EscapeRoomExplorer

Reviews

Reviews

女王と国のために [For Queen & Country]

女王と国のために [For Queen & Country]

Studio Escape Nipponbashi

  • Escape room
  • IRL
‘For Queen & Country’, simply put, is an incredible escape room that holds cinematic moments for any player lucky enough to experience it. Wickedly funny, surprising and wildly imaginative, ‘For Queen & Country’ delivers golden-era ‘60s British spy bravado and gimmicks thick and fast. The puzzles transcend the standard types to focus on making the narrative cinematic, with the players always in the spotlight. I can’t sing enough high praises—if more TERPECA nominators and voters travelled to Japan, Studio Escape’s experiences would rank high on the list.
Emerald Echoes

Emerald Echoes

PostCurious

  • Escape room
  • Tabletop
Challenging and mysterious in equal measure, ‘Emerald Echoes’ offers elegant puzzles in a longer format than PostCurious’s lighter ‘Ministry of Lost Things’ series and ‘The Morrison Game Factory’. We needed hints at times to help nudge us towards the right path, and it’s worth splitting the experience up across multiple sittings—even if you have the urge to finish it all in one go. The narrative and careful curation of materials helped elevate this tabletop puzzle experience, leaving me all the more excited to play whatever PostCurious release next.
The Puppet Master

The Puppet Master

Eclipse Escape

  • Escape room
  • IRL
An ambitious narrative first for Gold Coast escape rooms, ‘The Puppet Master’ offers players a curious premise—by the end of the experience, only two of three characters will survive. Where this dark tale ends is in the hands of the players. From bespoke props to varied room settings and narrative beats, it is clear that a great deal of thought and care went into the design of ‘The Puppet Master’ and how it delivers its narrative. While it’s difficult to discuss the final decision without spoiling the experience, the challenge comes less from emotional attachment to the characters and more from weighing competing moral compromises. While interesting, weighty and unique, I do wonder how the impact of the decision might shift if it were shaped by a stronger sense of rapport between the players and the characters. What is interesting in ‘The Puppet Master’ is that it’s easy to imagine each team exiting with very different choices at the experience’s climax. Eclipse continues to build memorable puzzles in each of their rooms, and ‘The Puppet Master’ is no exception. Even at the time of writing, having played nearly 200 rooms, Eclipse’s latest room has unique puzzles I haven’t seen anywhere else in Australia—including a darkly adorable cryptex I really want my own version of. As always, I’m excited and curious to see what Eclipse does next.
The Serial Killer

The Serial Killer - CLOSED

Padlock'd

  • Escape room
  • IRL
A classic escape room with fun sets, ‘The Serial Killer’ reminded me of some of my earliest escape room experiences, which were also at Padlock’d. Actor interactions in ‘The Serial Killer’ take the form of jump scares. While the puzzles are a mix of straightforward electronic and padlock-based solves, the symbols on some of the locks felt worn and in need of refreshing. Still, the collection of puzzles in Padlock’d’s blood-soaked killer experience was fun, approachable, and well balanced against the handful of jump scares. The room’s design allows most teams to escape with relative ease, particularly experienced players.
Alcatraz

Alcatraz

Escape Reality - Escape Rooms Newcastle

  • Escape room
  • IRL
As much as the rooms at Escape Reality seem highly reviewed, our experience playing ‘Alcatraz’ was lacklustre. No clear direction on which padlock to input any puzzle answer into, and confusing puzzle design ultimately marred an experience with initially decent set design. The GM hint system was fun, but as other players have indicated, the delay in receiving the hint simultaneously felt like a penalty. On the other hand, the alternative digital hint system was less than stellar—being allocated one hint per 10 minutes was frustrating, and only certain clues from this system were actually helpful. An employee shared the escape rate is quite low for this room, and it’s staggering to think that the clear majority of customers paying to play this room leave feeling disappointed and/or frustrated. The initial prison set was a strength for the experience, and the split start can be a fun experience. With further puzzle iteration and a revamp—or honestly, a removal—of the digital hint system, this experience offers potential.
The Hidden Temple

