Belgrade, Mar 2020
Belgrade has a decently active escaping scene, with plenty of games and companies; it’s not (yet?) at the level that would tempt enthusiasts to target it for escape room holidays, but the top games in the city are impressive and sophisticated. Of the seven I managed to get to, Alchemist was the one I enjoyed playing the most.
Your task is to investigate the house of a long-vanished uncle, who might just have uncovered the secret of alchemy, in the final sixty minutes before it’s demolished.
This is broadly a traditional style of escape room, though a definite step up in sophistication from most of the others in the city. I actually remember looking at the room photo on the website before booking and thinking it looked fairly middle of the road; in practice it felt rather more polished, with purpose built custom components that worked well and looked good. The puzzles themselves were classic escape room ideas, but implemented with very clear, satisfying logic and punctuated by a succession of smart reveals.
However, what really won me over was the way this game used its theme, for a simple but very pleasing puzzle. It was perhaps a little too drawn out, losing some energy from the game, but very satisfying nonetheless.
Alchemist was just a thoroughly enjoyable escape room that showed high quality throughout. If you’re in Belgrade, there are plenty of games to choose from but this one’s definitely worth trying. 
