Asylum Escape This - Melbourne CBDEscape roomIRLThey hate to see me (a guy with delusions of grandeur) coming. The room is a pretty standard “horror” experience with some okay puzzling and a decent set design. The flaws start creeping in with basically everything else. The hints system (whilst great for immersion) could use some rejigging. Often times we found it super heavy handed with literal seconds passing after finishing the last puzzle before a “hint” came through that was just giving us the answer to the next one. Other times the same hint was just played on repeat, which was both unhelpful and actually led us to being even more confused than we started. A big no from me. We also had some tech faults that meant we were spending an extended period of time in the dark (when we weren’t supposed to be) before staff finally noticed and actioned the puzzle to activate that wasn’t working. This caused a bunch of confusion surrounding which props we’d used and which were still to be utilised. The set design in the first space was pretty okay, mildly creepy with a couple of small scares here and there. The second room left a little to be desired, pretty bare bones and not super inspired puzzling. One small portion of the room also deals with some pretty hectic themes deserving of some sort of mention/warning at least somewhere on the website. It’s only one puzzle but still felt a bit full on even given the theming. My lingering feeling is mainly confusion? Annoyance? Not a great time was had and I can’t say I recommend it.
Magician's LairElude Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLBippity Boppity Boy that's a lot of puzzles! Magician's Lair is a multi-linear puzzling extravaganza with more than enough content to go around. As an experienced group of 4 we were sweating under the time pressure to get everything done, one specific puzzle had us reeling for a while but with a little help we scraped through. As always our hosts Julia and Darren were great, walking us through every puzzle and fielding any of our questions. Our third trip to Elude and every time they seem to jam more and more puzzles into their experiences. Hell yeah, check 'em out.
FramedElude Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLYou’re laughing? I’m being framed and you’re laughing? Polishing off our indoor adventures at Elude we took on Framed, their hardest listed room and the one they recommend playing last. Huzzah for us accidentally following instructions. Another super puzzle heavy and tricky room from Elude, they definitely have a knack for creating challenging puzzles that are also super satisfying solves. A bit more murder mystery in this one and more of a focus on following the story to better understand the puzzles. I will admit a bit of it went over our heads until after the game so we really appreciated Darren taking the time to run us through it all. Definitely come check out Elude for all your puzzling needs, we’ll be back for another new room soon I’m sure.
The Hidden TempleNarrow Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLRaider tomb? I hardly know her! Well, well, well, a return to Narrow and tossed straight into a (not so) hidden temple? Lara Croft has nothing on us. This room was really well designed. I’m partial to a room where your progress is super apparent and the folks at Narrow have nailed it here. The journey through each of the elemental gods and the utilisation of the diary is a functional and exciting way to move through. The set design was also super impressive, tying in seamlessly with the puzzles and avoiding any English to keep the realism of the ancient temple theming. Our host Andre was the goat, buying in to all of our bits whilst also giving us a great theatrical opening to each room. Give him a raise or three. Probably my favourite room at Narrow and definitely worth the trip to Penrith.
The ButcherScram Escape Rooms PenrithEscape roomIRLI work for the Pigman now. Hot pies, hot rooms, hot uhhh- hot players? Idk man. What I do know is this is another great room at Scram Penrith! Super puzzle dense, some scary interaction with the live actor, a storyline that runs through and feels tangible, really good stuff. The set design was pretty cool and spooky but I beg someone to sand and finish all the 3D printed props. Definitely my preference of the two rooms we played here, check it out if you like the scary side of things.
PlaguedScram Escape Rooms PenrithEscape roomIRLBRING OUT YOUR DEAD. BRING OUT YOUR DEAD. Plagued with visions of our less than stellar experience doing F.E.A.R we nonetheless persisted with Scram, crossing our toes for some fun rooms. Thankfully, much fun was had and many spooks shared. I found this room a really refreshing change of pace with a theme I hadn't seen before being well utilised to create new and interesting puzzles. The scares were well timed and the room carried a nice tension throughout. The puzzles were pretty intuitive and flowed well from space to space. Our first room at Scram Penrith and one I'd recommend if you're looking for a spooky time.
UndetectedNarrow Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLSpy Team Alpha-Sierra-Sierra checking in for our latest thievery. Our third and final room of the trip at Narrow and another great experience. This room is a pop culture nerd’s wet dream with reference across the decades that everyone can get around. The puzzles tie in directly to these props but don’t rely on any general knowledge of the films/tv shows that could trip up groups. The puzzles were a bit trickier than the other rooms with more stuff “hidden in plain sight” and requiring a bit of close investigation to continue through. Did we escape undetected? Yes. Was Andre a legend? Also yes.
