Make Your Escape

This is a great room! If you're a smaller, more experienced group this is definitely one to try! The difficulty with this room comes, not necessarily from the puzzles themselves, but with the sheer amount you have to do in the allocated time.

Clever start and required some good teamwork. Non linear which we also liked. 

However the room is very dark, the signposting for some the puzzles is inconsistent which led to some frustration. Didn’t need any hints so managed to make sense, just some annoyances. Still enjoyed and would recommend. 

This is a very linear game, so 4 people felt like too many initially. As it break off it helps as more to explore. Did very much enjoy this room but again, relied on some puzzles that may alienate some. 

This room flowed really well for our team. The puzzles did require some outside knowledge so I can imagine that making it tough for some. 

This was probably our favourite from this company. Puzzles signposted really well and satisfying to see them ticked off. 

I always recommend playing both Utopia and Dystopia back-to-back. Smart rooms! 

Perhaps the most surprising and unique ending  I’ve seen

A solid room that we both enjoyed but I got a little frustrated with one puzzle which I should have taken a closer look as the room was gloomy which meant we just missed finishing in time.  One of the puzzle was broken which was a shamed but it was dealt with in a professional way so didnt cause any problems.

A great room with excellent theming and a really nice range of puzzles, including some very novel mechanics that feel incredibly satisfying when you figure them out.

The room is definitely a steep challenge for 2, and sadly we didn't quite make it out in time, but will definitely be trying again once some more time has passed!

Room could definitely do with some music to add to the experience, and a couple of aspects of the room did seem a tad worn and could do with renewing.

This was a good, but unfortunately not great room for me. It’s hard to talk about the things I didn’t like without giving too much away, but probably a combination of the story, first puzzle and space used. Two puzzles/object finding tasks are also essentially the same which threw me a bit. 

And I will bang this drum until I’ve played my last room - put some music/ambience in! It’s silent in there and you can hear people outside easily which really takes you out of the immersion…

Some good puzzles in here and certainly lots to do for two (maybe too much realistically), but I came out of this one feeling a bit underwhelmed after all the good things I had read about it. 

Nice room with a fairly immersive storyline. The most part of the room was good but you can tell its GM ran, ie, I didn't feel like I had actually completed the puzzle but they opened it anyway? 

Personally did not enjoy the final 12 screens, but overall I would recommend you give this one a go

This was our 50th game and a great game! Very hi tech one that definitely suited our eye! Really clever tech plays it’s way through the game and this was our last game of the day having played all 4 back to back! Lovely surprise at the end with bubbles and chocolates to congratulate us on 50 rooms which was a fantastic touch and really appreciated! 

Great concept and good game! Unfortunately for us there was just 1 puzzle we just couldn’t work our heads around we knew exactly what we had to do just one of those things you can either see or you can’t! Apart from that good game

Good good - nice spin on the end of the game with some added pressure! 

This game still sits firmly in our top 10 after playing a further 140 games since! The design of the room and the puzzles put in matching in with the style of the game was something fantastic to experience! Make sure you have your running shoes on if your a small group as there is a lot to do here! Definitely worth the trip to play this game! 

One of the puzzles broke, but other than that this was a great room

This escape room is jam packed with lots of interesting and satisfying (sometimes difficult) puzzles, in particular I liked the one at the start. Lots for everyone to do, not a linear game. The only thing that left a bit of a sour taste was a broken (very very stiff) directional lock, and the host seemed to dissapear and not help us with it, which was frustrating.

Excellent room.  One of the best rooms we have done

Some very fun puzzles in this one, I preferred it to Utopia but some props and puzzles were a little worn.

Solid game, really liked the lack of padlocks but found the ending puzzle a little lack lustre. Set looked amazing, and appreciated the storyline!

