Category Archives: UK

Cryptic Escape: Magic School

Norwich, Jul 2023

Cryptic’s Rose Lane branch is on the third floor of a car park, which is a curious location and one that seems like it shouldn’t exist; finding an escape room venue instead of more cars seemed a little like finding a hidden platform at Kings Cross.

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Safarka: Expedition

Lisbon, Feb 2023

When I visited Lisbon five years earlier, Safarka provided the clear stand-out room of the trip: at the time a new company with a single game, they were innovative in play style and puzzles. So returning to try their latest was a priority.

Expeditio… (more)

Escape2Win: Dream

Lisbon, Feb 2023

Located in Algés out beyond the tourist hotspot of Belem, itself some way from Lisbon centre, Escape2Win is unlikely to be a venue you stumble across accidentally. However, they were one of the earliest pioneers of the remote avatar game format at th… (more)

Illuminati Escape Rossio: O Ritual

Lisbon, Feb 2023

O Ritual is now the oldest escape room available in Lisbon, being close to a decade old, and is located very centrally by the Rossio plaza. The company now also runs a sequel, but require you to have played the first game before trying the second; bo… (more)

Houdini’s Escape Room: Extinct

Southampton, Jan 2023

In a departure from normal, I played Extinct as part of a family group including two kids (9 and 12) who were more or less new to escape rooms, which meant a rather different dynamic to playing solely with adult enthusiasts. The venue was clearly set… (more)

Escape From The Room: Return of Old Maid Milly

Epsom, Jan 2023

Old Maid Milly was the ghost in Escape From The Room’s very first game, originally built in the upstairs bedroom of a suburban house. That game resolved the ghost’s tragic past and laid her spirit to rest, but here she’s back and has you trapped agai… (more)

Escape From The Room: Chambers of Champions

Epsom, Jan 2023

You might notice that Epsom Escape Rooms at Horton golf course used to have a game called The Challenge Chambers, and wonder if this game is a renamed version of that, or a sequel. Neither is the case, but this room shares a similar game concept with… (more)

Escape From The Room: The Mixed Up Mind of Mr Crabheal

Epsom, Jan 2023

Mr Crabheal has a mixed up mind; specifically, he has multiple personalities. And if there’s one thing that fiction teaches us about multiple personality disorder, it’s that (at least) one of the personalities is going to be a dangerous lunatic, and … (more)

TimeTrap Escape Rooms: Curiouser and Curiouser

Reading, Jan 2023

Curiouser and Curiouser is the sequel to Time Trap’s previous game Imaginarium. There are any number of Alice in Wonderland rooms available, but Imaginarium was unusual in combining Wonderland theming with a section set inside Lewis Carroll’s mind. T… (more)

Escape Reading: Age of Magic

Reading, Jan 2023

The previous two games from Escape Reading are both, in different ways, tense and fast-paced games which need effective co-operation and teamwork. Age of Magic is a different beast altogether, a dreamy fantasy that leads you through a magical cave fu… (more)