WinglessArchangel

This is a really fun room, especially if you’re a child of a certain era! I’m not sure how well it will resonate with teens or twenty-somethings, and personally I enjoyed the Mary Queen of Scots room at this venue more, but it’s still a great room. Musicians, particularly, will find a lot to appreciate and possibly find themselves at an advantage, too. There was one very frustrating digital set piece that slowed us down significantly due to its being really unintuitive and clunky; but aside from that, a pleasing variety of all types of puzzles that kept the two of us entertained, amused and busy from start to finish. Great hosting, too!

I had been looking forward to this room as it’s had such good reviews, but personally I really didn’t understand the hype. Maybe it’s because we’ve done quite a few rooms with similar theming recently, maybe it’s because of the excessively over the top hosting (don’t get me wrong, she was lovely, and it was fun that she was “in character”, but I found her too full on - maybe other folks might like this!), but I just didn’t find this to have much that was original or had the “wow” factor. A nice wee effect at the end was a slight jump scare, and it was great that the room was historical and relevant to the area in Edinburgh (it’s round the corner from the Surgeon’s Hall and deals with the story of Burke and Hare). The room was by no means bad; it’s just that personally there wasn’t too much that really grabbed or excited me. I hope the venue will open another room as I’d love to go back and try them again and have a different experience as they seem like a lovely independent company in a good location (with some nice ideas about tying escapes into history) who deserve to do well. 

We returned to this venue after a fantastic experience a few days earlier with their other room, Titanic. We also really enjoyed Alcatraz!

Once again, the theming was on point! This is, in my view, what this venue does incredibly well; that, and the fantastic staff. Once again, we had Leon as our GM, and we were really happy to see him - he’s a credit to the company.

The room is logical and flows well, and we enjoyed the good variety of puzzles. Some were a bit more familiar than others, and no one puzzle stood out as being especially creative or unusual, but they were still all pleasing and satisfying to solve. We were offered the choice of doing the room “in the dark” or with lights on, and we chose the former (in spite of my reservations about poor eyesight - I was kindly told I was allowed to use a torch!). We were glad we did as I think the atmosphere would not have been as apt with them on. 

There were two puzzle solutions - one in particular - that were very challenging to find, and that was my only gripe, as it became a little frustrating and meant we needed a couple of clues, which we like to try and avoid. That said, they were a fun reveal when we realised what we’d been missing! 

So far there are only two rooms at this venue, but we hope that there will be more to come, and we will definitely be back if that’s the case. Thanks, Houdini’s!

Myself and my teammates had a fantastic time at this beautifully themed room in a fairly new venue in Crewe. Everything about these escape rooms is well thought out and executed well, right from the entrance stairwell to the gorgeous room itself. This is themed exactly as you’d expect, and was what really made the room stand out for me, as it was unlike any other themes I’d encountered before and - from my knowledge of the Titanic - there had been a good deal of care and research that had gone into it, right into the music that started playing as we got the announcement from the captain that the ship was going down! So this room is definitely going to float your boat if you’re a Titanic fan (pardon the pun!).

There are quite a few wee surprises and nice unusual quirks and mechanics which we really appreciated and which made this one of the more original rooms I’ve done recently. None of the puzzles is all that hard, but there is quite a lot to just get done in the time limit, and you need to be very observant! Lovely and non-linear though which is great for groups that enjoy splitting up and cracking on with different things. 

There were a few teeny wee niggles: the clueing system - which looked the part and would have been awesome if it had worked - was broken on the day we were there, which is unfortunate especially for a newer room. Instead, when we needed to communicate with our host (which was not too often, fortunately) , he actually needed to come into the room, which broke the immersion somewhat. Fortunately, he (Leon) was an incredible host and we really didn’t mind this too much! He was friendly, kind, funny, and respected our request for no clues, only popping in to give us a few vital bits of info - in one case, a key was not where it should have been, in another, we were concerned about whether we were solving a puzzle correctly as there was no audio feedback when we’re expecting there to be - and one clue, when we asked for it. 