I completed this room with a group of colleagues who were a mix of first-timers, novices, and myself. There was a huge variety of puzzle types meaning there was something for everyone, and the sheer volume of puzzles meant that we were all constantly busy the whole time. However, the non-linear nature of the room meant that many people didn't get to even see some of the puzzles, which is a shame, and the chaotic nature of the room with everything being accessible at once made it lack a feeling of progression for me. The theming was spot on, however, the room was very dark. Some of the key symbols and information were near impossible to see due to how faded it was in such a dark room. Some tech also let the room down where it needed to be far too precise and done in a very particular way to make the technology work, resulting in a lot of immersion-breaking hints being sent to help us get it to work. 

Overall it was a fun room with a big variety of puzzles and nice theming, but in my opinion, it needs some TLC to make it run smoother. 

Really enjoyed the tech in this room. At some points it was a little linear, but the room was mega immersive and impressive. I thought the puzzles were really original!

We did both utopia and dystopia on the same day and they flow well together, especially the storyline!

Another good room, original puzzles which were fun and in-keeping with the theme! 🙂

Absolutely beautiful room, very very cool. Plenty for a team of 4 to do, and didn't feel too difficult for a group of seasoned escapers.

Set design was beautiful, it was whimsical, and felt truly magical. An absolute must-do!

Lovely hosts, went above and beyond to make it a special experience for me on my birthday! Thank you so much 🙂

We played Dystopia immediately before Utopia - I highly recommend players do this as it's so cleverly written! 

Dystopia is the original escape room - locks, keys, and  the theming is fab! 

The puzzles in this room were very fun! Nothing so difficult it needed lots of prompting but not so easy you felt like you just swanned through, couple of unique bits we'd not seen before and it was super fun and very immersive, set design is fabulous, hosting very good - they are practically invisible and it  works super well and the link between the two games is just brilliant! 

We played Utopia immediately after Dystopia - I highly recommend players do this as it's so cleverly written! 

Utopia takes on the high tech side of things and it does it very well! 

The tech in this room felt like we were in a movie, it was super fun and very immersive, set design is fabulous, hosting very good - they are practically invisible and it  works super well and the link between the two games is just brilliant! 

We really enjoyed this room. Non-linear complete the puzzles to escape kind of rooms are my favourite (not so much my partners) but it means we can both get stuck in. Lot's to do in this room in a huge space with some cute quirky props and puzzles. 

We had a ball I recommend all the games here! 

A unique beginning - with a particularly good opening puzzle - that opens out into a frantic game that is jam-packed with things to do. As a team of two, we managed it in 48 minutes, so it is definitely achievable if you put your foot to the accelerator and divide and conquer.

It is a gorgeous room and the puzzles are themed very well to fit in with the local story of two women accused of witchcraft.

Despite the subject matter, this is not a scary room at all and those of a nervous disposition have nothing to worry about in here!

Our host, Lucas, just loves his escape rooms and we felt extremely welcome at Make Your Escape.  Of the three rooms we did here, this was my personal favourite, although the combination of Dystopia and Utopia is an absolute winner as well!

A brilliant sequel to Dystopia, these rooms as a combination are absolute winners! Loads of tech and crammed full of puzzles. Superb hosts - particularly Lucas - whose enthusiasm was just second to none. 

A super game that links beautifully to Utopia, its smart, shiny cousin. A lovely lot of padlocks, some great physicality and a whole host of clever puzzles make this a great experience that definitely needs to be played directly before playing Utopia. 

Definitely a push for a team of 2, Spellbound is truly a puzzle delight. Theming is great and there is no shortage of things to do - split up and crack on! A great room and definitely not one to miss when in Derby. Slightly let down by the lack of ambient music but this is a very easy fix and would elevate the game significantly.

Dystopia is my favourite room from Make Your Escape. Some very interesting puzzles and great theming. No ambient music which was slightly jarring and spoiled immersion slightly but definitely worth a play.

Utopia is the sister room of Dystopia and is a complete 180 both in theming and puzzle approach. If you love tech, screens and buttons, you will love this room. Not my favourite room but some clever puzzles and all tech worked well (a miracle in itself!). Similar to all the other rooms, there was no ambient music - very strange.

