The Hidden TempleNarrow Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLNarrow have really stepped up their game with room just providing an awesome experience from start to finish. The set is so lovingly crafted and every detail in the room flows super well with puzzles as well. There were many times where we were wowed by the mechanical components in the room. The puzzles also seamlessly flowed from one another and we were never left guessing what to do because everything was properly labelled. This is definitely a must do room if you are out in the western suburbs!
The ButcherScram Escape Rooms PenrithEscape roomIRLThis is an awesome room with a lot of memorable moments! The set for this room is great, I am usually a bit apprehensive about pure darkness in rooms but it works really well in this one and the puzzles match the darkness very well. The rest of the set progressively unnerves you and the personal touches in the room were great as well. The puzzles are extremely varied here and nothing felt the same, the live actor also added a lot of tension and hilarity to the room as well. I think this room is probably the best room that Scram has to offer across every venue they have (until they release more rooms at this venue)
PlaguedScram Escape Rooms PenrithEscape roomIRLPlagued is a great room with a good variety of puzzles The set is really cool and did feel like we were in a village and going from house to house trying to find a cure the town. The actors do interact you a little bit but they are timed very well. The puzzles are on the medium side in terms of difficulty but there is a good variation of them and a decent amount of them. Honestly just a very solid room, the flickering lights are a bit annoying at times though.
Mission IdentityNarrow Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLI played the original version of this game at Expedition Gladesville and I can confidently say the changes that Narrow have made to this game make it work playing again as they have added and removed some puzzles from the room. The set is more or less the same and you will be greeted with a plethora of safes, I think the new puzzles they added are definitely an improvement over the previous puzzles they had!
TurbulenceUrban EscapadeEscape roomIRLThe set for this room was fantastic but I did have a couple of hiccups with the puzzles. I think the puzzles in the first part of the room were solid but once we got into the second part of the room there were a lot of "what do we work on now" moments. With some additional prompts on where players should be looking I think it can improve the room. The last part did also bug out as well so we were left a bit confused when nothing was happening. The set is definitely the star here as it's been set up to look like a terminal and plane. Still a good room that could benefit from a bit more signposting.
KidnappedUrban EscapadeEscape roomIRLThe set is very pretty and definitely feels very immersive and you can tell a lot of care has been put in the set of the room. The puzzles are definitely on the more challenging side and can be a bit abstract at times. You are given a notebook which generally are hints for puzzles and relevant pages are labelled as such. However the marked pages are given in no particular order and can sometimes be confusing which page is meant for what puzzle. Overall this is a solid room with challenging puzzles and great atmosphere!
Assassin in the PubEscape Hunt - SydneyEscape roomIRLThis room is very barebones and felt more like we were in a empty room than any sort of pub. The attempt to make it look like one was a singular (very low resolution) wallpaper on one the walls. The all the props and mechanics of the room are very evidently worn down and to the point where we needed to input our answers multiple times for the mechanics to trigger. The puzzles are fine but generally felt more tedious than satisfying to solve... The murder mystery part of the room was ok but still poorly executed.
Seoul HauntBE EscapeEscape roomIRLI will preface this review by saying that the room is more like an experience than an escape room despite being advertised as their "puzzle room". Despite being a puzzle room, the puzzles in the room are more like tasks that you have to complete to proceed. The video briefing informed us to stay in the light but the very first puzzle in the room required us to look in the dark part of the room to find the clue. There was also a trial and error puzzle in the room which lasted significantly longer than it needed to. The gamemaster is also constantly telling you through the walkie what you need to do next making the immersion and flow of the game almost nonexistent... The set does save it a little bit and some of the mechanics of the room are cool at times. The live actor also does a good job with their performance but honestly not enough to save the room. Think of this room as a haunted house with a story instead of an escape room.
AsylumEscape This - Sydney CBDEscape roomIRLThis was a solid room with some cool elements! I did feel that there were too few puzzles in the room with the 70 time that was allocated but that is probably to factor in the darkness in the room that is intentionally there to slow you down. Puzzles that we got were good but did feel a bit on the easier side. They do give you a pair of socks to wear in the room and keep (and are actually quite comfortable.) The room is also what you'd expect from an asylum type room. Definitely one of the better asylum type rooms!
The Curse of Davy JonesScarborough Fair Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLA good room with a multitude of puzzles! I like all the nautical themed puzzles in the room, the room is multilinear as well so your team can work on multiple things at once so no one is left doing nothing. The puzzles are nicely varied though and no two puzzles feel the same in the room though they are definitely on the easier side. The set could be improved a little, it didn't feel like a boat more like someone's living room and the second room turned into a modern ship which felt a little weird considering Davy Jones theme and I could barely see anything in the last room. Still a very solid room with great puzzles!
Saknussemm's TrailScarborough Fair Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLA solid room with a good use of themed puzzles. The puzzles in the room are all centered around geography, with a good signposting to let players know what to do next. The world map on the wall did get a bit repetitive since a couple of the puzzles involve using it and the linear design of the room allows for only a few people to work on it at once. The set in the first room was okay but once you get into the crawl space, it is massive. Like a McDonalds playground type of massive. My only complaint about it is that there were little rocks that jabbed into my knees when I was traversing the space.