On the topic of immersion, there were one or two anachronisms (the use of number padlocks, and - most gratingly - the use of a tablet screen in one key part of the room which could have been better thought out so that it needn’t have used a modern portable device so obviously), and, as I mentioned before, a couple of the puzzles had no discernible effect when being executed/solved, which was a shame (I’m thinking especially of the two final things you need to do to escape), but all in all this was a very satisfying and enjoyable room which is a strong contender to go into my personal top 5! We are returning to do their other room (Alcatraz) very soon! 

Once again Locked In Edinburgh show why they’re our favourite escape game venue in Central Scotland, with a unique and creative game that dialled up the fun level to the max and had us laughing out loud on a good few occasions (look out for a few uniquely Scottish bits of humour!). This is a room that we found quite on the easy side, especially compared to their other offerings, and as a result our fairly experienced full team of six powered through (to top the leader board, no less!); but even though it was a speedy escape, the full experience lasted a good deal longer and we didn’t feel short-changed. I was wary about a space theme as I’ve not really been that drawn in by similarly-themed rooms in the past, but the ever-creative team at Locked In manage to make the most of the theme, with some really unusual and creative puzzles and set-pieces, including one or two genuinely stand-out moments. It was great to be properly surprised a good deal of times, as that doesn’t happen too often. Our host, Alix, could not have been better - right from the start, she was friendly, energetic, encouraging and just downright hilarious, and was a big part of why the room succeeded as the set up was really all part of the experience. We came away, although not feeling particularly challenged, having been thoroughly entertained, and that’s why we do this, right??! A great experience and maybe a good starting point for those new to Locked In to work up from to the likes of Secret Lab and Cutting Room (the former of which is in my top three rooms of all time!). Thanks again Locked In Edinburgh; now, please do more rooms!!! 🤞🤞😁

We really really enjoyed this beautiful escape room experience in Boscombe, Bournemouth. And it really IS a full experience, right from the moment you receive your pre-game email! The theming and immersion were just incredible, we couldn’t fault the total attention to detail on display here. Even the welcome and waiting area is gorgeous and engaging. Going into the game is themed too, as is coming out - but I’ll come to that. 

We had two wonderful and in-character (for the most part!) hosts in David and Dan, and felt well cared for and motivated from start to finish. No spoilers, but the “pre-show” was not your usual beginning to a room, and the quality even of this little segment, and the way it ramped up the mystery and excitement, was top notch. 

Once into the room proper, we really enjoyed the fantastic theming, the variety of puzzles and the game mechanics. There were some superb moments of theatre - lots of them in fact! - and everything felt perfectly honed, from the lighting, to the effects, to the sound and music. Unlike others who have commented here, I didn’t feel the storyline was confusing; quite the opposite in fact! It’s one of the few escape rooms I have played where I felt like there was a more involved but clear storyline from beginning to end. You really are made to feel a part of it, and, to my mind, everything that transpires makes sense. The attention to detail is wonderful (you’ll need to have good attention to details too…!) and for the true geek and/or genre buff there are so many wee Easter eggs and references, which we enjoyed finding a *little* breathing-space to nerd out over. 

As for gameplay, I thought it worked perfectly as two - there are some good non-linear moments, but there is also a good deal of time working cooperatively, so good communication is key here. It flowed so incredibly well that we very rarely spent more than a handful of moments in a muddle, and the sign-posting - when we remembered to follow it in our excitement - was really well-done. Everything made sense, fitted with the storyline, and followed on well. There was a moment where we completed a puzzle before we received the way-marker for it - but that didn’t feel like it ruined either flow or story at all. 

There are some wonderful props that feel very “real”, and fantastic use of technology and set-pieces. And the exciting ending, which ramped up the tension, was something to behold! The theatre geek in me was over the moon, and my partner definitely had his Sci-fi loving heart fulfilled too. Even the clueing mechanism fitted in perfectly - although my one gripe perhaps is that clues came a bit too readily. We received two clues, and of those two at least one came a little too early and would not have been needed. To be fair though, I would rather this than spending time frustrated, and I think this is a hard balance to strike, especially with teams like ourselves who clearly have a bit of experience, but are rather impatient (me!)… 

All in all this is a wonderful experience from beginning to end, and we were so glad we had cause to be in this neck of the woods in order to find out if MARVO lived up to the hype! We will definitely plan to return when they open their second room, which promises to be along sometime mid to late 2023. Thoroughly recommended.

