PossessionFunky Snake Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLWhat a great and different room. Very atmospheric and creepy, hidden jump scares, not for the faint hearted! Room setting is great, they’ve really used a space that offers a unique experience.
Space StationLockdown Paphos - Kato PaphosEscape roomIRLNice room in the centre of Paphos, short walk from the harbour. Matthew was a great host! Game was well themed even though from the outside you wouldn’t think it would be. Well worth a visit.
JumanjiIsland PhobiaEscape roomIRLBy their own admission Jumanji is the hardest room at island phobia. Truth be told we actually thought their easiest room was quite tricky but we like a challenge! An enjoyable room but in our honest opinion it isn’t the best in the area, or even at the venue. The room design is themed but not immersive and felt the most “amateur” of the rooms we played on site. Gameplay was novel and we did enjoy the game board element of Jumanji, but there were also a lot of instances where gameplay didn’t flow particularly well or clues were so abstract they didn’t really make sense. Enjoyed the room, but it’s middle of the road.
El Sanatorio [The Sanatorium]The ClueEscape roomIRLThe Asylum is a suspense themed room which is nestled away in a small shopping arcade outside of Puerto De La Cruz in Tenerife. Games master was amazing, in character from the moment we arrived and has mastered the crazy eyes! Never quite felt comfortable the whole time. A few jump scares but largely the game relies on the atmosphere (which is designed well) inside the creepy game. Puzzles flowed well. Plenty of distractions and some really clever use of puzzles we’ve not seen before. Loved this room!
Escape From R.M.S. TitanicHoudini's Escape Room Experience - Milton KeynesEscape roomIRLA well designed and fun game that we enjoyed playing. Small space but in keeping with theme and immersive. Puzzles made sense (mostly) though a few instances were clues very low down to floor which were not used too. Additionally a few bits of tech within the room were faulty, after discussing with friends who played separately they had the same issue so seemingly not fixed.
Onewing AirlinesDarkmaster Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLOneWing Airlines is a unique and exciting experience that all four of us had a blast playing. It may not house the best puzzles and there are a few missed opportunities for story narrative but all in all the experience is one we will not forget in a hurry. The enjoyment we took from seeing eachother thrown about the cabin in spells of turbulence was a highlight of the game. This coupled with some top quality set design and a passionate team make for a brilliant escape experience.
Blackbeard's TreasureEscape Hunt - OxfordEscape roomIRLWe had a lot of fun playing Blackbeard’s treasure overall. The puzzles are well thought through and there is a clear storyline which is consistent through the room aesthetics and the challenges themselves. We’re used to playing escape rooms with smaller companies and where Escape Hunt did fall a little short for us was the charm. The guys here are very good at what they do and as mentioned before it is very polished, but there wasn’t that passion for the games that we see when we play in a room that has been thought up by the games master. That being said, there wasn’t too much of that corporate, office day out, kind of vibe here. Scale shouldn’t be held against these guys though and they managed to deliver an experience that was both challenging and enjoyable.
Alice In PuzzlelandEscape Hunt - OxfordEscape roomIRLFamilies with children will have a great time playing this game, the mix of challenging riddles with physical based solutions means there are roles for kids and adults to play in solving this game. Having said that, we as a group of three thirtysomethings also really enjoyed the room and adult only groups shouldn’t be put off by the theme. As with Fourth Samurai and Blackbeard’s Treasure, all elements of the game were considered and true to the storyline offering almost total immersion.
The Double Crossing - CLOSEDKeyhunterEscape roomIRLIt’s hard to enjoy a room when it is so abundantly clear that no care has gone into its creation. We’ve played so many games by passionate game designers and to compare this room to those is impossible. The challenges were poor, the immersion was lacking and the game was flawed.
Hut 17Cipher EscapeEscape roomIRLhttps://ratetheescapes.com/2024/02/cipher-escapes-hut-17/ We loved this room!
RameseizeBreak Escape Nottingham - Upper Parliament Street [prev. Cryptology]Escape roomIRLRameseize was an exciting and entertaining room that felt very different to other Egyptian themed rooms we have played. While it didn’t generate quite the same buzz as Daylight robbery, it is still an excellent room and it definitely deserves the acclaim it has.
Shimmy Shimmy Cocoa Pop - CLOSEDRushden Escape Rooms [prev. Want to Escape]Escape roomIRLShimmy Shimmy Cocoa Pop is not the most challenging or even immersive room we have ever played. But when you have a room like Guardians of the Gallery on site thats not what a venue like Escape Rushden needs. This game is all about the fun and the brains behind this game clearly had a blast building the room, delivering a game that is playful, energetic and most importantly enjoyable. This game was beautifully simple whilst at the same time being pretty challenging meaning that its one we’d recommend for both adult players and families. For players looking for more of a challenge its definitely worth checking out Guardians of the Gallery and Conspiracy. These are on site also and offer a totally different experience. We had a brilliant time in Rushden!
Jungle JailbreakAgent Brains - AB1Escape roomIRLWe absolutely loved playing this room. The setting, puzzles and team all combined to create a thoroughly enjoyable experience. As a team of two we had plenty to do to keep ourselves busy, but there is so much going on in the room that even if we had been a larger team we would probably have spent a bit more time scavenging around. We managed to escape pretty quickly, but we didn’t feel that this took anything away from the game at all. Families in particular are likely to really enjoy themselves in this room. Based on our Jungle Jail Break, we will definitely be paying another visit to these guys to see how we get on escaping Back to the Future and the Lab!
The Duke - CLOSEDLocked Escape Rooms - LutonEscape roomIRLWe’re glad to have made the journey down to Luton to play The Duke. It was a large, immersive room with enough going on for three of us to comfortably have plenty to do and feel involved. Our games master was fantastic and the puzzles offered a mix of tried and tested and new tasks! This new room is well executed by Locked and we’re sure most players will have a great time playing, like we did!
Madame Curio's Cirque Delirium - CLOSEDTrappd Peterborough Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLCirque Delirium is one of the more lighthearted rooms we have completed, and although we didn’t use the full hour we did have a fun 20 mins running around the fair and playing carny games. Kids and families will love this room.
The Lockwood ManorLockhill - MetaxourghioEscape roomIRLIf you’re not a fan of horror films and being on edge, this room is probably not the game for you (one of us in this team enjoys this more than the other). Despite the fact there were times in this room where we were quite literally hiding, we had an amazing time playing this game. It was probably the combination of being terrified of what was lying around the corner one minute, and then laughing because one of us had jumped at something in the room. It was certainly a unique experience and has undoubtedly set the bar high for any future horror themed rooms we might play. There is a lot to do in Athens both in the day and at night and an escape room might not be high on everyone’s list, but we are very glad we took the time out to play one of these games.