Barcelona, Jan 2025
Unreal have a lot of different branches in and around Barcelona, most with only one or two rooms, and sometimes with alternate names suggesting they started off as independents. I suspect that may be why there’s quite a bit of variation in design style between their games. Agrabah is the only room at their Vilapicina location, and was the second of three Unreal rooms we tried on this trip (in addition to La Mina on a previous visit).
This game is themed after the Thousand and One Nights stories, with just an occasional dip into Disney’s version of the mythology – which I guess is fair enough since the name Agrabah comes from the movie Aladdin. They go heavy from the start on the classical Middle Eastern decor, and you progress through a surprisingly extensive sequence of scenes that use that theming in different ways. The set looked a little tired in places, which surprised me since I believe this game hasn’t been open all that long, but that didn’t stop it from being both beautiful and atmospheric. Although I’m never going to get used to unexpectedly discovering an incongruously modern bathroom behind a side door halfway through an escape room.
Most of the hosting for our ten games in Barcelona this trip was very good. There were a couple of exceptions to that, and Agrabah was one of them – nothing too flagrant, but the hints came too quick and fast (until I made it very clear we’d like less of them), and in several cases caused extra confusion instead of helping us along. The language barrier probably played a role in that, of course.
Hosting issues aside, by any reasonable standards this is a lovely escape room. Sure, it’s comfortably outshone by the other Unreal games I’ve played (La Mina, Nightshift, Distrito 111), but those set an extremely high standard indeed. On its own merits, Agrabah squeezes in all the Persian fantasy elements you could ask for, an extended 90 mins game with plenty of puzzles that present a variety of types of challenge. For enthusiasts travelling to Barcelona I wouldn’t put it down as a must play, but if you do try it there’s a lot to enjoy. 
