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.
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.
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.
The Double CrossingKeyhunterEscape 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!
Southern Dis-Comfort (Mission)Hounds - Immersive ExperiencesEscape roomOther Southern Dis-comfort gave us the most fun we have had in an escape room for a very long time and we’re sure it will be a while until we laugh as much in a game again. This room offers everything to completely round off the escape experience – total immersion, a brilliant game master and a well designed and challenging set of puzzles that culminate in a nerve wrecking climax. We thought Questionable Ethics was great and on leaving we were asked which we preferred. Two very different rooms at one venue but both delivered superbly. For us, Southern Dis-Comfort just pips it. Hands down one of the best rooms we have had the pleasure of playing. It was a record board score for us which we are chuffed with!
Questionable Ethics (Mission)Hounds - Immersive ExperiencesEscape roomOther Questionable Ethics was a fantastic Escape Room experience from start to finish. The four of us absolutely loved the immersive set and narrative that the team have created and sustained through scenario, puzzles and props. The game kept us excited right from our GM’s introduction and managed to keep building and building on its narrative to an exciting end point, managing to throw in surprises and unexpected areas again and again. This room goes down as one of our all time favourites, not just in the UK but keeping up with some of the best games we have seen around the world.
![El Sanatorio [The Sanatorium]](https://res.cloudinary.com/mortyapp/image/upload/c_limit,w_260/f_auto/v1/store/s/248e062b-079b-4336-a47d-b1e2dc2ccc0f.jpg)
