Manchester, Mar 2024
The problem with doing 24 escape rooms in the space of a long weekend is that it tends to blur many of the details of the games in memory, such as individual puzzles. But if my recollection of Crimson Lake Motel is hazier than normal, that’s not because the game was forgettable; in fact it was probably the best of the half dozen games I’ve played at Breakout, across their various branches.
The story is straightforward; you’ve checked into what should be a luxury getaway but is actually a dubious and spooky motel. The build quality is what immediately made this room stand out to me. Much more than in other rooms from Breakout, the space felt convincing, with the atmosphere and textures of an actual musty old hotel.
The step in which we got most stuck was, frustratingly, a search fail caused by us being a little too polite about not leaving the room in too much disarray; but I’d still put that one on us not as any fault in the game design, which kept up a good standard of logical puzzles.
Breakout doesn’t get too many mentions in enthusiast discussions of where to play in Manchester. Crimson Lake Motel might change that; it’s a good reason to make a visit to the venue when passing through. 