Der Spielzeugmacher [Toy Maker]Big Break HamburgEscape roomIRLThis is about as good a room as we’ve ever played when it comes to a standard 60 minute, puzzle-oriented room. It’s not overly flashy or grand, but it has some really fun surprises in store. Puzzle flow was really good, we never needed a hint and we knew what we needed to be working on at all times. I thought the puzzles were reasonably challenging, some were a bit easy, others were a little tougher and took a few minutes to click. Overall we had a lot of fun and felt accomplished at the end.
AlienClap Escape - Escape Game LyonEscape roomIRLI enjoyed this room a lot. If you’re a fan of the movies there will likely be an extra nostalgia boost, at least I thought so. I really enjoyed the puzzles, the room has great flow. You always know what you should be working on, even if that sometimes means multiple puzzles at the same time. The puzzles in some places feel like “video game” puzzles, and I think that’s due in part to Alien: Isolation being a major influence for the room. I don’t mind that, but it might not be your vibe. Spooky atmosphere, nothing crazy. Great set overall, lots of detail, very few red herrings, if at all. Extremely friendly staff. 👽
K.O.N.G. ProtocolEscape Barcelona 2 3Escape roomIRLI loved it so much I bought the T-shirt. I’ll be honest, the first 45-60 mins are not great, but it really turns on for the second half and has some moments that made it worth it for me. The issue with the first ~hour is puzzle flow. You have a lot to look at and do, but it’s not clear where you should be spending your time which is frustrating because you waste time until a clue comes in. This is not the case in the second half in my opinion, so hang in there and know that you’re not alone. The spook factor, for me, was really good. Excellent tension, and a great set with thoughtful lighting. We don’t do a lot of horror rooms so our tolerance is relatively low, so YMMV. Try to have fun with it. I was grinning ear to ear for the last hour.
Birth MachineMad MachinesEscape roomIRLThis is the more highly regarded of Mad Machines 2 rooms, but it really didn’t do it for me. On the positive side, it’s wacky, silly, unique, and a well crafted theme I’ve never seen anywhere else, which is a rare find these days. However, for me it lacked on puzzles, which is too core to the experience to overlook. The first half of the room is a more traditional escape room style experience, but the quality and difficulty of the puzzles varied too much. Some were overtly obvious and easy, and others were very subtle and we veered off course a couple times, but, it was still on track to be a great room. The next half though I really didn’t enjoy. It felt to me more like a series of tasks rather than puzzles, and it felt like a chore to finish. It wasn’t “bad” by any means, but it somewhat ruined the experience for me.
Time MachineMad MachinesEscape roomIRLThis is a well executed and creative Time Machine themed escape room. It has a little bit of everything, and we were able to get through it with minimal assistance in a couple minutes under the time cap which is ideal. The set is very cool, and I enjoyed the puzzles. I will say, Mad Machines puzzles are a little more on the “tasks” side rather than brain-teasing puzzles, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it doesn’t always scratch that puzzle itch that brings me back to escape rooms time and again. However, I thought this room struck the balance a little better than Birth Machine, and so this gets a higher rating from me.
Auf der Suche nach Gulliver [In Search of Gulliver]ROOM Escape Room ZurichEscape roomIRLUnlike anything we’ve ever done before! It’s a little too easy for experienced crews, and we had a couple small technical difficulties where things didn’t unlock until we jiggled things around which wasted time, but the unique setup is memorable it and I think it’s worth a visit doing if you’re in the area.
Cutthroat Cavern13th Gate EscapeEscape roomIRLSimply incredible. Enjoyable puzzles, great build up, super fun theme, and an outstanding set. I went into it blind and it was very worth it. The crowning jewel of 13th gate 💎
ShipwreckedTrapped Escape GameEscape roomIRLFun, creative room. I like history and maritime themes so this room was a treat. Trapped does some really interesting puzzles that I like a lot, but that includes some puzzles that have awkward failure cases. We needed the GM to come in at one point to reset a puzzle that had become unsolvable. It wasn’t the end of the world but it was immersion breaking. There was also a puzzle with a misleading clue that we gave some feedback on, and hopefully Trapped will address it. One other ding is how many similar locks are in the room. At one point there were 3 or 4 locks in play that we had to run each code through because there was no indication which lock the code was for - that design pitfall should be avoided. Otherwise, we enjoyed the room, and I consider it an above average experience, mostly for the seamless tie-in with the historical elements. If you’re not into history, this may be more of a middle tier experience for you.
The End of the Bleeping WorldNiagara EscapementEscape roomIRLThe room is filled with clever, relatively easy/moderate puzzles, but a lot of them. We didn’t need any clues, and were able to get through it with an experienced team of two with plenty of time to spare. Everything worked flawlessly and the room flowed well from start to finish, sticking with the story and theme throughout. We left with smiles on our faces! It’s a solid set with above average technology! Well done! 👍
Easy Bake CovenNiagara EscapementEscape roomIRLThe room is cute and clever, and has good, straightforward puzzles. Our team of 2 flew through it in just over 20 minutes so it’s hard to give it a heart but we enjoyed it throughly and vibed with the puzzles. It has a decent set, and we like witchy themes so it was an easy choice for us. Plus the folks we met were very friendly and enthusiasts which is always a huge plus! 🤓 The business doubles as a gaming lounge so it’s definitely worth a visit, as they had 100s of board games in stock!
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