Telford, Mar 2024
I planned to sit this one out, when booking the schedule for a weekend of escape rooms, because I played it previously when it was Imaginarium at Time Trap in Reading. However, swayed by fond memories of playing it the first time round, I decided on the day to give it a go anyhow.
(XscapeNow seem to have a laudable habit of giving a second home to much-loved games: their current stable also includes a second one from Time Trap plus one from Clue Adventures.)
As per the original, your job is to help Lewis Carroll remember his marvellous idea for a book – from inside his head. This clever premise is the basis for a lovely set of puzzles creatively themed after different cognitive functions, which for the most part you can tackle in any order. The flavour of the game has something of the academic, taking inspiration not just from the life of Lewis Carroll but also from the types of puzzle he used to enjoy.
There are two clear halves to this room and the first time round I thought the second half was the weaker. This time I thought part two was entirely fine – whether that’s because I reacted to it differently this time or because XscapeNow have tweaked it, I don’t know.
Imaginarium was a charming game, and as Step Into Wonderland it still is. I’m delighted it lives on, and now that Time Trap is closed I’ll be crossing my fingers that XscapeNow will similarly resurrect the sequel, Curiouser and Curiouser. 