Zemsta Umarlaka [Deadman's Revenge]DreamScape - Escape RoomEscape roomIRLDead Man’s Revenge was my first experience playing a TERPECA-winning escape room, and it did not disappoint! Our attention was seized from the moment we were summoned by the GM, and we remained enthralled throughout the entire experience. I had reservations about the presence of a live actor, having had limited exposure to this in the past. I must say that it definitely added an extra dimension to the gameplay and increased immersion. The sets are wonderful, the audio and special effects were masterful, and the hint system was inspired. A fantastic mix of varied puzzles kept us on our toes, with one particular challenge towards the end requiring lots of clear communication. A special mention for our GM, who also doubled as multiple characters in the room. He was funny, terrifying and fully embraced his roles. He really made the experience for us. Dead Man's Revenge is a MUST play if you are visiting Poznan, and has taken the number one spot on my personal escape room rankings. If this is the level of quality to expect from TERPECA-winning rooms, then I will definitely be seeking more of them out.
The 13th FloorEscape Rooms CardiffEscape roomIRLWe’d heard a lot of buzz about TERPECA 2024 nominee The 13th Floor, which is the newest addition to ERC. This was our second game of the day, and quite a departure from the more ‘traditional’ Cardiff Castle. It stood out from the other games we’ve played due to its effective use of a smaller space and the novel approach to gameplay. It is a modern 2.0 escape room that utilises electronic locks, along with other immersive elements, which add some extra surprises. This technical wizardry, made possible by the room’s modern technology, boosted immersion and led to some fun reveals along the way. The set design looked so authentic that one of our team who is afraid of heights, was scared to enter the lift at the start! Alex (GM) had to reassure us that it wasn’t an actual lift, but that the technology used would simulate the feeling of movement. As we stepped inside and the doors closed behind us, we had no idea what to expect… The 13th Floor is a fantastic linear room that slowly reveals each puzzle in a fun way as the elevator ‘ascends’. There are lots of tactile puzzles to solve, with plenty of teamwork required. The story was also engaging and had us invested in urgently working through each level. Despite its spooky vibes, I wouldn’t class this as a horror room – it was unsettling at times, but never felt all-out scary. We escaped with about 10 minutes to spare, after losing a decent chunk of time on one puzzle. We kicked ourselves as we had missed a key detail that would have allowed us to solve it much more quickly. This room was a big hit with us and definitely deserves its TERPECA nomination! Kudos to the team at ERC, who have managed to create a very memorable experience in a relatively small space using some great technological enhancements. For the full article covering my trip to Escape Rooms Cardiff, visit: https://escapepuzzler.com/escape-rooms-cardiff-uk-part-1-feature/
The Great EscapeExitus Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLTERPECA 2024 nominee The Great Escape was our final room of the day at Exitus, and boy, was it good! Chris, our GM, led us into a small cell with bunk beds and a log burner. Setting the scene, he explained that our objective was to escape the camp and then to liberate the other 200+ prisoners. No pressure! From the moment the lights went out, we felt like we were escaping an actual prisoner-of-war camp. We uncovered secret passages, pulled ropes, and crawled as we explored different areas. We even [REDACTED], which we have never done in a room before; much to the enjoyment of our GM. It was a fun, unexpected moment that felt perfectly in keeping with the setting. I’ve been pulled out of an experience in the past by an incongruous piece of technology. Here, everything felt made complete sense within the setting. This includes the puzzles, of which there were many! Each of us had our moment to shine, whether that was with a maths puzzle, a more physical feat or a good old-fashioned logic puzzle. This is the first 90-minute room we have tackled together as a team, and we were excited to see how that translated in terms of gameplay and difficulty. What we found was that the extra time meant less clock watching (there is no visible timer in the room/s anyway), and we allowed ourselves to be fully immersed in the experience. I can definitely see why this room is TERPECA nominated, and if it is an indication of the increasing quality moving forward, I can’t wait to see what comes next! You get two escape times for this game: the first is when you actually escape the prisoner of war camp, and the second is when you have successfully liberated all of the other prisoners. We escaped the camp 53:02 minutes in, and completed the final challenge at 67:07. Not a bad effort!
SéanceRiddlr Escape RoomEscape roomIRLGreat atmospheric theming, occasional jump scares (no live actors) and creepy components make for an effective horror experience. This linear room features a good variety of puzzle types, a self-service hint system and some fun surprises. It was definitely on the easier side, with our main issue being the lack of lighting at times (and one light source to share). A fun experience overall! Our host Maddie was fantastic - really welcoming, knowledgeable and attentive! We will definitely be back to play the other rooms. Worth pointing out that if you play two rooms back-to-back, you pay a special price of £30 pp which is superb value!
