The Ram RaidEscape ReadingEscape roomIRLThis room was a lot more fun than I was expecting! It simulates the chaos of raiding a bank perfectly, with some great puzzles that had us scratching our head at times. It’s not as flashy as some other heist games (no lasers!), but this gave it a certain charm.
Age of MagicEscape ReadingEscape roomIRLStand-out set design enhances this magical experience, which had us exploring multiple rooms with different themes. There was a variety of puzzle types, which played to individual team members’ strengths. The sound and lighting was good too. Sadly for us we experienced two separate technical issues, both of which resulted in the GM having to come into the room and intervene. One was particularly substantial, ruining what would have been a wonderful climax to the game. Aside from that we really enjoyed it.
The Comms Room - Ww2 Blitz ExperienceEscape In The TowersEscape roomIRLA really intense and immersive experience, that takes place in a real-life Comms room used during World War II. The puzzles fit perfectly within the setting/theme of the room, with a really sense of urgency throughout. Archive video footage, along with audio elements and special effects made the experience both educational and stressful (in a good way). You also gain access to a museum and viewpoint in the tower with your escape room ticket, and these were both worth visiting too. We hope to return and play the rest of the rooms on offer in future!
The PitThe EscapementEscape roomIRLWe loved this room - it was super immersive, had some fun mechanics and a good mix of puzzles. Communication is key, and you’ll need to be comfortable going into a relatively small space for a short period. Our GM Matt was excellent! 👏
Pirates of PolarisThe EscapementEscape roomIRLThis was a solid classic pirate-themed escape room, with gorgeous set design and a great puzzle flow. Everything felt appropriately on-theme throughout the room, which features multiple distinct spaces. We did leave feeling a little underwhelmed overall, but I can’t pin point exactly why! It’s still a perfectly fun escape room experience, that would work well as beginners for their first room at The Escapement. Gary was a fantastic host, and made us feel very welcome. 🙏
Egyptian ExodusThe EscapementEscape roomIRLThis room is primarily set in one space but utilizes it well, through tactile puzzles and audio/visual elements. The room is wonderfully themed, although expect to leave covered in sand 🤣 Be warned, over-thinkers may struggle by overcomplicating things unnecessarily! We may have fallen into this trap once or twice, but overall we really enjoyed the room. Tom our host was exceptional, and imparted a wealth of historical knowledge as he talked us through how the room worked at the end. 😍
The Naked EyeRoomsmithsEscape roomIRL‘The Naked Eye’ is a traditional-ish 60 minute room that acts as a perfect warm-up for Roomsmiths other offering, ‘The Rubicon’ (which is the more challenging of the two). You start out in a seemingly normal office, with some slightly abstract artwork on the wall. Before long, the experience opens up into multiple spaces, each featuring a variety of lock types, fun puzzles and a sprinkling of humour! It was an enjoyable room with some interesting elements, that we sped through very quickly. Well worth playing!
The RubiconRoomsmithsEscape roomIRL‘The Rubicon’ is a 90-minute room designed for 4-8 players, but we played as a team of 2. From the moment we entered the first room, until we hit the button on the timer as we left - we were captivated, surprised and wowed by how different this experience was. It is inspired by classic puzzle video games (think Portal), and as such we came across lots of challenges we hadn’t experienced in an escape room before. There were unusual locks and mechanisms, mind-bending reveals and so many satisfying and innovative puzzles. It is a challenging room that’s more geared towards enthusiasts, and as such there is a lot to get through. Hints are available, but even with them the room has a 35% completion rate. We managed to finish in just over 96 minutes, which we were actually really pleased with. It’s an unmissable experience that subverts the norm, throwing out the escape room rulebook and delivering a refreshing, surprising and memorable 90+ minutes. It featured so many puzzles and interactions that I’ve never experienced before, and is a real gem in the UK escape room scene. Literally the only criticism we had, was that one portion of the game is very dark and some may struggle with the low visibility. Other than that, it was sheer perfection. If it isn’t already on your Morty Wishlist, I’d recommend getting over there to play it ASAP.