Marketed as a suitable game for entry-level players, The Signal is also good for more experienced players. Some interesting puzzles but overall nothing that will stump the pros. Very strange choice to have no ambient music playing during the game - other reviews have mentioned it so maybe the system was broken. Shame as immersion was broken as could hear outside noises, staff members talking in control room etc… Overall, worth a go!

First game for me with more than one other. Parallel game so lots I didn’t experience. 

It’s clear why this game receives such fantastic reviews.

The first puzzle of the game was fantastic, something none of us have experienced before and we thoroughly enjoyed the discovery of this as a whole team. Very cleverly done! 

Lots of puzzles and we loved the link to the history of Derby, immersive and incredible theming paired with a great games host.

We played the halloween version of this room but apart from a few superfluous decorations and (I believe) the inclusion of a live actor there were no "scary" moments.

Our experience was also hampered by a few things:

• A reset error where a key piece of information was missing and we had to be provided it via the clue system in order to continue, we had to prompt the GM multiple times to provide this information.
• An employees personal phone left in the room, we believed this to be part of the game because the torch was left on, so we were looking for a code to access the phone which never came. Thinking we needed the phone, we carried it around and at some point the employee entered the initial room to try and find it, and broke the immersion as they tried to rush out of the room and not be noticed. At no point did the GM notice or intervene that we had an external device.

Really enjoyed the start of this game and the non-linear narrative of the rest of it. We found this better than the other Make Your Escape games and the puzzles were well signposted and fun. GM was good, and made sure to keep us focussed on the right puzzle at the right time. Theming and set was great, wish more of the story was delivered in game but liked how it tied into the local history. Well worth playing this room

Cool idea to play with Dystopia. First puzzle stumped us for a while but the end of the game was pleasantly non-linear. Theming was good

A decent game that works well if played with utopia (although wish the 2 were linked without GM involvement). Puzzles are generally good, but could do with some better signposting at times. Theme and GM were good

Having already played Utopia separately, I would recommend playing them together.

We enjoyed the room, it is a standard escape room and probably good for beginners.

This is technically a review for both Dystopia and Utopia as we feel they are best played together as the storyline follows on. We are glad we did it this way. Both rooms had a great story and were engaging. There was a good variety of puzzles and not just finding keys and padlocks. 

Good theming and production value.

Good flow with Utopia. 

Some big leaps of logic. 

Played back to back with Dystopia. I prefered this over the other one.

Interesting idea, a few different prop pieces and puzzles.

On entry we were told of a broken puzzle that we had to ignore. We then end up having tech issues with another puzzle.

I just don't understand why some companies run broken games. 

Not the best.

One Maths puzzle was beyond ambiguous and left all four of us frustrated.

One puzzle was interpreted incorrectly, when we asked for this explaining, our GM said that their printer cartridge was low on ink so the colours on the 2 props didn't match up properly.

Disappointing.

This room is beautiful. On entry it definitely has the wow factor. It has the potential to be an outstanding experience. 

Sadly, we experienced 2 reset errors. Answers had been left on a chalkboard for us to see and another solution was left solved in plain sight. 

We know that these things happen, its human error and its inevitability. However, the way that these mistakes are dealt with is what sets good customer service apart from bad. 

 When someone has to enter the room to deal with errors, this 100% breaks the immersion and should be addressed at the end of the game. However, our GM  laughed off the mistakes, no apology, no accountability. This left us feeling really let down by this company. 

Very clever how this room blends with Dystopia - Would recommend playing back to back if you can. Set design was really cool and all puzzles fit well within the theme.

#45

After completing The Signal and Spellbound in the morning, we headed back after lunch to tackle Dystopia and Utopia.  Having two rooms blend together like these two do with their stories is something I’ve never seen before and felt very original.

