Puzzlair: The Prison Van

By | March 20, 2019

by Puzzlair Bristol (website)

1/A Barton Road, St. Philips, BS2 0LF

Bristol

2-5 players

Languages: EN

60 minutes

closed
You’ve been caught. You have been tried and you have been convicted. You are being transferred to a maximum security prison, then Boom! The secure vehicle you were being transported in is involved in an accident. You know that the police’s response time is 60 minutes. Can you escape in time? You have to cooperate with the other convicts, who may or may not help you get out. You decide what information to share with the others, and you have to find the best way to convince them to help you. Are you ready to get out? Let’s do it!
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Overall rating

Rated between 2.5 and 3.5 out of 5

based on ratings from 22 users
combined with 7 pro reviews

Your review

Player reviews

Jon Sterling rated this:Rated between 2.5 and 2.5 out of 5
Team size: 5 Outcome: Successful escape!
original

A great setting, but I did not have the greatest of experiences as I was in my own cell on the van with nothing to do for quite some time after the game had started. Once I got out, there was nothing new for me to locate that had not already been found by my teammates. 

Mark Greenhalgh expert rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Played: 19/11/17
abunai expert rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5

Very small space (well, it's a van) and frustrating for at least one our teammates who was basically confined on his own for a large amount of the game. Interesting novelty factor.

Lise expert rated this:Rated between 2 and 2 out of 5
Played: 2018 Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!

It was our first room not within a room and being in a van is quite exciting and very unique but the puzzles let the room down. A lot of locks, not many interesting puzzles, a logical continuity a bit broken and clearly not enough space. I'm surprise that the room can host up to 5 people as the two of us kept stepping on each other. One of our padlocks was also open by mistake so it didn't help either. As you start locked in your cell, one of us spent 25 minutes locked in a cell, not really fun. But then again, the room itself is very different so you might want to try it out for its uniqueness.

Wesley Mead expert rated this:Rated between 3.5 and 3.5 out of 5
β˜•Joe Brown expert rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Played: 12/02/17 Team size: 5
Unique setting of an actual prison van and an interesting starting point. Some unintuitive puzzles.
liam and rosie experienced rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 14 Mar 2024 Team size: 2 Time taken: 46 Outcome: Successful escape!
value for moneyclever
2 Bodies 8 Minds rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Played: 3 Jan 2024 Team size: 2 Time taken: 54 Outcome: Successful escape!
originalillogical
Good room but our issue is a few puzzles didn't seem to fit or was just thrown in to slow you down and waste time. Won't say its name, but a very specific lock was placed in the room with no clues on how it works, I bet 99% of people will never of heard of or know how it works, a second puzzle we wasted 10 minutes on because the lock was seized and we had thr correct code but wouldn't open, so sent us on a wild goose chase. Then there was a few things stuck to the wall near puzzles that you expect to be needed for that puzzle that arnt. It was an interesting idea and definitely original but not our cup of tea. We still had fun though, but not a real sense of achievement 
AJ’s expert rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Played: 28 Jul 2019 Team size: 3 Time taken: 59:57 Outcome: Successful escape!
Lee Taylor rated this:Rated between 3.5 and 3.5 out of 5
Played: 4 Feb 2023 Team size: 2 Time taken: 42:40 Outcome: Successful escape!
originalimmersive

Good use of a small space.

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Reviews by escape room review sites

Puzzlair is split across two venues, and strictly speaking Prison Van isn't in either of them - it's played in an actual prison van parked outside their Barton Road. If that sounds cramped - well, it's a pretty big van, and there were only three of us, and it was fine, but it'd get pretty cosy with a larger team.

As with many prison scenarios, the team starts split up, each in a separate cell within the van. First one player then another gets out into the main part of the van, with the final ai...

A round-up of five games I played at the Panic Room with highlights being Wizard of Oz and Revolucion Ole.
For our final room of the day, we found ourselves back at The Panic Room’s Gravesham Market location, but this time outside, in a prison van!
When we got to the location we were met with an actual prison van! We were each locked in an individual cell which is what made us give the theming a perfect score.
Such a fantastic set up – actually having to leave the building to walk over to the van and then hearing our briefing through our tiny cell doors built such a great atmosphere! There was a fantastic variety of puzzles for such a restrictive space too, not just unlocking doors and spinning padlocks.

See also

Other copies of this game in other locations:(Different copies of the same game sometimes have significant differences.)