Sudbury, Jul 2024
Our second room at EO Escapes also had a memorable great opening, in a completely different way to Castaway. This one is a fairy tale type of setting, though one with quite a dark feel to it, where a princess has been cursed by a witch and you need to find a way to break the spell. Note that it requires a bit more physical mobility than the other games at the venue; if in doubt best discuss with them beforehand.
The game area is dimly lit, but we were all provided with good quality torches. This is one of several small things that marks out EO as an enthusiast-run company – as a matter of policy they make sure that in every room you have as many working torches as there are players, as well as a writing tablet for notes. It also comes through in the quality of the hosting, which was reliably energetic and fun, as well as skilful and judicious with the hints where we needed them.
Of the puzzles, I particularly liked one that makes very clever use of the story to provide the solution, and perhaps give players a startle at the same time. More generally they riffed off the theme in various ways and helped build a sense that you were nearing your goal; and of course they were reassuringly free of ambiguities throughout.
Reasons to pick this one ahead of the other excellent options at EO: if the theme appeals to you of course, and if you like a strong narrative in your games. 