The Hidden Temple

Narrow Escape Rooms

  • Escape room
  • IRL
As recommended by multiple enthusiasts, ‘The Hidden Temple’ was a delight. Packed with Easter eggs, impressive craftsmanship and enjoyable puzzles, Narrow Escape Rooms has built a great temple plundering experience. The team carefully balanced lore delivery with puzzling so that it never felt like you were reading too much. Delivering instant audio feedback across the puzzle inputs felt satisfying, and it was evident just how much care and time was spent on the environment build. It’s clear that Narrow Escape Rooms refines their designs over time, and ‘The Hidden Temple’ is the product of a design team that continues to build from strength to strength. I look forward to my next visit!
The Game

The Game

Next Level Escape

  • Escape room
  • IRL
A frantic parallel escape experience, ‘The Game’ rounds out as our final Next Level Escape experience—at least, until they find more space for their next game! Loaded with Next Level’s customary wit and charm, ‘The Game’ splits the team and pits the two sides against each other in a race to compete in an otherworldly game show. With a few twists and turns along the way, Next Level crafts a stunning head-to-head format that builds into a satisfying conclusion that ensures all players leave satisfied, no matter their side. It’s well worth playing, run to ‘The Game’ and enjoy the ride!
Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

The Cipher Room St Peters

  • Escape room
  • IRL
‘Metamorphosis’ was spectacular. I approached the game with a sense of nervousness, having (im)patiently waited for a follow-up to ‘La Rébellion’. What awaited us within ‘Metamorphosis’ were gorgeous, textured sets, varied puzzles, and a wondrous sense that the world was bigger than the bunker we were in. While I have a tendency to tilt my reviews towards the verbose, I don’t want to here. If you’re reading this, just book yourself in to experience ‘Metamorphosis’ and prepare for an enthralling 60-minute escape room. For those wondering, this game doesn’t include any live actors and the scare level is primarily spooky. Those who don’t love horror are still likely to thoroughly enjoy ‘Metamorphosis’ and shouldn’t be dissuaded by the premise. With the brilliance of each experience The Cipher Room designs, I wondered how the team could reimplement their already stellar designs and how they can use their space in new, unexpected ways. Particularly when they have already successfully completed this feat previously. Even after ‘Metamorphosis’, this feeling remains—what might their next experience be like? I can’t wait to find out.
Kidnapped

Kidnapped

Urban Escapade

  • Escape room
  • IRL
From our initial moments in ‘Kidnapped’, it became apparent that Urban Escapade is establishing a new escape room business that prides itself on immersive, high-quality sets. The ensuing environmental design was a delight to explore. While some puzzles were fun, other elements felt sparsely connected and challenging to solve without hints in the right direction. Similarly, some props seemed important to piece together, but at the conclusion of the experience felt superfluous. Another key prop served dual roles as an in-world cluing system and as a vehicle for lore, but it was challenging, even with symbols indicating hints, to make meaningful details out of the object without it feeling like an investment of time. Coupled with puzzles that could be interpreted in multiple ways, it felt as if we were relying on this object for more hints than were actually present in it. I wonder how the experience might evolve if this were removed entirely. For a first design, ‘Kidnapped’ is excitingly ambitious and it serves as a bold launch from which two new rooms are set to follow. Having talked to players who experienced ‘Kidnapped’ in the first few weeks of opening, I have heard that the designers have made changes to the experience for the better. I am optimistic that, with further puzzle iteration, this experience could be a highlight in the already impressive Sydney escape room market. The sets already are!
Legend of The Sword