Oh my gosh this is so much fun! We went along as a group of 6 and were put into a team with 2 other people. From the very beginning every single team member at the venue (right from lovely Glynn in the foyer, through Isaac - or shall we call you Mumsie?! - to our wonderful Gamemaster Eve) did an incredible job, making sure that our team gelled properly and got really jazzed up and involved. The whole experience was such a brilliant recreation of the TV show (as it used to be in the 90s), complete with the pumping theme music, the running down corridors and up and down stairs, crawling, sliding and jumping to get from one beautifully themed zone to the next. The games were varied and all well-realised, with no obvious corners cut. In fact, it felt as if we could have been playing on the actual set of the TV show! There was a good variety of types of game and difficulties, and every person’s needs and preferences were taken into account by the hosts. There were always ways to avoid the physical parts of the experience if you were unable to manage them. Even though not everyone plays every game, we all felt thoroughly involved and integral to the team and experience and we got to the famous Crystal Dome with adrenaline pumping and blood rushing. The dome itself was great fun - although, and this is our only tiny criticism, we felt there were not enough tokens inside for us to have a chance of getting a good score. But this didn’t detract at all from our fantastic experience, which we felt was well worth the money and we were glad we’d travelled to experience it. Thanks to everyone involved in making our day great - especially for the special victory medal for the birthday boy! We will be back!!

We came to this room for a birthday treat for a Doctor Who fan’s birthday, and sadly, it thoroughly disappointed. To start with, we were waiting nearly half an hour after our booking time to go in. We were told that there was some broken tech in the room, but not to worry as the game was fixed and was now in full working order! Also, that we wouldn’t be penalised for time and would still get our full time. Well, thank goodness for that!! We were greeted at the door by Scott, who was lovely, upbeat and really got us in the mood. And we got into the room and our immediate impression was good - it was quite a good looking room and we set to trying to solve puzzles. Unfortunately, from this point our experience just went from bad to worse. At all sorts of points either the tech didn’t work properly, or bits of the game were missing completely, or our host was not paying attention to our gameplay and had failed to notice exactly where we were in the game (at more than one point a puzzle had been solved for about 5 minutes, before suddenly “the game” caught up!); often the problem was a combination of these. After muddling through with all sorts of ongoing issues and things not triggering or working properly, we eventually reached a point near the end of the game where we needed an item that we were *repeatedly* saying was not where it should be. At which point the host told us on the audio that this malfunction often happened and to just play on without the object. As we tried to complete the final set piece, though, we were repeatedly prompted to use this missing object and were sent round and round in circles for ages, trying to solve the final puzzle without it. It was increasingly frustrating and actually made a couple of us rather cross as we always like to try and beat a leaderboard time, and time was ticking away. This should never have been allowed to happen. Eventually the end of the game triggered, and we were able to exit, in a very anticlimactic way, to be met by a different host - Hannah, who was I think the one who had taken us through the game itself. I think, without us being rude (I actually apologised for having got a bit annoyed inside the room towards the end!), we made obvious that we had not had a good time. Now, maybe she was having an off day; but, instead of an apology, and an attempt to make up to us our wasted time and money, she just seemed uninterested and said that the broken things “happen all the time”. When a venue has just taken over £130 from team for an hour’s play you really don’t expect such poor service. We have also yet to receive our team photo. This room was such an incredible disappointment, with only one star awarded for the set dressing and theming of the room, and another half for Scott enthusiasm at the start. It really was scraping the bottom of the barrel though and I wouldn’t go back to this Manchester venue of Escape Hunt, however well their other games are rated. Definitely avoid. 

We played this in Edinburgh as it appeared as part of the Fringe Festival. We expected very little, given that it is a temporary attraction, but were really pleasantly surprised, and ended up having a great almost-hour of frantic fun! When we did this, it was set outdoors and was basically a game in a big box, with other elements being added in by “Agent Nathan” (who was a brilliant host!), or found in and around the area using clues discovered as we went along. Had I been told beforehand how low-tech it would be I might have given it a miss but I’m so glad I didn’t as we were thoroughly immersed and engaged for a almost the full hour! There were puzzles of all types and although most of them ended in a code to help towards disarming the EMP, everything still felt very varied. Obviously there was none of the beautiful set-dressing and theming of a static indoor escape room, but the way the outdoor space was used was pretty neat and it was great to be solving clues outside in the sunshine and amongst the curious public! It was also nice to be teamed up with another member of the public too, who proved to be a really strong puzzler and really helped us pull off this tough set of tasks with just enough time to spare! I appreciate this might not be to everyone’s taste though, but I feel like this might’ve been done this way only for the Fringe? Anyway, if you’re in Edinburgh before 28th August, I do recommend giving this a try! Very entertaining.

