Lockhill

When you have high expectations for an experience, there’s always a significant fear of being disappointed. And if you’ve already played other rooms by Lockhill, your expectations are bound to be high. In this case, however, my expectations weren’t just met—they were exceeded. Lockhill has created an incredibly well-crafted set that brings the story to life in a vivid way. While I initially underestimated the "scare factor" at the beginning of the experience, the room ultimately managed to push me to my limits in several moments. The characters in the narrative are portrayed so fittingly that the core theme becomes exceptionally clear—a theme that carries immense relevance in our society today. With this, Lockhill has created not just an intense new escape room, but an absolute masterpiece. I am deeply impressed.! 

As it happens, my fellow players had already experienced the room, but they were willing to play it again for my sake. Even on this second run, they were just as impressed and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Yay! We made it to Chapel & Catacombes in Athens and it was great. 

This was our first escape room in Athens and  I was really worried about what we had signed up for after reading some terrifying reviews about horror rooms in Athens but this room wasn’t too horrific. Definitely creepy and unnerving but I was able to cope ok once we got going.

The space is ginormous and dark and the set is amazing - it’s so impressive how they managed to build all of that inside the building.

Definitely give it a go if you are in Athens.

• Expectations were high going into this experience following Chapel & Catacombs and while House on the Hill doesn’t have the wow factor or varied scenic landscape of their previous game it still remains very entertaining with a strong and well developed story. The space itself was quite compact but still maintained a good sense of exploration, with a number of common house settings being revealed. Room spaces were on the small side so best advised for 2-3 player teams. The acting was done well and the story flowed as you progressed through the house uncovering more information regarding characters encountered previously in Chapel & Catacombs. However storylines involving grief, mental illness and domestic abuse aren’t particularly unique in Athens and personally I felt some other companies (Obsessed/Der Soloist) had more powerful acting sequences to display this topic. As regards puzzles they flowed well and helped develop the story although there were relatively few and most were on the easy side. One particular personal highlight was a small area in which you felt like you were inside your own head dealing with negative thoughts - this was done really well and quite unique. The scare factor starts slow and builds up as the game progresses culminating in the standout moment of the experience as you meet the larger than life baddie and sets up a frantic end sequence. It was always going to be difficult to follow up on the heady success of Chapel&C but overall House on the Hill is a great standalone game and a worthy addition to the Lockhill universe. 

Some amazing scares/acting scenes but felt the puzzle flow was weak in parts. Not the biggest game area in comparison to other experiences in the city and with this comany. 

I will agree with a lot of the positives given by other reviewers but there were some niggles that stopped it from being really special. 

- start was a little low budget and didn’t set the scene as well as I had hoped 

- some errors made, language wise. Plus immersion broken multiple times. Story teller didn’t capture us the way I would like. 

The set is very impressive but very dark all of the time. 

Cut scenes not as strong as other offerings in Athens. 

A simple puzzle-based escape room with modest production value and limited space. Nothing particularly remarkable.

Not particularly intense. It is a mildly atmospheric room without actors, suitable for someone who wishes to begin exploring horror-themed escape rooms gradually.

An exceptionally intense experience. The confined space, shrouded in dense smoke, created a heavy, almost suffocating atmosphere that left us with the unsettling feeling that we could barely take a step. The actors were pivotal in cultivating this environment of absolute terror, embodying the fear so convincingly that the audience could not help but be completely drawn into it.

An amazing escape room! Very spacious, with outstanding set design and immersive atmosphere. The acting was excellent, adding depth and excitement to the whole experience. The story was captivating, with a strong narrative and a brilliant twist at the end that completely surprised us. Definitely a must-try room!

This game is without any doubt a highly praised masterpiece. The consistent narration of the story, in which the characters never leave their role, builds up tension and atmosphere. Also the service is very accommodating and pays close attention to the needs of the players. And what should I say about the playing area? It's huge! A world of its own, in which it is not easy to maintain orientation. Amazing!

I should start by admitting that I convinced my husband to play this with ‘day mode’. So we had the full puzzles and no live actors. This was a good opportunity for me to experience a scary room without the fear of something chasing me/jumping out. It was nice to have the opportunity to explore the expansive layout, without sweating at every turn. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary though! The music is timed well and they definitely knew when I was feeling confident as they would ramp up the sound bites whenever I would walk around on my own. It was easy to see how terrifying this would have been with the actors as there is no place to hide. The layout is expansive enough to feel like you could get lost, without being overwhelming. I truly felt like I was in an abandoned sanatorium, as the set-design is beautiful. I was so grateful to have full access to a fully functioning torch throughout the experience. It’s possible these aren’t available during the midnight mode, best to ask! 

