Carnivorous

Easily the best escape room I’ve done. Not only are the puzzles insanely immersive and impressive but the scare factor is out of this world. The game is structured like a video game in the sense you are meant to go back multiple times in order to complete it, each time with subtle changes that make it either harder or different. The host Ben is also incredible and very friendly!

It’s not often that your expectations are sky high but an experience still blows your mind. Carnivorous is such an experience. Unimaginable in scale, immersion, dread, and sheer terror — this is a masterpiece in every way, designed and built with an awe-inspiring amount of thought, passion, and attention to detail. Beyond the aesthetics and atmosphere, it is also packed with a crazy number of novel, thematic, practical, and super challenging puzzles, some of which are simply genius. While I believe I will one day play an escape room somewhere in the world I consider better than Carnivorous, I’m not sure I’ll ever have a more unforgettable experience.

In honour of playing 200 escape rooms I decided to go big and FINALLY give the infamous Carnivorous a crack out in what feels like the middle of the nowhere. After waves of wonderful reviews and feedback I can confidently say I was absolutely blown away by what I experienced. First and foremost, this is not for beginners nor for the faint of heart. The sheer immersion and horror is beyond anything I’ve ever seen in this industry; I’m talking an enormous game filled with enough terrifying twists and turns to have you genuinely fearing for your life. I couldn’t believe what I was experiencing for most of it and am still having trouble comprehending it well after the fact. From the moment you pull up, the dread sets in and you know you’re in for something hellish, it’s wonderful and it’s petrifying and it’s some of the most fun you’ll have. Due to its size and complexity you will absolutely need a few tries to complete this end to end which originally I didn’t love as a concept but after going through it all, I can see the appeal. Bring along some trustworthy backup. The biggest tragedy here is that there’s a good chance Carnivorous will be closing at the end of the year, so as much as this game completely transcends what an escape room can be, I can take solace in that it will absolutely go down as the stuff of legend in ER folklore. I’m not gonna spoil any elements but I will say that if you call yourself an enthusiast, do yourself a favour and give this a try before it’s gone. Even if horror isn’t for you, be brave, be stupid. Owner and creator Ben has put a truly incomprehensible about of work into something that is so undeniably special. Even after all he put my friends and I through… my god if I wouldn’t do it all over again in a heartbeat. 200 down and what a way to do it 🏆

This was one of the most insane things I’ve ever experienced. Upon arrival all of the bravado and confidence I was trying to show prior was pretty much immediately zapped away. When I say this was scary I mean this was TERRIFYING. From the very beginning you are on edge and I’m not sure this feeling ever goes away, just fades slightly at times. What Ben has created here is the closest thing I can imagine to being in a real life horror movie. It’s been a while since I’ve played a room with such high immersion and Carnivorous delivers this in spades. The set design is so immensely impressive. Every prop no matter how basic is made to fit the world you’re thrown into. There’s even fake mould painted onto the light fittings. Genuinely a gorgeous room, I almost wish I was less scared so I had more time to appropriately appreciate it. I was a bit wary of the multi-play approach but after playing can say it certainly warrants it for the best experience. This is simply due to the amount of content and space we had to work through whilst being in sheer terror the whole time. I don’t really know how to talk about this room appropriately without spoilers so all I can say is you must play it. If you’re a fan of horror games, an expert looking to challenge themselves, someone who wants an insane experience, and anyone else in between, this room is incredible. One of the best rooms I’ve ever played.

I'm almost sad that I won't be able to experience this blind again. I tried my best to stay ignorant about this room, and holy moly it was worth it. Incredibly immersive, terrifying, and honestly one of the best experiences I've ever done. It's so hard to keep this review spoiler free, best advice I can give is: bring a friend who's terrified of the dark, and RUN. Absolutely will be playing this again when the chance arises.

Come prepared to have one of the most unique experiences in the industry. I don't want to spoil anything about it but just know that this is designed for enthusiasts. We brought along 2 non-enthusiasts and they told us their minds were blown by seeing just how incredible an escape room could be. It is due to close by the end of the year and it's a damn shame it is. The question you should be asking yourself is not "should I do it?", it should be "do I want to miss out on what will surely become the stuff of legend in escape room lore?". If you want to know absolutely nothing, STOP READING But there are a few aspects I'd like to shout out. I was uncertain of the decision to make this incompletable in one attempt, but it is worth the money to return as there are plenty of puzzles provided. Expect to visit 2-3 times to complete it all and expect the unexpected. It is so incredibly ambitious and expansive. And the sets and props are so lovingly and masterfully created. To top it off, it has the most unforgettable and unexpected opening to a game I've ever seen. Make the effort to get your team together and get out to Geelong. You'll be sorry if you miss it.

A very scary and wonderfully immersive experience. After a terrifying start you are left on edge for the entire game, cullminating in an equally terrifying conclusion. The scale, build quality and clever puzzle mechanics make this one of Australia's best games. Hghly recommended and well worth the car trip.

Just Wow. This game was amazing and easily one of the best I have played. The game starts from the moment you get out of the car, there is no reception, greeting or cuddly chitchat you just get thrown into the gameplay and it is on. The build is of an a amazing level, with props of a high level of detail and interactivity. There was a LOT of content in this game and maybe more then any other game I have played, so I would recommend this more for your experienced good players and less so for the first timers if you want any hope of finishing first attempt. This game may not be for everyone, It is a low light game and you will be chased so expect some running or crawling with haste.

This is the most artistic game I have ever played. It has a lot of requirements in order to play (e.g. only nighttime, exactly 4 players, 1 hour out of Melbourne), but it is phenomenal!

Great experience. Very exciting, scary and fun. We’ve done many escape rooms including overseas and this is the best!!