Mr Copplestone's Curiosity ShoppeEscape Quest United KingdomEscape roomIRLThe idea of puzzle rests has grown considerably with “Daylight Robbery” at Cryptology and “UI-55”| at Compendium. This is a similar idea where you have a considerable number of puzzles to solve in order to find time crystals. The setting is amazing and reminiscent of “Loot the Lanes”, the more crystals you find then other shops open up to you. Not all shops will as the overall game will change every so often almost guaranteeing repeat visits (I know I will). A massive range of puzzles from obvious searches to cunning logic puzzles, audio driven ones and observational.
VikingExtremescapeEscape roomIRLWow. Quite simply one of the best rooms I have ever played, from theming to puzzle design to reveals. The space may be limited but everything is so cleverly done and you can see the thought that has gone into it. The story is coupled with some brilliant atmospheric events and has more than a trace of humour and at time moments of sheer magic. I’d love to say more but its one of the few rooms I wish I could forget all about it and just go and play it again.
Daylight RobberyCryptology - NottinghamEscape roomIRLA simply phenomenal room, from a traditional opening to when you get into the main space. Theming is absolutely on point, with a lot of puzzles you can tackle in a non-linear order before getting to the final end goal, easily one of my top 10 rooms of all time.
MonumentsCave EscapeEscape roomIRLI've waxed lyrical about their other room, CarFax, before but this takes those high standards and builds on them. Theming is appropriate, there is a great mix of puzzles and a lot of tech, but this is a hard room, Cave Escape will let you run as a 2 but the minimum recommended is a 3 and I can see why, if we'd had a third person we would have got out but there is a lot to get through.
Seven Dwarfs: Mining MissionImprobable Escapes - WonderlandEscape roomIRLAnother high tech room with some great scenery and fiendishly clever puzzles.
Paradox Project 2: Το Βιβλιοπωλείον [The Bookstore]Paradox ProjectEscape roomIRLIf you enjoyed the first Paradox Project game then this is more of the same but better! Less space is used in some amazingly creative ways, some great transitions and a stronger sense of the unfolding story. This fixes all of the criticisms I had of the first one but I would urge caution taking a large group, I would recommend 3-4 to get the most enjoyment out, very much worth your time.
20,000 Leagues Under the SeaNovel EscapeEscape roomIRLThere's a lot to recommend this room, from the novel way to deliver a briefing, the fantastic GM who constantly played along, the flow of puzzles was very good (along with one of the cleverest visual puzzles I've seen for a while). The picture quality was good and the inventory was telescape based so items would appear and disappear based on our actions and worked incredibly well. This was an awful lot of fun and I even though I'm scaling my virtual play (now we can play pysical) I would play more of their offerings.
CarfaxCave EscapeEscape roomIRLWonderfully thematic, clever puzzles and just one of the best rooms I've done for a while, taking inspiration from the story of Dracula, there is a definite narrative of progression throughout the sections of the room. Some of the puzzles are quite hard in terms of figuring out what it is you need to do but it is very much worth it. Our GM was Becky who has one of the creepiest voices when she was giving us a hint..
Lost TombExtremescapeEscape roomIRLOnce again terrific theming and solid puzzle design (with some incredible physical effects) create an incredible game. The puzzle flow is mostly non-linear in nature and will test your searching, observation and deduction skills. I think the puzzles in the second half let the room down slightly but it’s still of a high standard and still very much worth your time.
ImmateriumEscapologic - NottinghamEscape roomIRLThis is a hard room to review, I think it falls somewhere between an escape room and more of a theme park experience, this is a hybrid without fully committing to either one. The theming and scenery are absolutely top notch, the puzzles aren't arguably original but they are done well and completely in theming. You don't need to know any of the background of the game this is based on to enjoy it but I'm sure it's packed with easter eggs for fans. I had a couple of issues with the audio system and elements of the scenery but I was able to talk to the GM at the end regarding this. Escapologic have pushed the envelope again with this and I think it's a fascinating view of a potential view for the future.
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