Show Me The Honey!Escape Rooms CheltenhamEscape roomIRLA really fun family-friendly room that’s not particularly challenging but still very enjoyable 👍 We loved the point collection element, and that there is an optional section where you can score bonus points. The bee theming was delightful 🐝 Our GM Megan was fantastic, and we were so happy to be there during the businesses birthday celebration weekend 🥳
Pole PositionEscape Rooms CheltenhamEscape roomIRLThere was a lot to get through in this room, which we played on ‘challenging’ mode. The objective is to discover the true location of the South Pole before a rival expedition team. This is done by eliminating all of the previously charted areas of the Antarctic on a grid. As you solve puzzles, you will receive coordinates of explored areas that you can mark with an X. Solve all of the puzzles and you will have one square remaining, where you can stake your flag and finish the game. There were some fun puzzles here and we made it out with time to spare. Just don’t anger the penguins…
E=MC ScaredExcape: Exmouth Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis was a fun room, with some interesting puzzles and a nice flow. Some of it was a little worse for wear and could do with being freshened up a little. We had an issue with one of the puzzles not working properly so the GM had to come in to fix it (rarely happens apparently!) Overall it was an enjoyable experience, but he heard House of Clues is a lot better.
Witch Way Out?!DreadLock Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLA really fun witchy room involving spell-casting, potions and riddles. You’ll have to be very observant to succeed and hold your nerve as you venture into the witches domain. I wasn’t expecting this room to be quite so spooky! There were a couple of creepy jump scares in there, but nothing awful. The general creepy vibe remains throughout the whole game. We thoroughly enjoyed it and will be back to play the rest of Dreadlock’s rooms at some point.
The Escape LodgeOvernight Escapes - CornwallEscape roomOther Nestled in the beautiful countryside just outside of Bodmin, Cornwall, is a small holiday park surrounded by lakes and fields. 99% of the park comprises ordinary bungalows and villas to rent. Hidden among these is a seemingly normal bungalow that has been converted into a puzzler's dream. I understand why the team decided to call it The Escape Lodge. 'Escape room' is still the most recognisable label for a time-limited experience that requires you to solve puzzles to progress. The difference here is that the aim isn't to escape, but instead to recover $1m worth of stolen jewellery that has been locked away within your accommodation. Instead of 60 minutes, you'll have until checkout to uncover as many hidden items as you can. For some, the term Overnight Escapes conjures up nightmarish scenarios where live actors jump out from under your bed, or shutters slam down, and you cannot step foot outside until you solve the puzzles. Experiences like this may exist, but in this case, it couldn't be further from the truth. The lodge is a cosy holiday home that just happens to contain lots of padlocked boxes and clues hidden in plain sight. You can leave and enter whenever you want, and you can put as much or as little time into puzzle solving as you desire. We had an amazing stay! Nothing beats being surrounded by beautiful countryside for me, and with both coasts so easily accessible, it’s the perfect base to explore Cornwall. If puzzling through a lodge full of creative puzzles sounds like your cup of tea, make sure you check it out. Just remember to get some sleep, because once the puzzles get into your head, it’s hard to put them down. Read the full, detailed review here: https://escapepuzzler.com/the-escape-lodge-overnight-escapes-review/
CamelotHousetrap Escape Rooms Indian QueensEscape roomIRLCamelot was one of the standout rooms during our trip to Cornwall. It’s a 90 minute experience, with a mix of puzzles and physical challenges. For anyone who knows the reference, it has a real Crystal Maze medieval zone vibe to it. The aim of the game is to release Excalibur from the stone it is trapped in. To do this, you must find a set of shields and place them in the correct configuration on the round table. These shields are hidden throughout the room, and locked behind some clever puzzles. It’s a really spacious, family friendly room that kids will love. There is a lot to get through, but the extended playtime helps to accommodate this. Many of the puzzles are tactile, or require keen observation skills. Some crawling, throwing and pulling is required, with one particularly tight space that may be claustrophobic for some. Only one person is required to enter that! If you manage to escape the main room with time to spare, you can take on the special bonus game in the reception area. Both points and prizes are up for grabs with this one, and we managed to get through over half of the locked boxes. Trev was a great host and is clearly very passionate about the rooms he had designed, and escape rooms in general. I’d highly recommend playing this if you find yourself in Cornwall!
You PlonkerDreadLock Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLWe had a lot of fun in this room, which had a unique theme based loosely around a popular UK TV series, Only Fools and Horses. No prior knowledge of the show is required, but there are plenty of nods for fans to be found throughout the room. The puzzles were varied and interesting, relying on good communication and observation skills. There were tactile elements, a little maths and some funky glasses! A small ‘live actor’ element added to the thrill, as we raced through to the finish. So glad we played it!
