The Freak Show

Freak Show is a small but well done room with solid themeing. Unlike Dark Park's other games, the room itself lacked a coheisive story. The puzzle, decor, and ambiance are very on-theme, but the story comes from the premise of the game. You don't discover anything new along the way that adds to the experience. This room was on the easier side and can be done with a smaller group due to its size and familiar puzzles. It has a creepy atmosphere, but this primarily comes from the premise of the room, where you're escaping from the circus, rather than any scary elements of the game or story. Because of this, I would not say the room was scary. This is a great warm up room for Dark Park's more intense adventures.

They’ve really stepped things up in terms of decor and atmosphere compared to The Dentist (which was already very theatrical!). Personally, I preferred The Dentist a little more because its storyline felt clearer. In this room, the narrative was sometimes a bit vague, which made certain puzzles feel more linear and left me wondering why we were doing what we were doing. Because of that, the ending also felt a bit sudden—which is always a shame. That said, this is probably down to personal taste. Still, I absolutely recommend it. For its age, the room holds up impressively well compared to other escape rooms. The decor is stunning, the custom-composed music and lighting create a fantastic atmosphere, and the freak show setting offers plenty of spaces to explore. And once again, a huge shoutout to Luke—an amazing game host who really elevated our experience!

Circuses aren't my favorite theme, but the ending wow moments of this game make entering the "big top" worth the ticket price. The relatively basic puzzles and set design were fun, but the endgame sequence delivered two creative, engaging and physical puzzles, which (considering the rest of the room) came out of nowhere and are THE reason to play this game. The confusing (or just lacking) story and an oddly abrupt ending left me wondering "Wait, that's it? What just happened?" An attempt was made at the beginning of the game to set up a story, but without a coherent throughline, the puzzles felt disjointed and random, and the attempt at a story was left with no follow-through or, unless I missed it, even a conclusion.

After lunch at Hermanos, we returned to play Freak Show, also by DarkPark and located in Delft. This was the second room we did that day as a group of 4, and again we were impressed by the quality—especially knowing this was one of their first creations (second of 5). What made Freak Show shine was its atmosphere: playful, quirky, and immersive from start to finish. The theme was consistently carried through both the set and puzzles, which were fun and creative rather than overly difficult. Personally, I connected more with the whimsical, theatrical vibe of this room, which made it a standout experience for me. Highly recommended for all player types, especially those who appreciate immersive storytelling and a vibrant, thematic world. A strong early example of DarkPark’s signature style.

This room was a helluva good time. While it was low level spooky we also had some great laughs. Felt more like a journey than escape room. Great flow with a simple, effective narrative. Puzzles were extremely creative and well-integrated with theme - so many things we’ve never seen before. Stef was a great GM and enthusiast. Integrated hint system and it was almost always clear what we had unlocked. We had a few flubs but overall the puzzles made sense. Can't believe more don't use this theme. Oh and GREAT set AND a great soundtrack, which you can get on Spotify! Pro tip: Wear comfortable clothes and shoes you don’t care about… just in case… (don’t worry it’s only water) Escape Couple rating: 5 🗝️: Excellent room with wow factors (we use a 1-6🗝️ rating scale)

This room is just a blast! Loved the overall aesthetic. The puzzles are generally very intuitive and as you near the finale the fun factor ramps up considerably. One section is not something I’ve ever seen done before and it just filled me with glee to realize what they had created.

Very authentic circus themed escape room, with some creative integration of carnival games into the riddles.

A lot of fun and some effects we had not seen. The Gamemaster was excellent. Definitely a favorite.

Although it is an older room, it is really beautifully and variedly designed. It was really fun. I can still absolutely recommend it in 2024.

Great thematic puzzles. Perfect atmosphere and unique challenges. 9/10