Mr Pepper’s Toy ShopThe Cipher Room St PetersEscape roomIRLAll I can say with this one is believe the hype. Having played 15 of Sydney’s best escape rooms across a few days, I can confidently say Mr Pepper’s comfortably sits at the top of the pile. A ridiculous room in terms of design and creativity, it’s filled with spooky rustic props, tech and puzzles all designed perfectly to fit the world around you. The level of time and care that’s gone into creating this masterpiece is evident with every single puzzle you solve and story element you uncover. Not to mention one of (if not) the best endings to a room I’ve ever seen. 11/10. Our Game Master Frank was lovely and was even kind enough to show us the room’s insane grand finale twice. Cipher’s new room can’t come quick enough.
La RébellionThe Cipher Room St PetersEscape roomIRLThere’s a reason La Rébellion boasts the amount of glowing reviews as it does, the entire experience from start to finish was absolutely crazy. The St Peter’s location of Cipher delivers 2 of the highest quality escape rooms you’ll find in Australia and anyone would be doing themselves a disservice in not checking them out. Being tossed into the middle of a French rebellion creates the perfect amount of fun and urgency you want in a room but mix that in with immaculate set design, creative puzzles, and a generous space to explore and you’ve got yourself a winner. It’s hard to find the words to describe why it’s as good as it is without spoilers, so maybe just go play it. It speaks for itself. Big ups to our GM Ace who was great to chat to and owner Marice who came and said hello to us pregame, legends!
The WarrensUltimate RoomscapeEscape roomIRLA fantastic horror experience and in my opinion the best escape room in Western Australia. The incorporation of the Warren's Occult museum as both a theme and a narrative is such a clever idea, with a series of freaky artefacts and props to make players feel uneasy at all times. Definitely on the harder side, a team of 4-5 players is the ideal of amount to tackle the huge amount of puzzles scattered throughout. One of my favourites!
ExtractionThe Curium ExperienceEscape roomIRLHaving played 100+ rooms this is definitely one of, if not the best escape room in Australia. The owners dedication to immersion, sound design, puzzle flow, storytelling, and interactivity is pretty unmatched. Located in a desolate warehouse in Collingwood, the sheer size and spectacle of the experience creates an incredible and fresh approach that keeps you entertained from start to finish. Designed to accommodate both escape room veterans and first-timers it is best suited for 4-6 players. Needless to say, Curium is an absolute must. Go do it. Long live the artefact.
Sweethearts Ice Cream ParlourThe Cool SpaceEscape roomIRLAfter a year and a half of hard work my boys Josh and Daniel are back at it again with their new room, Sweethearts Ice Cream Parlour! Hell YES! This room was an absolute delight to play, it’s fun, lighthearted, colourful and so god damn charming I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face the entire time. Tasked with acquiring the secret recipe from the best ice creamery in town, things quickly take a turn in this dessert-based thriller (oh no!). Unsurprisingly, all the props, set pieces and puzzles are flawless and thematic while also ranging in difficulty; with a healthy 75-minute timer it’s a perfect room for any skill level. Whilst Sweethearts is a very different vibe and approach to Seance, it’s still packed to the brim with a mountain of quality content and entertaining moments, another home run for The Cool Space! As a wise man once said, “epic!” 😎
SeanceThe Cool SpaceEscape roomIRLSuch an amazing and outside of the box concept for an escape room! Knowing beforehand my friends and I were going to be seated for the entire experience created a level of intrigue that drew us in and kept us engaged for the entire play through. Clever puzzles, great use of space, and wonderful owners/GM’s, I absolutely loved it. Shoutout to Josh and Daniel who were happy to talk shop with us and provide ✨limited edition✨ stickers!