KilljoyHousetrap Escape Rooms BodminEscape roomIRLWe hadn’t planned to play Killjoy, but during a visit to Housetrap to play ‘Tribe’ one of the team caught site of a sign saying that only 20 people had escaped since it opened. This spurred us on to book and see if we could be team number 21! This will definitely be a marmite room! It’s not a ‘traditional’ escape room in the sense that there aren’t loads of locks that require codes, and logic puzzles or maths problems. Your main challenge really is to escape from a serial killers lair by any means possible. Teams are split into two separate rooms, each containing elements needed for the escape. You really have to think outside of the box, in tandem with your teammates, to find creative ways to come back together and break free. There are some mild jump scares at certain points, which amp up the creepy atmosphere. We really enjoyed the experience overall, which was unlike other rooms we’d played. There is such a heavy emphasis on communication that it’s really important to have a strong team to stand a chance of getting out, so do bear that in mind. Also, enthusiasts may find that their prior experiences may work against them in this particular room. The last thing to point out is that there is a penalty system for clues, with 3 mins being deducted for every hint you receive. There is the opportunity to win time back though if Killjoy pays you a visit - just stay very quiet as even the smallest sound may mean that extra time is lost. Sadly, we were so close to finishing but didn’t quite make it. We were told afterwards that this was mainly due to overthinking things because we’ve played so many other rooms. 😭 Weirdly, where we normally feel defeated when we fail to escape, we still left feeling exhilarated because of the fact that it was such a different experience. If you are in the area and fancy a challenge, it’s definitely worth checking out 👍 Thanks again to the wonderful Ant for his excellent hosting, and expertly executed psycho serial killer impression! 🔪
TribeHousetrap Escape Rooms BodminEscape roomIRLA fun room with immersive theming and well signposted puzzles. There was a good mix of tactile challenges, observation tasks and traditional locks. For teams that finish with plenty of time to spare, there is also a bonus puzzle as well. We didn’t quite have enough time left to tackle this! Ant, our GM, was great! 👍
Sub TerraCo-Decode Live Escape GamesEscape roomIRLAn exceptionally well-designed room that leans fairly heavily into tech, but in interesting and innovative ways. Attention to detail with the theming is second-to-none, and every part of the room is in mint condition. It really shows how much care has gone into maintaining the venues high standards. The puzzles flowed brilliantly, with excellent signposting and some unique elements we haven’t come across before. I enjoyed how tactile a lot of the puzzles were, although nothing was particularly physically challenging. Gameplay is a mix of linear and non-linear, so expect to have to split up at some points. We certainly found that everyone was busy at all times. To ‘escape’ you need to complete a handful of core objectives, with any extra time left available to pick off the remaining optional challenges. This set-up works really well, and allows faster teams to solve the extra puzzles, while accommodating those with less escape room experience. Overall a fantastic room, that you should definitely add to your wish list!
CREWCo-Decode Live Escape GamesEscape roomIRLI had so much fun playing this game! It did a great job of simulating what it might be like to work on a spaceship, and how you have coordinate with your crew to face issues as they arise. I definitely wouldn’t classify this as an ‘escape room’, but that’s not meant in a negative way at all! It’s certainly no less thrilling. CREW is an immersive experience that focuses heavily on collaborative activities that require effective communication and teamwork. Each team member takes on a different role (Captain, Pilot, Tactician or Engineer) and takes turns to lead the team in key challenges. There are core challenges which require the whole team to work together, and individual tasks to be completed by each role for extra bonus points. Successfully completing a challenge adds points to the score board, with the aim to score as many points as possible to pass the ‘crew assessment’ phase. Once you’ve hit this, you can continue to level up as much as you can before the time runs out. Failure of tasks might incur penalties, where successfully completing a streak of tasks may boost your points further. The expanded playtime incorporates a sizeable training module at the start, so you won’t be thrown completely into the deep end! I was in awe of the sheer technological genius, with so much going on throughout the game. The theming is a little low-tech, and could be massively improved with a couple of small changes (i.e. the wall covering) that would bring it up to standard with the other rooms. Sci-fi fans will love finding hidden references, which also include some audio ones too! Overall this is a very unique experience that I’d love to return to again in future. Once you get over the initial learning curve, you can really get into the flow! It won’t be for everyone, but if you love team-based challenges, and all things space/sci-fi, I think you’ll have a lot of fun.
Pieces of EightCo-Decode Live Escape GamesEscape roomPortableFantastic theming, exceptional craftsmanship and a variety of fun and inventive puzzles made this a stand-out tabletop escape adventure. There were lots of keys, locks, hidden compartments and beautiful physical items to interact with. The boxes are literally packed full of puzzles. Hints are delivered in a very clever way, but the most innovative award belongs to the magical way in which the passing of time is measured. I won’t say more as I don’t want to spoil it! I highly recommend this room - don’t be put off by the ‘tabletop’ mechanic, it’s no less thrilling than an actual escape room and features just as many puzzles (if not more) than some! Hopefully the Co-Decode team can make more puzzle boxes in this space as I’d loved to play more.