10:79 at Rigatoni PlazaScarborough Fair Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLNot particularly my type of escape room. The owner did inform us that this was the first room they created but it is definitely the weakest room in the venue. The puzzles were frustratingly cryptic sometimes and there was almost no flow between the puzzles in the room. It also didn't help that some of the tech didn't work in the room and even when the gamemaster tried to show us how to do the last puzzle, it didnt work either. Set is nothing special, just feels like a office building since that's the general theme of the room.
PortalScarborough Fair Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLDefinitely the best room Scarborough has to offer right now. There is an absolute plethora of puzzles in this room and splitting is mandatory if you wish to complete the game on time. The puzzles are nicely varied and difficult as well which will offer a good challenge for all experience levels. There was one puzzle I had an issue though. Something that needed to be turned required us to use our full body's worth of strength to move and that specific room needed 3 players inside and was very cramped. Some added signposting can also go a long way as well! The set is very nicely decorated as well with the lab themed room and Alien references littered entirely through the room! Definitely a good challenge for all groups!
The Great Comic Book HeistScarborough Fair Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis is a decent linear room but feels a bit too bottlenecked for larger groups. The puzzles in the room are very linear and may be too linear for a larger group, only half our group would be able to work on a puzzle at any given time. The puzzles are very thematic though, making use of fun props and comics to work! The set was very thematic as well using real life comic book issues and decor in the room! If you are planning to do this room I only recommend having a team of 3-4, also people who have trouble smelling scents may have trouble with a puzzle in the room.
The ArtefactNext Level EscapeEscape roomIRLThis is a great room that makes great use of gamemaster/player interactions. The puzzles in this room are great, allowing you to deduce information with all props in the room. There is a large variety of puzzles with comedic elements in the room as well which add to the enjoyment of the room. The puzzles flow great as well since you know what answer is for which lock as well and some require out of the box thinking as well. Though the puzzles did feel a bit too easy since this is advertised as their most difficult room, we had 35 minutes remaining when finished. This room shines because the interaction with gamemaster who roleplays as the AI in the room. They are always watching and will make small comments when players do things in the room. Your enjoyment of the room will be exponentially better if you attempt to interact with the gamemaster in the room. The set is also great and feels like a secret lab and digsite. Definitely one of the favourites at Next Level!
Project DeltaCubic Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis a solid room that tries to integrate a story more than most escape rooms. The puzzles are a task based system which require you to watch a video to find out what to do next. There was a good innovative use of puzzles in the room which required a variety of different props and tech I havent seen used in other rooms. Though some of tech did feel a bit unresponsive at times and at times the gamemaster had to jump in to tell us to wait for it to calibrate. There isn't that many puzzles in this room and some of the puzzles have gotcha moments where you will be slightly off it you didnt realise a small detail which I am generally not a fan of. The set build is good with the whole room feeling like a spaceship but some of the props are lower quality than the rest which does hurt the immersion a little. The room attempts to integrate the story throughout the room as well which our group picked up through the room and the gamemaster does something to your group before the game starts which is honestly really cool. Overall, this is a solid room that is worth the price.
Mr Pepper’s Toy ShopThe Cipher Room St PetersEscape roomIRLWhat an awesome room and experience! The puzzles in the room flow very well! I love non-linear rooms and this room does a great job with providing your team with several different puzzles to work on at the same time. All the puzzles in the room follow a toy theme from start to end which further adds to the immersion of the room. The puzzles flow very well and you always know which solutions are for which padlock! The set is creepy and unnerving but I would not say its that its that scary so most groups will generally be fine. There are also no jumpscares in the room as well but there are moments where the lights do go off for some cool effects. The ending of the room really wowed us and probably the coolest ending that I have seen for an escape room!
MetamorphosisThe Cipher Room St PetersEscape roomIRLThis is an amazing room but I think there are some things that didn't allow me to fully enjoy the room. The puzzles are great, they flow very well and mostly follow the metamorphosis theming of the room and ties into the story. The variety of puzzles are very different from each other and none of the puzzles feel the same as well. The set is where the room shines, like the other two rooms at the venue, it makes use of the very large vertical space of the venue. There are also times where you stop to listen to a video that plays on the screen as well. The ending did feel a bit disappointing as well because it ends up being a bit cliché. Still a great room though and definitely worth doing! Update: I've been informed that the videos were not AI so I've retracted that from my review.
EspionageThe Cipher Room NewtownEscape roomIRLThis is the oldest room at Cipher but it still holds up very well. I did feel like one of the puzzles did require a unique way to input a solution in but if the room was not searched thoroughly, most groups would miss it. Other than that all the puzzles flowed well and are a little bit on the easier side so perfect for beginner groups. The set is a bit worn down, most likely due to how long this room has been operational but everything was still decorated nicely and Cipher makes good use of the location of the room as well. Overall its a solid room!
La RébellionThe Cipher Room St PetersEscape roomIRLWhat an absolutely fantastic room this is and honestly the best room that Cipher has to offer. There is never a moment in the room where you are left to guess what to do next, everything is very apparent and players are encouraged to explore the room to progress. Not a single thing felt out of place in this room. The puzzles also flowed extremely well with very little downtime and players can split up to work on separate sections of the room. The set is also beautiful and definitely immersed us in to the room, Cipher really made full use of the room and I particularly enjoyed the vertical assets in the room being full utilised. There are also some special effects that I still think about because I can't figure out how they achieved those effects. Honestly a masterpiece of a room.