Legend of The Sword

Escape Hunt - Gold Coast

  • Escape room
  • IRL
‘Legend of the Sword’ marks a step up in the escape room offerings from the Australian Escape Hunt venues. Improved set and prop design quickly immerses players in the world of King Arthur. With puzzles in abundance, the room understandably recommends 4–10 players, yet as a pair of experienced players we were able to complete the experience comfortably without rushing or needing more than a clue or two. Although a handful of puzzles and the double use of symbols felt confusing in their cluing, the majority—of which there were many—were enjoyable to work through. Compared with Escape Hunt’s offerings over the past few years, the design feels noticeably fresher, and the improvement is even more apparent when placed alongside the company’s earliest rooms. Continued iteration like this is encouraging to see. Looking ahead, two new experiences at the Gold Coast venue are nearing completion, themed around Pharaohs and Vikings. If ‘Legend of the Sword’ reflects the direction Escape Hunt is heading, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about what comes next.
The Lost Jungle Gemstone

The Lost Jungle Gemstone

Red Lock Escape Rooms - North Lakes, Brisbane

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Red Lock Escape Rooms’s ‘The Lost Jungle Gemstone’ is a unique rainforest adventure—for those wondering, no Indestroom puzzles can be found here. ‘The Lost Jungle Gemstone’ sends players into a hut amidst a dense rainforest in search of the Heart of the Forest. Across its two rooms, Red Lock delivers an enjoyable jungle experience that excels in audio feedback. Nearly every action results in a sound, song, or other form of auditory response—something more local escape rooms could benefit from implementing. While the play time was short—approximately 28 minutes in total—the puzzle flow was smooth and approachable for players new and experienced alike.
Box Two By Neil Patrick Harris

Box Two By Neil Patrick Harris

Theory11 Online

  • Escape room
  • Tabletop
Throughout ‘Box Two’, the animated personality of the central character shines as the most memorable part of the experience. While the box’s engineering and design is something of a marvel itself, the puzzle flow quickly falls into an instructional experience that is more directive than explorative for the players. Where ‘Box One’ built towards a narrative resolution, ‘Box Two’’s final puzzle felt confusing and misaligned with the overall experience. It’s hard not to compare the two ‘Box’ experiences. ‘Box Two’ was enjoyable, but does unfortunately pale when compared with its predecessor. Nonetheless, experienced fans and new tabletop escape room players will find a handful of enjoyable moments throughout ‘Box Two’.
【摸金校尉】主题预定 [Tomb Raider 2: Tomb of the Tiger General]

【摸金校尉】主题预定 [Tomb Raider 2: Tomb of the Tiger General]

游娱联盟·泰国館 [You Yu Entertainment]

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Located inside a shopping mall, the true scale of ‘Tomb Raider 2’ is well hidden at first. It’s only once players move through the game that the expansive nature of its rooms quickly becomes apparent. We were slightly nervous entering ‘Tomb Raider 2’, knowing it features elements that wouldn’t fly under the safety regulations of many other countries, but reassured by the fact that the game has been running across multiple locations for years. Nothing felt reckless or poorly designed, but there were genuine, physical stakes. A single candle burning with a naked flame is used, a room partially filled with water continued to rise to the 1.35m mark, and a wall of shifting “bricks” (foam blocks) stood in the team’s way as we traversed the temple in the hopes of freeing a trapped goddess, or at least recovering the pearl in which she was sealed. The memorable adventure sprawls across nearly a dozen rooms. It is played entirely in Mandarin and all players are dressed up for the experience. While the puzzles varied in how closely they tied into the narrative, ‘Tomb Raider 2’’s strongest moments came from its large-scale, hands-on physical challenges that leaned into classic temple-adventure tropes. The majority of the puzzles, however, felt dated in their design, largely because they failed to meaningfully integrate with the story or theme. Some elements felt included simply because the creators wanted them there, rather than because they made narrative sense. These additions often came at the cost of immersion and undermined the otherwise impressive environmental design. From the opening scene through to the depths of the temple almost a dozen rooms later, ‘Tomb Raider 2’ consistently impresses with its sets—even for experienced players. While actors were included to deepen immersion, these interactions quickly faded after the first two scenes, which felt like a missed opportunity. Staff did note that the Beijing location offers some different puzzles and more frequent actor involvement. In a fast-moving industry like China’s escape room scene, innovation moves quickly. While ‘Tomb Raider 2’ won several awards some years ago and would still stand out in many markets outside of China, it hasn’t fully kept pace with the experiences available today. It’s worth playing for its unique elements and ambitious scale, but harder to justify at a higher price point, especially when compared to newer standouts that offers tighter narrative integration, actor interactions and more cohesive puzzle design.
[异能觉醒]诺亚 [Powers Awakening: Noah]