- The decor of Dystopia may seem a little lacking at first, but there is a story-based reason for it. This was a very fun room, but with a slightly frustrating final puzzle that even our host had admitted a lot of people (himself included)  had found difficult to see/comprehend. However it didn’t spoil our experience of the room.

- After completing Dystopia we headed straight into Utopia. The way you start the game was surprising and unique, although could have been tightened up a bit so that no GM interaction was required (players of the game with understand what I mean by this). This would also have added to the immersiveness of the game. 

After getting through to the main hub of the game, I can say the decoration of the room was fantastic, with a couple of things I’ve never seen before. The puzzles in this room are all very electronic-based, compared to Dystopia where it is mainly padlocks.

Unfortunately,  due to this reliance on technology, one of our puzzles didn’t operate at all, causing the GM to have to come in  and pause our time while he fixed it quickly.

The final part of the room was again very tech-dependant, with a couple of frustrating and lacklustre puzzles, with a poor way to interact with them. When we finally had the means to exit the game, our host came in to tell us while we had escaped, we couldn’t fully complete the experience because another team was in the area we escape to! (previous players will understand what I mean)

This was very frustrating as it would have been down to the GM’s poor time/team management, and it meant we couldn’t fully complete the experience. After a brilliant morning, this obviously left a very sour taste in our mouths, given that we had spent so much time and money at a venue and couldn’t complete the experience.

All in all, I would still recommend both rooms, and that you should definitely do them back to back, starting with Dystopia. 

Personal ranking of the rooms at Make Your Escape would be:

1. Spellbound

2. The Signal

3. Dystopia

4. Utopia

#44

After completing The Signal and Spellbound in the morning, we headed back after lunch to tackle Dystopia and Utopia.  Having two rooms blend together like these two do with their stories is something I’ve never seen before and felt very original.

- The decor of Dystopia may seem a little lacking at first, but there is a story-based reason for it. This was a very fun room, but with a slightly frustrating final puzzle that even our host had admitted a lot of people (himself included)  had found difficult to see/comprehend. However it didn’t spoil our experience of the room.

- After completing Dystopia we headed straight into Utopia. The way you start the game was surprising and unique, although could have been tightened up a bit so that no GM interaction was required (players of the game with understand what I mean by this). This would also have added to the immersiveness of the game. 

After getting through to the main hub of the game, I can say the decoration of the room was fantastic, with a couple of things I’ve never seen before. The puzzles in this room are all very electronic-based, compared to Dystopia where it is mainly padlocks.

Unfortunately,  due to this reliance on technology, one of our puzzles didn’t operate at all, causing the GM to have to come in  and pause our time while he fixed it quickly.

The final part of the room was again very tech-dependant, with a couple of frustrating and lacklustre puzzles, with a poor way to interact with them. When we finally had the means to exit the game, our host came in to tell us while we had escaped, we couldn’t fully complete the experience because another team was in the area we escape to! (previous players will understand what I mean)

This was very frustrating as it would have been down to the GM’s poor time/team management, and it meant we couldn’t fully complete the experience. After a brilliant morning, this obviously left a very sour taste in our mouths, given that we had spent so much time and money at a venue and couldn’t complete the experience.

All in all, I would still recommend both rooms, and that you should definitely do them back to back, starting with Dystopia. 

Personal ranking of the rooms at Make Your Escape would be:

1. Spellbound

2. The Signal

3. Dystopia

4. Utopia

#43

Room 2 out of 4 at our trip to MYE. This. Was. Magical. From the get-go we were immersed into the experience. The decoration was absolutely brilliant, not one part of the room was missing anything, and the puzzles! It can seem overwhelming at first at how much there is to do, and our host  seemed a bit quietly dubious as to whether we’d escape with just two of us. But we managed! This room could comfortably fit 6, but if you’re feeling like a challenge then try it as a pair. Into the top 5 of our personal rankings.