The SacrificeMission Escape George StEscape roomIRLThe Sacrifice is probably the Mission room I’d heard the most about prior and based off some pretty good feedback I ended up having some high expectations which were definitely met in some areas but fell flat in others. The strongest element of this room is its expansiveness and exploration as there are so many unique areas to discover and move through, it really helped with general immersion and world building, with one transitional mech in particular a real standout. The lighting and sound also went off without a hitch which really helped create a sense of urgency and dread in certain areas. Nicely done. Unfortunately the puzzles and story were where I was a bit let down, with the first puzzle out the gate feeling strange and convoluted, it wasn’t a good sign for the rest; 3 different time-based puzzles, symbols galore and a bit of guesswork at the end didn’t feel super inspired in what is marketed as an epic 100-minute experience. The narrative which was meant to be the driving force for every puzzle became increasingly skewed and unclear which lead to our purpose from room to room falling apart pretty quickly. By the end it was difficult to know what we had achieved and why. I was also confused as to why in an experience with a live actor present players are asked to read the story intro themselves off a laminated A4 sheet of paper in the lobby? Very underwhelming storytelling, especially when it’s valued at $75 - $80pp. Even when the actor does make the odd appearance (executed very well btw) it’s very brief. I’ve heard whispers since that Intruders is actually Mission’s crown jewel in terms of immersion and fun so that might be next of the list. Overall very technically impressive but lacks substance.
The Marlowe HotelThe Cipher Room NewtownEscape roomIRLAlthough every Cipher room is of outstanding quality, The Marlowe Hotel was one of my absolute favourites from the bunch. Set design and attention to detail was flawless with a seamless black and white noir theme with tricky puzzles and immaculate props that all served the story. I cannot recommend this one enough, special shout-out to our GM Tess who was lovely and great to chat to. Don’t forget to wear your best black and white outfit ⚪️⚫️
Mrs ClawsStrange World Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLMERRY F****** CHRISTMAS DARLINGS! What a room, what a nightmare, what a SHOW! Mrs Claws is head and shoulders one of the funniest and most entertaining escape rooms I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. Its theming, design, puzzles and atmosphere make sure there is NEVER a dull moment in the North Pole. While marketed as more of a classic horror experience, the room itself is anything but as in-game actors Mrs Claws and Betty proceed to not only scare the crap out of you but make sure you’re crying of laughter in the very next breath, it’s terrifying and it’s electric. What owners Will and Tanner have done with the space is so impressive with so many puzzles to uncover and R rated easter eggs to find, it’s kind of impossible not to have a good time. The only drawback of Mrs Claws is that it’s closing down very soon to make way for new experiences later in the year, my only advice is to go and play it so you don’t miss out. Fantastic room. Love from a proud member of the wax nipple club ❤️
IntrudersMission Escape George StEscape roomIRLThis game was insane. I mean from start to finish the entire thing was so fast paced and cinematic, I'd never really experienced anything like it within the escape room realm. Having been recommended Intruders by a number of casual players and enthusiasts, I knew I was in for something pretty unique and it thrills me to say that Mission really delivered on this one. Let's start with the set, holy shit THE SET. High budget, expansive, immersive, detailed, intricate. I genuinely had a hard time mapping out its layout in my head due to the sheer amount of twists, turns and exploration we were allowed to experience. The creepy hospital setting is a perfect environment for a few amatuer paranormal investigators to get mixed up in, each of us with a unique role in the film crew, singled out and utilised wonderfully by our live actor and fearless director, Mario. It's pretty hard to put into words the fear and excitement my friends and I all felt fumbling through this medical hellscape. It was outstanding design. Puzzles here are pretty few and far between and while I'm usually pretty firm on this kinda thing, it ended up being easily forgivable given everything else that is thrown at you in the space of 60-90 minutes. I guarantee you'll have an infinitely better time in this one if you forget about the "solve" and just allow yourself to enjoy ride. Actors here were excellent, giving convincing performances while also adapting to jokes, outbursts and harsh "director-related" criticism throughout, my only feedback would be to allow players to meet these guys post-game. I understand immersion and the fourth wall but being able to have a conversation and pass on my compliments would've made this superb experience even better. Lastly I have to talk about the lighting and story, so well executed and seamless from the get-go. The narrative is the only thing you have to go on and these guys make a point of letting players grasp exactly what's happening around them all while playing fast and loose with so many clever variations of lighting, it added so much to the horror of it all. How. Good. Simply put, Intruders is a must-play for the escape room enthusiast, the role player, the horror buff, the psychopath. It's one of a kind in its entirety and deserves every bit of praise that comes its way. Bravo Mission.