LaunchNarrow Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLAnother day, another alien mothership to destroy. Launch-ed into our next experience at Narrow we found ourselves in a very different vibe to The Hidden Temple of yester-room. We were tasked with stopping an alien invasion through the power of friendship and military destruction, and boy did we shoot for the moon (or the sky with the aliens in it? Yeah sure). The room is pretty multilinear with a lot to do throughout which was perfect for my escape platoon. We divided and conquered opening lockers, wearing sick government issued fits and kicking (slapping) ass as we did it. Nothing crazy out of left field but everything driven by the theme and story, I had a great time. Again, Andre was our fearsome leader making sure we had the best time possible and deserves a promotion to general.
Cabin CultStrange World Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLWe made our glorious return to Strange World with the tinsel and elf cocaine swapped for a gloriously spooky forest and a cat? god? accountant? Hard to say. Everything that made Mrs Klaws so fun was dialled up to 11 in this new game. The puzzles were fun, the spooks spooky, and, arguably most importantly, the drag show interludes were interluding. Slay boots mama. I liked the very clear progression and love a journey that includes little collectables to carry on through the entire room, very fun. A mild hiccup with some tech in the middle but this arguably made our experience better as the improv and mad scramble had us all dying laughing. Perhaps my only tiny knock on this game in the use of generative AI, it takes me out of the immersion every time. Please please please pay an artist to draw something cool and spooky and sexy and fun like the rest of the room. Our hosts Tanner and Will were again, a true delight. We got chatting to them afterwards and couldn't help but nerding out with them about the old room and the new room and everything in between. As a founding member of the wax nipple club I implore you to play this game, you'll love every second. Do it! (it's optional) Do it!
MetamorphosisThe Cipher Room St PetersEscape roomIRLAnd what if I told you this was MY metamorphosis? WOW. What an escape room. Having played at Cipher a couple years back and having a genuine blast finishing all their rooms, Metamorphosis has been perhaps the most hotly anticipated room release amongst myself and my escaping friends. High expectations be damned, we were absolutely blown away by the newest offering from Sydney’s best. Excellent puzzling, a unique and surprising set design and, as always, many brilliant story moments throughout. Upon entering the space it’s immediately apparent how much love went into the creation of this game. The set design is phenomenal with many twists and turns, utilising props that gave the experience an ultra realistic feeling of the theme presented. The puzzles were great and varied with some tactile stuff mixing with a little hide and find and some more classic solving. Everything flowed nicely, driven by the puzzles while also actively moving through the story beats. Our Game Master Callum was a gem, he gave lots of enthusiasm to our brief and really amplified our experience. We also had a great chat with Lachie after our replay of Mr Peppers which was a true joy. His passion and love for the rooms as well as his impeccable hospitality really shone through. Go to Cipher Rooms, play them all. Please!
The Soul CatcherCubic Escape RoomEscape roomIRLHELP, SHE’S GOT ME BY THE SOUL! A solid room from Cubic, Soul Catcher flowed pretty well, had some good scares and a very lovely set design. The highlight of this room was definitely the sequences with the live actor. They really heightened the narrative experience and helped tie in some confusions I had throughout the game. It’s in a pretty random location down an alley so make sure you’ve got your eyes peeled and a couple extra minutes spare to find it.
The DollmakerTime is KeyEscape roomIRLDead wife flashback but everyone is a creepy doll. Finally we made the trek back out to Ringwood to tackle another Time is Key offering. Definitely leaning into their specialty here, the scare factor is genuine and unsettling. The puzzles, once we got started, flowed really well and kept us on edge throughout. A couple of genuinely disturbing moments that will probably stick with my conscience for a while. The Dollmaker feels like a nice step up in quality in both design and tech from the other TiK rooms. The sheer number of dolls is immediately off-putting and having to spend even 5 minutes with them had me convinced they were swapping spots when we turned our backs. The tech worked nicely and the input features for puzzles were all super clear. Our host Jayson was a joy, clearly very passionate about the industry and it’s always lovely to talk his ear off after the game. This is up there with the best of the horror rooms in Greater Melbourne both in spooks and puzzling. Big chance at least one of these dolls is genuinely cursed. Yucky.
The HackersGriff’s PlaceEscape roomIRLOh yeah… we’re in the mainframe Another great room from Griff’s Place! Cute, well signposted and again full of love. Being led through the apple computer/mac museum and then getting to use one as the main puzzle mechanic in the room was a delight. Specifically we loved the tactile keyboard. But that’s not really puzzle related. The room’s multi-linearity meant the space was always giving us more and more to use. Things that looked like decoration became useful, things that looked like mistakes became relevant and everything flowed incredibly well. Some big nostalgia hits alongside some real solid puzzling. So good.