We are always excited to try a new room from Locked In Glasgow and what can I say except this one definitely did not disappoint!! Such incredibly beautiful theming, with a great story and, once we got over an initial hurdle, non-stop action!! As a team of two we felt we were pushed (!) right to the wire and really had to blitz through a few things to have a chance of escape (we got some help too, which we usually would mostly avoid - not all of it was maybe needed but it helped us get a reasonable exit time) but the pacing of this game had been perfectly judged by the creators and meant that the excitement was really ramped up at just the right point.  There were some wonderful reveals and “ooooh!” moments, and although nothing was too much of a head-scratcher, there was such a wealth of things to do that we were never bored or left with nothing to do, and the main challenge really was in keeping up the necessary - breakneck - pace.  Helpfully, though, we were almost constantly able to work independently of each other, without feeling like we really missed out on anything, which is a rare achievement in an escape room! Not everything we encountered was entirely in keeping with the theme (some use of modern tech that maybe felt a little out of place), but really that’s nitpicking and this is a wonderfully designed and immersive room that is thoroughly varied, creative and just downright enjoyable. I was bouncing around the room by the end! Another smash from this wonderful team of escape creators. Thanks so much guys, we’ll be back for the next one as and when!! ☺️

We love Locked In Glasgow and it was great to finally find the time to get back and try their newest room so far (with two more on the way soon!). These guys do this so well, with some lovely attention to details, theming and always a wee sense of humour too. Great wee touches in this room - it might well be one that appeals to older children and adults with a sense of fun! Definitely a room for a smaller team though as there are some tight spaces, although it doesn’t always move in a linear way, especially at the beginning. The wee set pieces at the end are fun and we especially enjoyed the way one of the keys was hidden!! A great wee room with a lovely company and super friendly hosting (thanks Hamish!) which I am super happy to recommend. See you again soon folks! ☺️

This really had me scratching my head on a few occasions. Fun, silly theme but don’t let that fool you - the puzzles and the interface are top notch. Amazing in a free game! Highly recommended to while away an hour or two.

One half of our usual team of six played this game and we had a blast! Some fun and original theming and premise, with a few funny in-jokes and the flair and flow which I think we had come to expect from Locked In Edinburgh after already having played two of their other excellent escape rooms. We all agreed that there was *just* enough to do - although one of us was not on form today due to health issues, and had that not been the case it might have been different. I would certainly say that this room is best for no more than three unless you really are beginners or are prepared to have some people at loose ends. For seasoned escapers who want a challenge, two would work best. There was a good variety of puzzles and tasks, with nothing too frustrating, and some good - attentive but mostly hands off, just as we like it! - hosting. One thing that perturbed me (but not my two team mates!) was that there was nowhere where we could see the progression of time at all - so we had no clue how long we had left or how well we were doing. This could be something that is either a pro or a con for you, worth knowing going in I think. The end section was super cool, although a little more clarity would have been nice regarding the timing of a certain task that needs to be done right at the end…I can’t say more than that without spoilers! Overall, though, a really fun, immersive and enjoyable experience! Thanks guys!

Oh my gosh what a fantastic room!! This was one of two games we played at Locked In in Summerhall on the same day (the other being The Cutting Room, which we all liked but unanimously as a group not as much as The Secret Lab) and we had an absolute ball. From meeting our wonderful, enthusiastic and encouraging host, to ending up on the leaderboard, it was just an all-round awesome experience. The setting of this room is really unique, and without giving too much away, the way the team have used it is so original, but always so perfectly logical, that we were just blown away. As a slightly larger team, we found that we could split up (in fact we were forced to, at one point) and all be getting on with things, in the most satisfying way possible. With the layout of the room, even though you might be engaged in something completely different from your other teammates, you still were aware of what else was going on around you, and so didn’t quite feel like you were missing out as is so often the case in non-linear rooms where everyone splits up to divide and conquer. Some incredibly clever and original puzzles really impressed us, and what made it all so perfect was that everything led seamlessly from one set piece to the next. Nothing was out of theme or place, and the clueing system was so cool! We actually wished we had used it more afterwards, just to have seen it in action more! The incredibly attentive hosting meant that the only time we received a clue was where a genuine human error had been made, which was exactly the amount of help we would have wished for (we prefer to try and go it alone if at all possible). Although one silly oversight led to us taking maybe a few extra minutes to escape than we would have liked, overall we were really happy with our play through and felt like the game really was designed to be a satisfying, collaborative experience for a medium-sized team. No frustration here, just absolute breakneck fun from beginning to end! Definitely one of the very best games in Scotland! A must-do!

