Beverley Breakout: The Great Toy Rescue

Second in our binge of Beverley Breakout rooms was The Great Toy Rescue. With a premise and decor that might be inspired by Toy Story, you’re in a playroom of toys trying to rescue one specific toy. This is an entirely wholesome theme, and the captor you’re rescuing the toy from is almost as cute as the one you’re saving.

The briefing doesn’t tell you exactly who you’re rescuing. Part of the mission is to work out which toy to save – something that we’re entirely lost track of mid-game and needed to be reminded of at the end.

The flurry of puzzles based around classic toys culminates in a step or two that might be a bit ‘marmite’. They provide a great ending for the game, and will either be the memorable cool moment you talk about afterwards or a source of frustration. I haven’t always enjoyed puzzles that use the same sort of mechanism where I’ve encountered them in other escape rooms – they can be too fiddly and turn into a bottleneck. Personally I thought in this instance they were fun, well judged and a great fit for the theme, though of course your mileage may vary.

This isn’t a room that will make your jaw drop with elaborate scenery, but it probably will trigger some nostalgia twinges, depending on player age; and the whole thing is infused with a sense of fun. It helps a great deal that the puzzles are consistently logical and well-designed, of course – fun is quickly punctured by frustration, but there’s little risk of that here. This game is warm-hearted and cute and as long as you get on well with the end sequence you’re likely to love it.