[异能觉醒]诺亚 [Powers Awakening: Noah]

X先生&屋有岛·沉浸密室体验馆(悠唐店) [Mr. X - Youtang Store]

  • Escape room
  • IRL
The scale and spectacle contained in Mr. X’s ‘Noah’ are breathtaking. It offers seamless transitions between cinematic moments of acting and narrative, and the puzzling and exploration of an abandoned medical facility. The experience never loses sight of its story, allowing players to move through a structured journey that blends actor interactions with video game–inspired boss fights. While the opening scene and, in particular, the epilogue stand out as some of the most magnificent moments of narrative delivery I have witnessed to date in an escape room, the stumbling block for ‘Noah’ is the puzzles. Some are built on stronger ties to the narrative, but others felt as if they were included simply for the sake of having a puzzle, to create space between moments of enthralling immersive theatre. For an experience that is so impressive across every other domain, the puzzles did feel like an afterthought at times. That said, ‘Noah’ was unlike anything else I’ve experienced—it felt like a masterclass in integrating immersive theatre and narration with the escape room medium. The game has stayed in my mind ever since, and I hope to see other designers take inspiration from Mr. X’s incredible work. This game, at the time of writing, is only available in Mandarin.
看门狗 [Guard Dog]

看门狗 [Guard Dog]

直覺沉浸劇情密室旗艦店（三里屯二店）[The Instinct Real Game - Sanlitun 2nd Store]

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Guard Dog is a cyberpunk escape game with an ambitious number of technological gimmicks contained within its sizeable collection of rooms. Whirring with complex machinery, theme park–inspired transportation, and a robotic bartender, the experience is sure to wow seasoned escape room fans. We moved across a number of spaceship-like, angular metallic rooms as we completed missions before the narrative built towards a climactic showdown with a rival gang. The story was centred on uncovering new information about an emerging population of mutants in a dystopian future, and players are paired with a duo from an organisation aiming to thwart evil in this dark world. The actor interactions seemed fun and engaging, as a non-Mandarin speaker watching on. While the narrative was interesting, the sets were spectacular, and the actors were giving it their all, the experience was let down by the tangential—or entirely unlinked—nature of the puzzles. It felt as if some puzzles were included simply to ensure the experience still felt like an escape room, and it would elevate the game if the puzzles were integrated, or integral, to the narrative. Some props were tired, malfunctioning, or not in use to avoid wear and tear, which seemed like a shame. All in all, the spectacle and awe of Guard Dog are worth experiencing. Some of the technology in the game is phenomenal, and I believe it is unlikely to be seen anywhere else outside of China—or, at the very least, not anytime soon.
Ninja

Ninja

Lost in Melbourne - Exhibition Street

  • Escape room
  • IRL
While Ninja offers an array of enjoyable moments that capture the mystique of the ninjas of legend, a few underdeveloped elements prevent the experience from fully realising its potential. The environmental design in the first room is strong, convincingly selling the Japanese theme and immersing players with care. The subsequent rooms, however, feel as though they may not have received the same level of attention. One is relatively sparse in its decoration, while another incorporates immersion-breaking technology to deliver a puzzle that, although thematically logical, feels somewhat at odds with the tone of a historical ninja epic. The emphasis on building towards a narrative climax is one of Ninja’s standout strengths. That said, players who are less inclined towards storytelling in escape rooms may find the projections at the end slightly drawn out.
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