La Cathédrale Oubliée [The Forgotten Cathedral]Escaparium - LavalEscape roomIRLWe were in Montrael for a girls' long weekend, and we did the top three rooms at Escaparium Laval. We were in awe the entire time, and LOVED every moment in the rooms. All four of us did engineering back in undergard (thus how we became friends), and we were just so touched by the passion of the entire team. Between the mechanics and logic, there lies the engineers' sincerity and romance. These escape rooms are really brought to us by passion, and they are beyond my expectations for escape rooms. I imagine they will remain the best rooms I've done, for a long time. I genuinely recommend them to everyone who has a chance trying. The gamemasters are incredible! A++ acting.
The Sorcerer's SecretCrypto Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis is probably the best you will get for a $30 room, at least $50 worth of quality if not more. Mainly 1-2 puzzles per room, and the puzzles are all quite original. The puzzles aren't hard, usually 2-step solving, but with a group of 4 or 5, the clues piece together very straightforwardly. Albeit medium difficulty, quite fun to actually do them! The last room is definitely what differentiates it from a good room to a best room. My heart review namely goes for the last room, number of rooms, and the pricing.
The ArkEscape Games CanadaEscape roomIRLWe found this room to be on the easier end, partly credits to my partner being quite good with geography. We went in a group of four, and one of friends was just idling (wife accompanier), yet we were able to escape in 47 minutes. The puzzles are typically 3-step process; they are set usually in proximity and/or communications are easy across the rooms, no annoying back and forth. The theme and flow were so-so, not bad, but nothing too novel tbh. A standard room in 2025.
Easy Bake CovenNiagara EscapementEscape roomIRLMy friend and I did a weekend getaway in Niagara. We did two rooms at Niagara Escapement, went to Shaw, and had good food at a winery. We started with the Coven, the two of us escaped in 39 minutes, man did we feel smart. The style at Niagara escapement is generally more lock/puzzle based, mixed with some tech. Usually I avoid puzzle heavy rooms, as the mechanical rooms are more in trend nowadays. But I have to say the puzzles here are really clever and cute, very enjoyable with no frustration at all. The bleeping world is similar but with a lot more puzzles (3+5+8 so almost 20 puzzles), a bit excessive but again well thought puzzles. I have to say that the decor and space in these rooms are a bit below expectation, but understandable for (clearly) low budget rooms. The sensors are surprisingly accurate and responsive for seemingly older rooms. There's great potential if these puzzles can be turned into fancier adaptations, but already neat as is. Extremely friendly and enthusiastic staffs (talk to them about escape rooms, they'll love to chat!!).
The Lab: LockdownRevo EscapeEscape roomIRLI've heard so many good things about this room, and most of our friends have been long time ago. Since we live in Kitchener/Waterloo region, it was quite an effort recruiting friends who haven't been already. I've been wanting to try this one for so long, but the experience was truly disappointing. I've heard so many praises about how immersive and real world this room is, but it wasn't the case in 2025 anymore. Literally everything has stickers saying "not part of the game, no use", and there's only THE prop left to use. Yes, there's a physical component to it, still stand out a little from other rooms. But in terms of the mechanics, I'd say below average compared to new rooms nowadays. Nevertheless, I still want to try the other two rooms, just to confirm if it was my expectation or actually dropped room quality. Last but not least, the staff greeting us was surprisingly rude, but I will let this one go, maybe just a bad mood day.
A Pirate's CurseEscapology - WaterlooEscape roomIRLI have now played five games at Escapology Waterloo, and the pirate's curse is the only one that I left feeling really unsatisfied. My friends and I are not pirate fans, so we are very bad with pirate references. English is also our second language (we are native English speakers though), and many things in this room just didn't click. What I like the most about escape rooms is going into something unknown and figure out what to do in an hour. The Pirate's curse is quite disappointing in that sense; it's very clear what you have to do, but unable to solve it try after try gets frustrating. I also find the room lacking logic flow and tech/variety being a bit weaker than the other rooms. If you're bad with words and directions like me, I wouldn't recommend this room, contrary to the high rating.
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient ExpressEscapology - WaterlooEscape roomIRLI was a little hesitant before going, based on the mixed rating on morty. We were also just a group of three, and the other two friends aren't as escape room addict. I had a surprisingly good time!! The flow was very good and everything was quite logical. It was a very smooth one, and no repeat of any lock/mechanics, and fairly well made rooms for the budget level. One of the few rooms where the suspect can be definitively identified.
Batman™: The Dark Knight ChallengeEscapology - WaterlooEscape roomIRLI was hesitant doing this room because of the lower rating on Morty. But I enjoyed it!! It's my second favorite room at Escapology Waterloo (the first being the Oriental Express). It is probably on the harder side, but you've got all the information in the room, no prior Batman knowledge needed at all. The room's immersive and very believable setting. Every puzzle is unique. If you're tired of pirate, antidote, prison break themed escape rooms, give this a try! This is the one and only batman theme room I've ever done, and I thought it set a pretty solid standard.
![La Cathédrale Oubliée [The Forgotten Cathedral]](https://res.cloudinary.com/mortyapp/image/upload/c_limit,w_260/f_auto/v1/store/s/2c2890dd-87b6-4712-8136-8403e436ec72.jpg)
