Magic Universe

————— Story ————— ⚪️ Boring and Slow ⚪️ Uninteresting and Dull ⚪️ Dreary and Tired 🟢 Whimsical and Fantastical to the highest degree ————— Setting ————— ⚪️ Common and Uninspired ⚪️ Drab and Blah ⚪️ A while lot of nothing 🟢 A castle of epic proportions, towers twirling into the sky, beautiful and enthralling, detail in the highest degree ————— Live Actors ————— ⚪️ Unconvincing ⚪️ Nonexistent ⚪️ Spirit Halloween employee 🟢 A whole host of professionally trained actors, each portraying multiple nuanced and multifaceted characters ————— Puzzles ————— ⚪️ Unintuitive ⚪️ Broken and frustrating ⚪️ Non thematic 🟢 Perfect blend of whimsy and tactile, grand and miniature, perfectly thematic, fantastic feedback with extremely satisfying solves ————— Overall Experience ————— ⚪️ Skippable ⚪️ Mid ⚪️ Not worth the time or hassle 🟢 Move heaven and Earth, fly across oceans, bend over backwards, twice, to play this game ————— In Conclusion ————— ⚪️ A so-so game ⚪️ A slightly above average game ⚪️ A pretty darn good game 🟢 One of the best games I have ever had the joy to experience, stunning character performances, a wholly realized world with a set truly rivaling no other, puzzles that were rewarding to solve and a larger than life overall experience. Music, lighting, set 11/10. Seriously, seriously so impressive, and an absolute must play for anyone in the world. Go, book a plane ticket right now. I promise you it’s worth it. I cannot wait to return

If you’re hesitating… don’t. Just do it. This game is an absolute MUST DO. Having played around 300 escape rooms (including some of the top-ranked TERPECA experiences) I can confidently say this is the best room I’ve ever played. It’s full of magic, jaw-dropping moments, and truly insane attention to detail in both atmosphere and set design. Bravo!!!

I cannot believe this is an actual experience. In addition to being a top notch escape room customer service was also impeccable (lots of hand holding for an English booker like me, and proactively reached out when I missed the fine print.) I would come back again, and again.

This is an absolute must-play escape room. Amazing mix of narrative, puzzles, and theatre, and so many jaw-dropping moments (essentially whenever you move to a new space). I have no idea how this room was constructed but it’s something I’m going to be talking about with friends for a long, long time.

Wow. Just wow. If you are a fan of wizardry and magic- this is the room for you. Stories that I grew up on came to life right before my eyes. At the end of the game we were rendered speechless. There really are no words for just how amazing this room is! Another reviewer (Busboom) stated Universal should sue just to understand how Magic Universe gained that level of immersion and detail- and I couldn’t agree more. Immersion is a big highlight for me in escape rooms and this was hands down one of the best. Another box I like to check off is not only the quality of puzzles but the difficulty- something that is challenging and unique. After playing 200+ rooms, you see some of the same puzzles over and over again. Magic Universe is the exception. The puzzles all fit with the theme, they all made sense, and a lot of them will stick with me for years to come. There are a few puzzles I have never seen done before and they were so much FUN to complete! That same reviewer brought up the “titan” in the background- Escaparium’s Magnifico. While I have played both, it is hard to pick a favorite between the two. I believe the Magnifico had a more complete storyline at the end while Magic Universe had better puzzles. My number one spot on my list though is still Ctrl Alt Reboot for not only the story, the puzzles, but also the energy that that room manifested. All in all this is a game you must play if you enjoy escape rooms. It was so worth the trip all the way from Florida!! It will be interesting to see how the next TERPECA list falls as we are lucky enough to have so many unbelievable rooms to play!

Like one reviewer said before me, it’s impossible to describe how amazing this room is without comparing it to the big hitters, such as Magnifico. The acting, scenery, immersion, and narrative the experience provides is truly cutting edge, while providing exciting and novel puzzles that will stay in your fondest escape memories long after you leave the magical kingdom of Harrenfall. In terms of scenery, puzzles, and acting, this room comes out in top of its contender in my opinion. The story might show a few holes and appear somewhat lackluster towards the closing act, but this seems to be by design.

Just wow. Amazing setdesign, great acting, very entertaining.100% worth the trip to Algete.

Magic Universe is a game that proves escape rooms are capable of transporting us as fully as any Hollywood blockbuster or Broadway stage. It is, in the truest sense, world building. The first thing that hits you is the scale. I have seen impressive sets before, but this is different. Compared to Magic Universe, even theme parks feel lacking. (Universal Studios should sue just to understand how they were outdone) The game, especially in the first half, has many extraordinary moments. There’s one where you look up, the light hitting your face in an almost impossibly cinematic way, and something happens. When I looked over at my two adult children who were playing alongside me, it was as if they were five again. They wore the same expressions as when they were young and small and certain that magic was real. The first half also had: * elegant blocking and choreography reminiscent of Broadway * incredible acting by people who inhabit the characters so much that you can almost feel the stories behind their eyes.tonally precise writing (you’d be forgiven for thinking it came from the pages of a beloved fantasy novel) Somewhere past the midpoint, the world ever so slightly frays at its edges. With an achievement of this caliber, it seems silly to quibble, but the second half does have its stumbles: * there’s a room that is noticeably underdeveloped compared to the rest. * The puzzles aren’t as strong. * The final set piece is spectacular but devoid of meaningful choices. It expands the world visually but shrinks it emotionally. But all of these seem small compared to what Magic Universe achieves. It’s something that, in the months to come, will cause me to think back on its corridors of candlelight and talking portraits, its vast towers and enchanting characters. In some ways, it’s impossible to discuss Magic Universe without talking about the Canadian titan lurking in the background… Magnifico. It’s certain that people on Discord servers, Facebook groups, and in rental cars between cities will debate which is greater… Magnfico or Magic Universe? Out of the four people I played rooms with in Spain, all chose Magic Universe. I see it differently. Magnifico has grandeur, consistency, and raw narrative strength. Every scene builds. Every puzzle belongs. It nails the landing. And it has the rarest of gifts in storytelling, a soul. Magic Universe has greater individual moments. Its peaks scrape the sky. But comparatively, it is uneven. This debate, however, misses the bigger point: we are witnessing an inflection point. There are moments in every art form when something changes, permanently. A door opens that cannot be shut. Magnifico opened one. Magic Universe another. And because of these two games, somewhere in the months and years to come, new doors will appear. These two games are visions that promote more visions. We are lucky to have them both.

The experience is just out of this world in terms of escape rooms, although after doing a bunch of top rooms in Spain it feels like we are moving a bit away from puzzle heavy with story to story heavy with some puzzles. Either way, it's amazing that they have done here, took 3 1/2 years to build, wow! The only thing I can offer as constructive criticism is that the ending could have been much better with a bigger impact, it just doesn't do justice to everything else.

A game with lots of "woooow" moments. Big, beautiful set, probably the biggest you will see. Besides that it has a very good and strong start and middle part. The ending however lacked a punch and a big moment. I felt more like a bystander then being a part of the story. Also the arch of the player falls short on the magic part. The things we had to do didnt feel magical to me. Also the sound was too loud for the actors sometimes. I could not hear them because of the music being so loud. Ofc this is nitpicking, but that comes with a game of this size. The staff was amazing and friendly and the told about the future plans they have. A very special game for sure, just wish the gameplay would have been a bit more magical for the players