Our first puzzle to solve was something I’ve never seen before and very original. As there were so many puzzles, it didn’t bother us that a few were padlock-based either. The way you solve things to work towards the finale was super fun too. The last 3/4 minutes were a mad rush and rather stressful! But that’s what you need sometimes in such a room. The best room at MYE by far.

#42

We spent the day and did all 4 rooms at Make Your Escape, and had a brilliant time!

We started with The Signal, which is a really fun Area-51 themed room. Very original out of the 40+ rooms we have done, the story was quite linear and had a few very fun puzzles. Set decoration was on point and the fact you have to make a decision in this room that determines the story was brilliant! Don’t miss it!

If you are visiting this venue playing Utopia and Dystopia back to back is a must.

Really recommend a group of 4 for this one, even with experienced players! A LOT of stuff to do.

Really loved the theming of this room and the uniqueness of multiple puzzles. Everything was incredibly well signposted and loved the linking to the history of Derby itself. A must play if in the area.

Play this back to back with Utopia for the full experience.

Bonus points for the soundtrack played during this game, I was delighted to hear music from System Shock 2!

Tech problems but kindly offered a free game as an apology. Good customer service was appreciated. 

Rating based on playing this back-to-back with Dystopia.

My rating is based on playing Dystopia followed by Utopia back to back. Individually, these rooms are very good - played together, amazing because this really allows you to fully immerse yourself into this world for a couple of hours. I played this a few months ago and it still sticks in my mind. 

A good game. I usually play as a 2 so 6 people was too many for the amount of things to do in my opinion. 

We did Dystopia followed by Utopia, such an unique idea to go from one to the next, we thoroughly recommend you doing it like this. We found this a bit better than Utopia, but both are excellent!

I say escaped in time, but I think they gave us a couple of minutes more. This is a serious handful for a group of 4, and you must split up in this four. There's so much to do, and the first 10 minutes may be the best opener to a game we have played!

As we were a group of 2 enthusiasts, the very nice owners let us play Spellbound even though it normally has a minimum of 4 players. I can see why it would be a great game for a large group as there are lots of highly paralisable puzzles. Even though we didn't do it with an ideal number of players it was still a really enjoyable game.

After playing Utopia and Dystopia this game seemed rather easy and not quite as good as the others.  A great game for escape room beginners.

Not quite as good as Utopia in my opinion.  One or two of the puzzles required a bit of an unreasonable stretch.  But still an excellent room.

The production value in this game is superb. We played it as a 2 and it worked really well. I also loved the ending :-).

If you are playing this game, make sure you also book for Utopia. I’ve never seen a game where the two intertwine their stories so cleverly. These are both absolute must dos. 

The story is fantastic and totally fits the theme very well. The story continues throughout the game and there was a fair bit of physicality involved, a real nice mix of challenges. 

A big room which can accommodate up to ten people, although I’d say that 6-7 is optimum to ensure that everyone has plenty to do.

I’m always a fan of themes inspired by local history and folklore, and this is the case here - the room’s scenario is based on a Derbyshire legend about a witch. Now, you’re trapped in her cabin, and to escape you must cast a spell...

The room looks convincingly like a witch’s cabin, and a number of puzzles are scattered around, all giving pieces of a final meta-puzzle which leads to a memorable and satisfying finale. Some of the most fun I’ve had in a Escape room l

This was my second-ever escape room and it still bears up in comparison with many of the games I’ve played since, with a great dramatic moment and a crucial choice, giving greater depth and excitement than a simple escape objective.

I was a bit disappointed with this room, tbh.

Part of the problem with my experience was that it was very hot, and the start of the game is in a very small room, and there were five of us, including some larger individuals, so it got unbearably hot and stuffy. I know escape venues can’t control the weather but they could make more effort to adapt when it’s very hot.

The main part of the room is bigger and better ventilated, but there was an over-reliance on padlocks throughout. 

Overall a solid enough room, but not really outstanding in any way.

A slick futuristic room, although we did have a niggle with one of the puzzles not quite working properly.