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/
Bletchley ProjectAll Stars Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLWe hadn’t actually planned to do an escape room during our visit to the beach at Weston-Super-Mare, but it was so hot we sought out an air conditioned space to cool down. Not that an excuse is needed to squeeze in an escape room! Connor (GM) was super enthusiastic and helped us choose which room to play. On offer were a horror-themed room, a spy mission or a deep sea adventure. He recommended their newest room - The Bletchley Project - a spy-themed game featuring the most up-to-date technology on offer at All Star Escapes. It is also their toughest room, with only a few people escaping without plenty of hints (they’ve had to make it slightly easier since first opening). After a short briefing from Connor and a quick intro video, he handed us a bag of essential tools and left the room. The theming of the first room was fairly basic. We could also hear people bowling on the other side of the wall, which sadly broke the immersion a bit. One interesting element that I’ve not come across before, was a screen-based logic grid that we were instructed to use to keep track of any intel we gathered. The ultimate aim was to eliminate suspects and unmask a spy. Unfortunately it wasn’t in keeping with the time period of the game, so gets marked down for that from an immersion point of view. It was by no means a perfect experience, with a couple of technical issues that hindered our gameplay. The second room had much better theming and a variety of different puzzle types to tackle. There were some areas we felt could be improved in terms of the clueing, but overall it was a fun experience. Connor was fantastic throughout, always on hand to issue a nudge in the right direction or resolve any issues.
Box One By Neil Patrick HarrisTheory11 OnlineEscape roomTabletopI wish I could un-know what I know so that I could play this game again for the first time. It was such a thrilling experience – to find out why you will really have to play it yourself! If you can bring yourself to part with the box, then it is perfectly possible to regift this game once you have finished it. In fact, I am sure you will want to so that others can experience it for themselves (and then you can talk about it with them). I can’t stress enough how much you will appreciate keeping this experience spoiler-free, so I’d suggest getting your hands on a copy sooner rather than later! Full review here: https://escapepuzzler.com/box-one-review/
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!
Countdown to ChaosThe Detective Society - OnlineEscape roomTabletopCountdown to Chaos showcases some of the best gameplay elements and mechanics of a Detective Society adventure. Its striking packaging is eye-catching and its low price point makes it super accessible. The puzzles are well-designed and varied, meaning you won’t stall as you race to solve the case. You’ll be pulled into the thrilling narrative and despite a good amount of gameplay, will be left wanting more… The game functions perfectly as a standalone experience but also acts as a thrilling prequel to the Society’s latest release, Murder on the Moon. If you’ve been intrigued to dip your toes into what The Detective Society has to offer, this game gives you the perfect opportunity to try it out! Full review available here: https://escapepuzzler.com/countdown-to-chaos-the-detective-society-review/
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.
Expecto Patronum!Escape TimeEscape roomIRLExpecto Patronum! - as you may guess from the title - is a Harry Potter-themed escape room. When disturbing news arrives that something terrible is happening on the school grounds, you must grab your wand and muster your courage to face it. Along the way, you’ll be met with challenges that you’ll need to overcome before you can save the day. The experience began with some scene-setting by the GM, who grilled us on our knowledge of spells to ensure we were well-equipped for the trials ahead. We were then led into the first of three rooms, which included a very fun personalised element! We loved the theming overall and appreciated that a lot of the puzzles felt rooted in the Harry Potter world. Our only criticism, as with a lot of other rooms, is that sometimes the darkness made it hard to read certain items. Gameplay was predominantly linear and offered a wide variety of puzzles for us to tackle. There were some very tactile elements (jigsaw-type puzzles), observation-based tasks and some fun magical interactions. The majority of the room was mechanical, with only one physical lock to open. While I would say that this room was on the easier side, we did end up getting locked in, which was largely due to a technical issue with one of the puzzles. I can’t go into the specifics without ruining it, but it involved an arrangement of portraits not functioning as they should. Once this was resolved, we were able to complete the puzzle quickly. Generally a couple of the tasks we had to do involved mechanisms that were particularly slow and tedious to deal with. If these could be improved it would be a much better room. The game ends in a dramatic confrontation, which felt very fitting for this particular room. It was magical! Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the room, despite some technical niggles, and booked to do another Escape Time room afterwards. A couple of things to be aware of: while the room is playable in English, the audio elements are in Polish. We hadn’t realised this when we booked, but luckily one of us speaks fluent Polish, so it wasn’t too much of an issue. In terms of accessibility, this room is on the first floor and the only access was via a set of stairs.
Hallows HillWolf Escape Games-OnlineEscape roomVirtual Hallows Hill is a thrilling cinematic masterpiece that raises the bar for online escape room experiences. High production quality increases the immersion through striking visuals, great voice acting, meticulous sound effects and a chilling score. Paired with its gripping story and clever puzzles, this makes for a nerve-wracking 90+ minutes. This game is perfect for Halloween or a dark winter night. If you haven’t played it already, what are you waiting for? Read the full review here: https://escapepuzzler.com/hallows-hill-wolf-escape-games-review/
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!
Harry PotterExitRoom KrakówEscape roomIRLFound this room pretty challenging - especially as there were only two of us playing and the first part involves you being separate. Apparently only three times have made it out in under 60 mins as of Sept 2023. Good theming and friendly staff.
