Pray

although there are many of the familiar tropes of horror here (the iconography, ritual, etc.), it's a game that doesn't settle for imitation and instead crafts them into something that feels genuine, a narrative world of texture and history. Sometimes in horror games, puzzles can feel like obligatory speed bumps, a way to slow down progress rather than deepen it. Here they are precise and intentional, all rooted in the world, not simple stapled onto it. Some of my teammates ranked it lower and I get why. The tone is deliberate, the pacing thoughtful. It has a narrative patience that not everyone loves. But for me, the story worked. It cared enough to give us a reason to be there.

Boy was absolutely phenomenal. He did an incredible job making us feel on edge while creating a predictable pattern in his acting to allow us to puzzle with a clear mind. There are many things I could say about this game that would all be the highest of marks but for me the standout element for me is their audio design. The paced intensity of the soundtrack, audio queues, puzzle based sound effects, etc were all arguably the best I’ve ever seen. I completely understand why this game is 13 on the TERPECA list.

First thing's first: this room is overrated. While Pray certainly deserved a spot on TERPECA, it is ranked #13 on the 2024 TERPECA list. This made everyone in our group come into the room with high expectations, and it missed the bar. If this was ranked lower on the list, I don't think I would have been as underwhelmed. However, Pray really represents the type of escape rooms that Dutch players are looking for right now, and live actors are a relatively new element in the games in the area, so this probably bolstered the reviews and rankings for this game. Pray is a room that embraces a religious horror but subverts your expectations in unique ways. This made for a very unique story that stands out from others. Pray uses its set and atmosphere extremely well to build suspense throughout the game, but because of this, the ending felt very theatrical but emotionally and narratively fell flat. There are effects that don't actually make any sense, but are just there for the sake of making something visually dramatic. Signposting issues left our group feeling very scattered-brained before the finale, which also made the ending less impactful. This room has an extremely strong smell because of the funerary service setting/theme. Because of this, I wore a mask the whole time.

Everyone needs to do this room! It is wonderfully made, and the puzzles make sense and are well integrated into the story. The amount of tension is just right, with light jump scares, but nothing too horror-y. I love it when a room can balance a great environment, a clear story, and amazing puzzles, and Pray does that perfectly.

Amazing top 5 favorites ever

#2 on our Top Ten as of writing. We were obsessed with this dark, yet darkly funny, narrative and perfect set. This room will stay with us for all time. Managed to make us deeply invested despite the underlying dark comedy of the storyline. Like, what, why am I almost crying? The set was completely immersive. The builder, who we met, is the same builder for Molly's Game. He's a true craftsman and brings in other professionals such as a set painter and again, cannot overstate the craftsmanship. Live actor integration was flawless - at first I wondered if they were just trying to scare us but then their behavior became more and more clear as the narrative unfolded. An ending fit for the stage - lights, music, performance, set. The set up was fantastic- if you arrive right on time and follow the instructions for entry this will be a 💯 immersive experience (though we found it worth coming early to talk to staff). I'm not going to say that the puzzles seamlessly integrated into the narrative, like in Molly's Game, but frankly, we didn't care. The narrative was strong enough to keep us completely in the moment and the actor often brought us right back into this thrilling ride. And what an amazing staff. I think we talked to everyone who worked here. They were ALL incredibly personable and loved swapping escape room stories. Our favorite company of all time in terms of the staff. You felt like you were welcome into a house of friends. This is proven by their pictures from their own escape trips in the lobby. Escape Couple rating: 6🗝️: Best of the best (we use a 1-6🗝️ rating scale)

We are still talking about this one a few days later. We absolutely loved this one. Highly recommend this room. The immersion was top notch.

If you want to get used to horror, then you've come to the right place. Light jump scares, occasional darkness, but never any physical contact with the actors. Enjoyable puzzles that are all solvable. An atmospheric setting with sound and lighting.

PRAY war unser erstes Spiel auf unserem Escape Room Trip in die Niederlande. Das neueste Spiel vom Anbieter lässt wirklich nichts vermissen. Eine fesselnde Geschichte mit stimmigen Rätseln eingebettet in eine Kulisse, die uns für eine gewisse Zeit aus der Realität entführt und uns in ihren Bann gezogen hat. Die Rätsel haben wir als sehr einfach gehalten empfunden und sind ohne Tipps durch das Spiel gekommen. Der Actor hat für eine gewisse Anspannung gesorgt, jedoch kam es nie zu physischem Kontakt. Dieses Spiel ist auch gut für Spieler machbar, die mit dem Genre Horror nicht so gut umgehen können, da es sich eher um "leichten" Horror handelt. Ein must play game!

ABSOLUTELY SUPERB! A well crafted experience from beginning to end. A beautiful set, fun puzzles, and interesting storytelling. One of the game designers was the GM for our game. After the experience, he gave us a behind the scenes look at the space, which really underscored all the thought and detail that went into making sure the game was the best it could be.