My team and I did enjoy this room, but found it to be sometimes a little illogical, with one part in particular (although an exciting discovery!) making no sense in terms of the theme. Some solutions were rather obscure and others incredibly simplistic. We found quite a few moments of confusion and frustration in this room. That being said, the situation in an old dissection room was really cool, and there was some fun drama and set pieces, with various great props and some lovely set dressing and one or two neat little mechanics that we hadn’t seen before. Unfortunately (contrary to our experience in The Secret Lab on the same day, which we went though with a different host) we felt our hosting wasn’t that great in this room - although our game master was chatty and pleasant, we felt he was a little hands off and rushed on our visit. We still had a great time though, and I would recommend this room - especially to more experienced teams. We all just liked The Secret Lab a whole lot more. 

We spent an exciting hour here on a lovely bright Monday morning ably assisted by the very cheery and helpful Bethany. As we usually play in a larger group, and this is billed as Clue HQ Harrogate’s most difficult room, I was a bit anxious that we wouldn’t get out in time, and there certainly was a lot to do! But fortunately with a few prods in the right direction nothing stumped us for very long and in the end we got out with time to spare! A really well designed room with lots of cool tech, some puzzles obvious and familiar, some less so, and a huge variety of types of task. Even though it was one enclosed room, the theme made this work perfectly, and the sense of tension heightened with each passing minute in a very authentic-feeling way. We particularly enjoyed the big set-piece series of puzzles which we solved towards the latter half of our time in the room as these felt really tactile and realistic. Not too many padlocks here, and every one felt like it fitted in the environment (the Panic Room of a paranoid businessman). The clueing system and the countdown timer also fit perfectly with the theming, and this screen was used throughout to great effect. My one little niggle was that the final major puzzle was a bit clunky, and we solved it more by luck and our own deductive reasoning than in the way that I think it was meant to function. Nevertheless, this was a thoroughly enjoyable room which really immersed us in the action from beginning to end, and I can heartily recommend it.

Wow, wow, wow!! Having played Lost Tomb first, we headed straight into Viking, wondering what could possibly better it?! Well, we were not disappointed! Whilst Lost Tomb scored incredibly highly for our team in traditional escape room terms (and indeed, a couple of others in my group preferred it for this reason), Viking was like a wonderful piece of immersive, head-scratching theatre. Both opening and ending were remarkable, original and incredibly exciting, and even though this is a game in only one room there was more than enough to keep everyone occupied. We had an interesting moment where a team member put a piece of a puzzle in a place it shouldn’t have been put (sorry Graham and Jess!) but it was solved quickly by our wonderful hosts (even though no-one had ever done that before!!), who were attentive, kind, super-friendly and generous throughout our whole experience at this venue (thank you for the water!). One or two real think-outside-of-the-box puzzles kept us busy, and help came at just the right time. We also loved the complete immersion of the theming - no modern padlocks here, and even the hint system and timer was “camouflaged”. Some gorgeous wood and metal work and really sturdy and tactile props, fixtures and fittings made this game just sheer joy from beginning to end. And did I mention that ending?! Thanks so much Extremescape for a fantastic time, we will be back!! ❤️❤️❤️

Amazing room! So many really neat little touches, lots of things we haven’t seen before in other escape rooms. Annoyingly, even though it is a very non-linear room, we approached this in a rather linear way and got a bit hung up on a few wee minor points as a result, but we had just the right amount of support to help us through any wobbles. Lots of really cool physical set pieces made the whole experience really immersive, with a few wee moments that were slightly creepy, but certainly nothing that would properly scare anyone of a nervous disposition. We loved this room so much and can thoroughly recommend taking the time to find it and travel there - even if you don’t live locally; you won’t regret it!