The puzzles were themed well to the story and the clue-system complemented the story. For the first time in a long time, I came out of the room with many questions. We had somehow not done roughly 3 puzzles yet somehow escaped successfully. We escaped with a minimum of 20 minutes spare so we couldn’t understand why we weren’t able to complete these puzzles. I felt like it ended abruptly. The GM spent his time (still in character) explaining why it works this way, but I still don’t fully understand. I imagine with the actors and completing all the puzzles would make this a 5 star room. 

Well, the rumours are true! This is definitely the biggest and most immersive escape room I have ever played. This was the last room planned into our Athens trip so our expectations were high. As soon as you get there, you are immediately immersed in the story. I must say, the detail and effort that has gone into the build is incredible. I just wish that more of the story took place in the ‘village’ as this alone would have also been spectacular. I could’ve spent hours just in that space alone. We were eased gently into the horror as we had many interactions before even beginning the ‘official’ plot. 

I should say that I am not a fan of horror rooms and it is my husband that books them into our trips. If I had it my way, we wouldn’t have booked any. But I’m so glad he did. Although I was PETRIFIED during the chapel experience, it was hard not to be impressed by the scale, detail, and beauty. There was NO place to hide in the first part which didn’t help my fear! They’ve clearly planned this very well as you’re constantly on edge. My poor husband was left to solve the first puzzle as I stood still hoping I’d see daylight once again! The role of the ‘helper’ to give hints is a great part of the story. I should mention that the character ‘William’ makes sure that you can ask to tone it down if you’re too scared. At the start I asked them to focus their energy on my husband, leaving me alone. Fair dos, it must’ve been hard as we were as a two, but they did this well. 

The puzzles are perfect as they’re quick and simple enough to complete, even when terrified! 

I should say, when they say ‘walk, don’t run’ you MUST adhere to this. During a terrifying scene, I ran, which ended in a very painful injury. I played the second hour thinking I had fractured my wrist. There are many aspects where 2 hands and two working legs are required. So having one hand completely out of action, and a very sore hip, it was very tricky. Although it was my fault by running, I would suggest that they invest in rubber matting underneath the terrain as we had a similar event in their other room where we both walked into a space and instantly almost fell over due to the complete lack of friction. This did not tar my experience as I’m still giggling picturing the GM watching me face plant the floor. It must’ve been absolutely hilarious. Nothing broken, just a lot of bruises! 

This is an experience I will never forget! 

Voted as ‘’Worlds best escaperoom 2022’’ by The Terpeca Project. Absolutely stunning experince, felt like we were the first people to ever be there, everything was in perfect condition. Felt like we were in a video game. Best escape room experience I've ever had, and probably ever will!

The. Scariest. Escape. Room. At least the scariest I've ever done. Unbelievably immersive, and cleverly designed. If you're looking for an experience you'll be talking about forever, this is it. 

Truthfully, you need to do Midnight mode to get the most out of the game.

Magical set that truly becomes part of the character of the scares - we were left constantly wondering how 'something' appeared 'there'.

In terms of design, once you're out, you'll realise how clever some of the mechanics were to ensure all teams get a decent experience, even if they're too scared to do much! Play it - the therapy bill afterwards will be worth it.

Quite simply the best escape experience I've ever had. From start to finish it's hugely immersive and grandiose. The artistry and effort that has gone into this production seems absolutely unrivalled. 

Yes, it's scary, but manageably so for most, and above all, it's an experience you will be talking about for a long time. Puzzles were satisfying and challenging which is rare for a horror game too.

So difficult to give this a rating, because I think the room is exceptional at what it does: scare the living daylights out of you in a HUGE immersive venue with multiple spaces and music\lighting\live actors to ensure you remain thoroughly terrified throughout. I didn't enjoy it--from now on, I'll stick to rooms that are benign! But I absolutely appreciate the artistry, the production, the construction...everything that went into making this something I never want to do again!

In normal lighting, without live actors and without the thunderingly loud, stress-inducing music, the puzzles would be fairly run-of-the-mill. But they were very challenging in this setting.

Amazing room! Super immersive from arrival with good puzzles along with awesome scares and an atmosphere that transported you into the story 100%