Our third room at Adrenaline’s Atherton branch was, like the others, a mostly padlock-based game that we completed at speed. I’d put it narrowly ahead of Missing, making it my favourite of the three, due to solid puzzles and probably the nicest visuals.

Our second room at Atherton was Masterpiece, in which you’re trying to find the stolen Mona Lisa.

What’s true of their other rooms is largely true of this one too, with light theming and plenty of padlocks. My impression was that the puzzles were a little stronger in the other two, with the result that I’d recommend those games ahead of this one, though there wasn’t anything particularly flawed here. Maybe we just clicked with them a little less.

Worth noting too is that this venue has an in-h...

The venue at Atherton, previously independent and now part of Adrenaline Escape, is in a building that also offers a shooting range and dance school, though everything was dead on a Monday morning; our host had come in specially for us.

Two of the five games here have serial killer style stories; Missing is the ‘creepy cabin’ variant. In any case, it’s not particularly scary or immersive, with decor intended to set the scene not make you afraid for your lives.

The visual impression set my expe...

The other game we’d come to Lucardo to play on this occasion was Space Evader. This spaceship game is not about saving the space craft but rather scavenging all the fuel rods you can from it, in another variable score room with a highly parallel structure. In this game each puzzle resolves to a numeric code which you must enter into the correct keypad; finding the right keypad could be a recipe for frustration, but each is marked with a symbol that matches it to the relevant puzzle, and in almos...

Lucardo Manchester’s newest game is of course a train game, but more than that it’s a game of two halves, to the point where it could almost be two separate 30 minute games that share a common theme.

The story is that you’re trying to solve a murder mystery - but on behalf of a criminal, pretending to be detectives, needing to solve it before the real detectives turn up. As criminals, you’re also going to swipe everything valuable that is t nailed down, and in the first half that’s what you’re ...

While some Christmas games are quickly put together and evidently intended for only a short run, Compendium’s creation is a more lushly decorated affair, and still going strong well out of season. The plot involves finding the key to Santa’s sleigh, stolen by a disgruntled elf, which of course is essentially just an excuse for a flurry of festive themed puzzles.

The Christmas theming creates a thoroughly family-friendly atmosphere, but that’s not reflected in the difficulty level - this is as c...

There are any number of zombie themed rooms out there, and unless you make a point of avoiding them I imagine you’ve played several; but Karen is a much more original creature. This is zombie comedy, played for laughs but with a solid and sustained kick of adrenaline to back it up.

That adrenaline comes not from frights but from an overload of puzzles. Zombieland 2 doesn’t swamp you with puzzles to the extent of Compendium’s legendary UI-55 - for comparison, the two of us completed this one wit...

We’d booked two games at The Puzzle Room Cannock, so continued on from Emergency Landing to Tunnel. This one is designed in a split team communicative style where half the team is in the light section and half is in the dark section, and must work together despite the separation. With only two of us, that meant one person in each section, and I took the dark half.

Thirty minutes in, we’d only managed to solve the first one or two puzzles, depending how you count them. The quantity of puzzles in...

The Puzzle Room Cannock is a company that changes its lineup of escape rooms quite frequently, but rarely gets reviewed on this site. So we were curious to sample their offerings, and started with Emergency Landing, in which you’re on board an automated aircraft and need to stop it crashing.

The website states that the style of this room is “traditional lock and key”, and this is an accurate summary; most of the puzzles can be tackled in any order, and resolve to a padlock code or padlock key....

I only realised after I’d booked it, but I’d played this room before - back in 2016, when it was The Book of Secrets at Clue Adventures in London. At the time I found it very impressive, and it was one of my standard recommendations for London rooms, but that was the better part of a decade ago and escape rooms have advanced a great deal since - would it stand up to current standards, and would I even be able to play it without remembering too many spoilers?

Fortunately the latter wasn’t a pro...

XscapeNow’s train game is a Wild West theme, and of course the train you’re on is heading towards a collision that only you can prevent.

This is a room that looks good from the outset and maintains that impression throughout. The train setting gives the game a natural structure, with a clear progression from beginning to end.

A Western setting is a theme well suited to escape room design, with distinctive motifs and style of decor, as well as obvious starting points for puzzles. Putting it on ...

I planned to sit this one out, when booking the schedule for a weekend of escape rooms, because I played it previously when it was Imaginarium at Time Trap in Reading. However, swayed by fond memories of playing it the first time round, I decided on the day to give it a go anyhow.

(XscapeNow seem to have a laudable habit of giving a second home to much-loved games: their current stable also includes a second one from Time Trap plus one from Clue Adventures.)

As per the original, your job is to...

The Wizard of Oz seems like a setting very well suited for an escape room theme, but for some reason is far less common than, say, Alice In Wonderland. Though perhaps that’s changing, with three Oz games now available around the UK.

From an entertaining beginning you’re taken into the world of Oz, which of course is filled with a host of references to the movie and a wicked witch to defeat. The theming is clever and cute with puzzles that are very much connected with the story.

Parts of this r...

We binged our way through five of XscapeNow’s rooms, and only skipped the sixth because they close early on Sundays; and Sweeney Todd was the first one we played.

As a type of serial killer game, Sweeney is at most gleefully but inoffensively gory. It doesn’t use darkness or actors and doesn’t particularly set out to scare you. It’s a puzzle-centric experience, though leans heavily into the barber shop theming and other elements of the Sweeney Todd legend.

A particular puzzle at the beginning ...

Our second room at LevelUp was Operation Overload, a World War II setting where your mission is to find some critical intelligence in the streets and shops of wartime Britain before an incoming air raid destroys it. When we visited this room was brand new, having opened just a few weeks earlier.

The physical layout of the room is immediately interesting, though in a way that means the long-suffering hosts will have to caution every team not to get too athletic. The impressive set is backed up b...

LevelUp are inside a shopping centre, and since they were kind enough to open early to accommodate our schedule, that meant we had a slightly surreal entry through a closed and deserted mall. That would have made a very appropriate start to a zombie theme, but Mission Abducted has a sci-fi story: you’ve been abducted by aliens and need to escape from their spaceship.

This is a split start room, which of course means that if you have a team of fewer than four then at least one person will be sol...

With my usual disregard for reading about rooms before I book them, I’d assumed Creep was some kind of serial killer theme, purely based on the name. But no - it’s a lot closer to a sci-fi lab room, and although there’s peril it’s not of the human kind.

Creep has a possibly unique mechanism that affects your ability to simply move around the space, in a way that makes this room may be better suited to players with good mobility. This mechanism is enforced with the threat of time penalties, thou...

Of the three rooms at Clockwork, Professor Clockwork’s Mind Palace is the one that’s least likely to wow you on entry. First impressions may be of a relatively basic style of set design. This is misleading, in that it’s actually quite a striking and cool design - but in ways that may take a little while to discover.

In a similar way, some of the puzzles can give a slightly old fashioned impression, but there’s a cleverness to the design that may become more apparent as you proceed. The premise ...

Any visit to Clockwork Escapes is likely to leave you talking about the host. Becostumed and behatted, with an instant dry wit that could put Richard O’Brien to shame, with the presence and elocution of a circus ringmaster, he sets the tone of the venue and never fails to be memorable. I don’t actually know whether the company sometimes has other hosts; it seems likely that they do, but I struggle to imagine their rooms being run by someone else, or another person managing to bring an similar ex...