The Science LabGriff’s PlaceEscape roomIRLMy partner brought me here for a little birthday escaping and we had a blast from minute one. As soon as you walk in to the venue you’re immediately greeted with an arcade full of old pinball machines, there’s an Apple computer/Mac Museum, it’s a great vibe. Once being taken through to our room it was clear it was designed with a lot of love. The room was decked out with cute science accoutrement and specific staff areas to work through. Something that stood out for me was the very clear and concise flow through the puzzles. This is probably the most important thing to get right in a one roomer. Big yes from me. Some genuinely tricky solves in this but nothing that required huge leaps in logic, just well designed challenging puzzles. Our host Sam was such a sweetheart. Her manner and vibe was so warm and kind, she really went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and excited to be there. A fun room worth the drive.
The ConjoiningRush Escape Game - St KildaEscape roomIRLCrazy that the Vatican sent us all the way to St Kilda for this. The last remaining Rush room for me to complete and an honest to god (the devil?) good one. Nothing really reinventing the wheel here but some solid puzzling to be had nonetheless. The room was set up for spooks and scares with the classic dim lighting, scary paintings, disconcerting props etc. Advertised as the scariest of their horror experiences I personally found it maybe a bit tame? However, if you too happen to have a very jumpscarey partner this room is probably spooky enough for them. But for me? Could give a little more especially given the IP it’s based on. Unfortunately, we managed to accidentally work out a lock early on which set us off on the wrong path a little. Thankfully our very kind GM stepped in and told us to ignore it and continue in another direction. At last, my Rush quest meets its end. Until next time friends (squid game room).
The Mad ScientistEscape Room Geelong - The Mad ScientistEscape roomIRLDo you think God stays in heaven because he too lives in fear of what he's created? We weren’t super sure what to expect as rooms built in residential areas can be a bit hit or miss but this one really impressed me. One of a few Mad Scientist rooms I’ve now traversed through but definitely the most original. All the puzzles felt super in world and the story line was clear and easy to follow (something easier said than done sometimes). The great array of different puzzles meant there was always something for someone to solve. We had a mix of first timers and experienced escapers in our group but it really felt like everyone was given a chance to contribute. A game clearly put together with a lot of passion, I appreciated the chance to have a great chat with the owner Andrew afterwards and hear all about his work. Definitely one to check out.
Nautilus CryptoriumEscape roomIRLAhhhh another day in Bikini Bottom. What a fun room! The Submarine vibes were very cool with the props and tech synthesising perfectly into the set design. Some genuinely tricky puzzles in this one, we had to really lock in at certain points. Though these rooms are pre-purchased there’s still a lot of love in the production and build of these rooms. It’s really easy to just throw these up and have them make little sense whereas this room felt like it was put together with love and proper attention to detail. A super super big shoutout to our wonderful hosts Rebecca and Harley who made us feel so welcome. The rooms are attached to a cafè they also run with a big room full of card/board games. They allow it as a study area for local students and it is a great place for the local community. Come for the escaping, stay for the immaculate vibes.
The Haunting of Blackthorn HouseCryptoriumEscape roomIRLThe sash-ringing, the trash-singing, mash-flinging, the flash-stringing, ringing, the crash-dinging... Another fun little room from Cryptorium! The Haunting of Blackthorn house was a little spooky, a little silly and a lot of fun. Another one roomer but enough content to justify its time limit with a reasonable amount of tricky puzzles. Once again the customer service here was peak from our hosts Rebecca and Harley.
The Cursed PassageOtherWorld HQEscape roomIRLNIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE. A super intriguing experience including live actors and scares aplenty. Cursed Passage is an interesting love-child of an escape room and a challenge room. Your aim is to accumulate points by solving puzzles between 5 rooms with only 10 minutes in each space. We honestly loved our time in this room. The puzzles were fun, the settings horrific and the experience a total success. It was refreshing after 30+ rooms in only a few days to come across a venue trying something new and weird. Ingenuity keeps me coming back to play rooms and I’m always thrilled when I see somewhere pushing the boundaries. I can see completionists and some enthusiasts finding the room a little frustrating if they don’t manage to get through every puzzle but hey. It isn’t always about you.
The Forgotten ArcadeOtherWorld HQEscape roomIRLThis princess has great taste in Italian plumbers and anthropomorphic turtles! Our second last room on the GC and one that didn’t blow my mind, Forgotten Arcade I can only really describe as fine. Nothing was too crazy, everything a little middle of the road and barely surviving. The entryways into each space were neat and I enjoyed the effort that went into these. The spaces inside were pretty puzzle light though. As an experienced group definitely not enough content but maybe first timers would enjoy more.