Astro QuestEscape Rooms CardiffEscape roomIRLWe were all hit by a wave of nostalgia as we entered the retro-themed kids’ bedroom that makes up the first part of Astro Quest. It was like being thrown back into our childhoods. We were mesmerised by the many familiar items dotted around the bedroom: an old game console, posters of 80s/90s blockbuster films (Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park), a Thunderbirds toy and a lava lamp. The puzzles in this room were really fun and creative, fully making use of the retro theme. I was particularly fond of one that utilised a book collection identical to one I owned as a child. The mechanism for unlocking the path forward was also a magical and thrilling moment. We shot through the bedroom portion of the game very quickly, before being magically transported onto a spaceship. The theming, as we’ve come to expect from ERC’s rooms, was fantastic. Neon lights, mechanical doors and a control room with various screens and panels. There was a mix of linear and non-linear puzzles that utilised all of our different skill sets; communication was key. A task involving wires nearly tore the team apart, but we pulled together and raced to the end. All-in-all, it took us 39 minutes to escape, which we were extremely happy with! Astro Quest is a solid room full of heart and wonder. It’s retro theming ramped up our nostalgia, before transporting us to space for the second half of the mission. We left the room grinning from ear to ear, and ultimately, what better review is there for an experience than a huge smile? For the full article covering my trip to Escape Rooms Cardiff, visit: https://escapepuzzler.com/escape-rooms-cardiff-uk-part-1-feature/
Save King's LandingPuzzle Punks - DubrovnikEscape roomIRLAs big Game of Thrones fans we were thrilled to play an escape room in the city where some of the most iconic scenes were filmed. Precious knowledge of the series is not required, but will enhance the experience (which is set during the Battle of Blackwater in season two). The puzzles were well-designed and varied with a decent level of challenge. One of the standout puzzles involved something we hadn’t come across in an escape room before! A great experience overall 👍
Dino DeadlockM4 EscapesEscape roomIRLWe were a little concerned when we first arrived at the venue, which did not look particularly inviting. It also wasn’t particularly well signposted! A derelict school bus housed the Jurassic Park-style Dino Deadlock room, which I’ll admit lowered our expectations considerably. We were later told that the outside has been left like this deliberately to deter thieves from trying to break in! Thankfully once we got inside the room, we found it was more impressive! The theming was really good - we particularly liked an old fashioned computer that features in the game, a puzzle involving eggs and the dramatic climax! There weren’t really any traditional locks in this room, as it is much more technology-focused. It was actually a really fun non-linear experience, that worked perfectly for our group of three. The puzzles weren’t particularly challenging, but they did work well within the theme. We finished with over 26 minutes left, which left us feeling equal parts smug and disappointed. We really enjoyed the experience but wished that it had lasted closer to the hour.
Hansel and GretelRiddlr Escape RoomEscape roomIRLPlease note: Before I begin, I want to preface this by saying that this room is brand new. It literally opened just over a week ago, therefore it will be refined and improved over the coming months. We did experience one very minor technical issue and a couple of breakages (didn’t impact gameplay), but on the whole the room played well. — After an enjoyable trip to Riddlr earlier this year, we vowed to come back once their latest room was open. Loui, our GM, was fantastic. He was really passionate about the room, very accommodating with our requests and extremely open to feedback. He talked us through the hint system and explained that the room we were playing was less of an ‘escape’ room and more of a narrative journey. I think the slightly unfortunate thing, is that the narrative doesn’t deviate from the well-known story and therefore there was nothing particularly new about it. Some twists or turns would have kept us more invested in the story. The room is clearly a labour of love and this shows as we enter the first room, a magical forest complete with a candy-covered cottage. We were surprised as leaves crunched beneath our feet, a seemingly small detail but with a clear intent to increase immersion. It’s a beautiful room that fully captures the essence of the fairy tale. With plenty of space for our team of four to move around, we quickly set to work on finding a way into the cottage. The puzzles in this game are predominantly linear and feature mainly traditional padlocks, with only a couple of electronic locks. A digital keypad late in the game didn’t feel particularly in line with the game’s setting and slightly broke the immersion. There were a mix of more physical challenges, along with thinky puzzles. We each had our moment to shine throughout the games, as puzzles targeted different skill sets. There is a final bonus puzzle once you finish the room, which if completed before the timer runs out will unlock a reward. This was a nice touch! The hint system follows the standard Riddlr M.O., which is a flow chart showing the order of puzzles to complete and a corresponding hint button to press if needed. Hints in this room are contained within the pages of a magical storybook - which felt like a perfect match for the room. We still feel like using the flowchart is cheating, even though its use is built into the runtime - so we tried where possible not to look at it. I feel like this room has a lot of potential and will hopefully evolve and improve over time. It is clear that the folks at Riddlr really care about getting it right, so I have no doubt they will tweak and improve over the coming months. Don’t miss: we played this room as part of the two rooms back-to-back for £30pp offer, which is an absolute bargain!
Secret Treasure of DubrovnikPuzzle Punks - DubrovnikEscape roomIRLSecret Treasure of Dubrovnik was a fun room with clever puzzles and the added bonus of learning about the history of Dubrovnik as you play. We enjoyed the variety of challenges, mechanical puzzles and attention to detail. The Game of Thrones room is also excellent!
Coco LocoExitus Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis was a step down in terms of difficulty compared to our first room (There's Something Outside), but still very enjoyable. It’s a family-friendly, linear room set in a chocolate factory. To be clear, this is more of a traditional factory setting – not a fantastical Willy Wonka set-up, although it does feature some edible treats. Just to set expectations! The room consists of one large space, with another small area that’s accessible later in the game. As with our previous room, the flow was great, and we rarely found ourselves questioning what we had to do next. We moved swiftly between most of the puzzles, some of which involved jigsaw pieces, chess, connecting pipes and observation tasks. One of our favourite puzzles actually required that we eat some chocolate, which we definitely did not complain about! I imagine this would be a lot of fun to play with children, especially with one of the puzzles towards the end. It is a linear room, so you have a clearly defined path to follow, and the simple story is easy to follow. We escaped in 33:56, but this could have been under 30 minutes had we not wasted so much time looking for one item that was right in front of our faces!
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