The Dollmaker

Had a really good time playing The Dollmaker with my 15 yr old daughter. It was the right amount of creepy and is definitely up there as one of the scarier rooms in Melbourne. Interesting set of puzzles that all felt very thematic with a good mix of physical lock and key and technical elements that all worked well. Set design, sound and props were all designed well and added a lot to the atmosphere of the room. Our GM, was really attentive and passionate and offered us a well needed hint at just the right moment and we had a great chat afterwards about the game.

Dead 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.

I’M ALL DOLL’D UP WITH NOWHERE TO GO :( What’s up Morty fans.. Mortinites? Morticians? (we’ll work on it) I’m f i n a l l y back in Ringwood and it just feels so right. The Dollmaker, a horror experience by Time is Key, years in the making, is here to play and scare the crap out of me at last!! If you were to think about how many creepy dolls might feature in an escape room called “The Dollmaker” you’d probably think, “yeah, a fair bit?” but I promise you it’s more, it’s so much more. GAH. It’s unsettling, it’s immersive and it’s so much fun. I loved this room, truly, I did. The creativity and dedication from Jayson and the team is so apparent from the jump. As an enthusiast, it’s so difficult to fault this level of passion and hard work in the industry, so I won’t try. The puzzles here were tactile and varied, the tech (which was very impressive for a homemade build) went off without a hitch and the story was expertly crafted into each solve the way God (or at least whichever psychopathic surgeon is trying to play God) intended. And without trying to state the obvious, the room was actually scary!! I know!!! You wouldn’t believe how many “SPOOKIEST ROOM IN MELBOURNE” ads I get thrown at me (looking at you, 400 variations of The Conjuring) but this one actually developed a strong atmosphere based on ORIGINAL storytelling, set design and tension, it was awesome! While the other two offerings at Time is Key are both really solid games, the leap in quality to their third is noticeable and appreciated. If you couldn’t already tell, this is a big recommendation from me, I strongly encourage any ER fan to get out there and support local businesses that are still cooking with gas (and originality). Much love ❤️ P.S. I’m sorry about Mrs Dollmaker. 8/10 🔏🧩

Plenty of puzzles to solve which flowed well. The immersion of the room and story is the selling point. It was told really well throughout the whole escape room.