Decent game and mechanic that is let down by the fact that it is all rather small and difficult to scrutinise well in a group of more than two. One rather illogical puzzle at the end of the game made it rather a let down, and we needed some hints, but still fun!

Fun room, with one or two really quirky features. An interesting premise, which felt quite original, and an exciting start to the game which really got you in the mood. Some great hosting too! 

Great room - not quite as good as its sister room in my eyes. One rather tricky skill-based puzzle toward the end of the game brought it down for me - thankfully my teammates persevered with it and we got out but had I had to do it myself I would have got very frustrated. The rest of the game was fantastic - not as varied as the other room, but still really fun and creative. Recommended.

As Potter fans, we just LOVED this room! No spoilers, but it’s got several cool surprises, and some really clever mechanics. There is so much to do that a larger group can be quite happy here, and can work in parallel. So much so that I have since been back to this room with a different group, and simply followed a different path, standing back when I happened upon any puzzles which I already knew the solution to. The playing space feels spacious and is beautifully themed, as is the rest of the venue, which includes a cool bar (full of different games to play!? serving various themed food and drinks, and another wee mini-game just outside the entrance to the escape itself. We have played both this and the Dark Arts room from the same company and we preferred this one. Highly recommended.

Although only a single room (although I’m told there are two of the same room on the premises, one “light” themed and one “dark”; we weren’t given an option as to which one we played) these guys use their space to the optimum, packing loads of varied puzzles into the space. The hint mechanism is quite cool and there are a lot of physical props and a little use of different types of practical trickery, too, which is appropriate. We didn’t hit our stride too well in this room (maybe something to do with 18 months of no escaping, thanks pandemic! I also struggled to see the numbers on several of the padlocks thanks to the wear and tear and low light.) and so nearly didn’t escape (one very obvious clue trumped us in particular, and the final big puzzle wasn’t one that could be rushed accurately!) but we made it, and were pleased we did because the exit set piece was quite cool. Definitely not the most exciting, well-themed or immersive room we’ve done, but a solid and fun escape if you have an hour to kill in Edinburgh.

Myself and my team absolutely loved this escape room - it’s so inventive and engaging, and you can actually learn something from it too! The start of the game is really clever, and there are so many unique little touches throughout, including some really cool wee effects, some unusual hiding places, and some creative practical puzzles that weren’t just your run of the mill padlocks. The exit was unexpected too - we really love rooms where the way out/climax isn’t just getting back out of the door you came in by! The team at these escape rooms are absolutely lovely too, and we are hoping that their relatively recent move across to the West End of Glasgow (from Linlithgow) goes really well for them - we shall definitely be back!

We were so excited for this game as we’d been led to believe it was incredible! Unfortunately it left us feeling very frustrated and unfulfilled. When we walked in it really did have the “wow” factor, and we were really excited to get going. However, there were at least two elements to the gameplay that went completely wrong; and when we picked up the wall-mounted phone to try and get help from our games master, it transpired she hadn’t been paying close enough attention and so hadn’t noticed these things going wrong for us. To give her her due, I think she gave us extra time, but towards our escape another piece of tech failed and it turned out we would not have been able to get out at all, never mind in time! It’s a shame, because there were so many aspects to this escape room that ticked our boxes (including one really exciting and very authentic-feeling moment late on in the game!). Poor tech and far too many red herrings led to a really lacklustre experience overall, though.

The oldest (I think) room at this venue, and it shows (it’s very padlock heavy, for example). The ending was also a little anti-climactic. That said, it was still a really well-themed, entertaining escape, with loads to recommend it and definitely worth doing! 

Loved this room so much! Incredible hosting by Kalvin and such a wonderful set and theming. Some really clever puzzles too, involving very few locks but quite intrinsic use of tech (which worked perfectly!). A good few wee red herrings but nothing that kept us off the wrong path for long. Lots of lovely practical props and effects and a really fun, appropriate and satisfying conclusion! Bravo!

Felt our group of 6 maybe slightly too large for this game although it was a very well-thought out room with some great puzzles and lovely original touches. One very unique puzzle in particular, and an exciting opening!