Escapologic: Reactorvate

By | March 20, 2019

by Escapologic Leicester (website)

2B St. Martins, LE1 5DB

Leicester

2-5 players

Languages: EN

60 minutes

closed
Your Great Uncle was once a leading scientist known for developing state of the art nuclear technology. In central Europe, during the late 1970’s, one of his experimental reactors went into meltdown as soon as it was activated, causing one of the most catastrophic disasters in modern history.
The government blamed him for the event, stating that his reactors were not safe to begin with, he was imprisoned for life and remains locked up to this day.
After receiving a letter from prison you have reason to believe he was framed by a fellow scientist and that the original reactor was tampered with.
Your only option is to break into an abandoned power plant located in rural Russia, find a second inactive reactor and start it up. If it is fully functional then you may just have the evidence to free an innocent man. If your Great Uncle is lying, then you may need to run for your life!
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Overall rating

Rated between 3 and 4.5 out of 5

based on ratings from 31 users
combined with 8 pro reviews

Your review

Player reviews

spbc expert rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 20 Oct 2021 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
great hostingfun
Anonymous rated this:Rated between 3.5 and 3.5 out of 5
Anonymous experienced rated this:Rated between 2.5 and 2.5 out of 5
Jess_keds expert rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Outcome: Successful escape!
originalplain
matt_keds expert rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Played: 15 Oct 2022 Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
averagegenericquite easy
🤘The Pick of Destiny expert rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Adam Bravery expert rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Played: 19 Oct 2022 Team size: 2 Time taken: 47:11 Outcome: Successful escape!
immersiveillogical
The theme was great and had an interesting story, but puzzles generally involved a lot of reading and we didn't click with them well. There's a cool bit of machinery that was fun to operate and one section of the game was particularly cool when you got into a new area. Apparently this played out differently for our friends when they played a few years back which sounded more effective, so this might depend on the GM or when you played. 
Anonymous expert rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
originalimmersive
Anonymous expert rated this:Rated between 3.5 and 3.5 out of 5
Team size: 5 Time taken: 53:53 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techoriginalimmersivequite difficult
BenMill experienced rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
originalimmersive
Exotic Turtle experienced rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 23 Apr 2022 Team size: 3 Time taken: 45 Outcome: Successful escape!
😨creepy
Philip & Gemma rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 17 Mar 2018 Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!

We played this room when it relatively new and didn't really know what to expect. It is a very physical room with theming that really makes you believe you are in a reactor. Mix this with impressive special effects and you are immersed in a panic to fix the reactor in the middle of Russia.

There are some elements of darkness in this game but it is short and very much part of the story, so we didn't mind this too much. 

This was the type of game that you feel you've taken forever and lost all concept of time, so we were very surprised to find that we had topped the leaderboard for our time (albeit this was towards the opening so hadn't been played hundreds of times). We felt challenged as a 2 and had lots to do. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the phsyical elements, even though we are not usually fans.

Arjay Henshall expert rated this:Rated between 3.5 and 3.5 out of 5
Played: 23 Apr 2022 Team size: 3 Time taken: 45 Outcome: Successful escape!
immersiveillogicalbroken tech😨creepy

Loved the theming of this room and the physicality of some of the puzzles. 

Unfortunately, some broken props/buttons and a solution that doesn’t fit the criteria we let downs 

robasmith rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Played: 10 Mar 2022 Team size: 2 Time taken: 56 mins Outcome: Successful escape!
immersivegreat hostingboringquite difficult😨creepy

After playing "The Gateway" at the same venue, which is the best room I've ever played, I was excited to head back to Escapologic a few days later to try Reactorvate. 

Frankly I didn't enjoy it very much. 

The theming is first class, not quite "Gateway" standard but still excellent, and the hosting was just as impressive (seems to be a running theme at Escapologic). 

The actual room itself (theming aside) was quite dull and 20 minutes were spent with the two of us split up, trying to solve one single puzzle. When we were back in group, we ended up stuck on another puzzle that resulted in myself sitting in a corner of the room and waiting for my partner to solve it. I really don't like puzzles that take a long time to solve as if you struggle with it, it ruins the rest of the experience. Those who enjoy these heavily logical style type of puzzles would really enjoy this room, but it just really wasn't for me. 

My partner also left feeling a little disappointed and said she'd give it a 6/10, which added to my 4/10, isn't great. 

Again, I must mention the hosting. The guys here are amazing and without doubt the best hosts I've come across. Alex was excellent, giving us hints at just the right time, and even some encouragement when he could see we were getting frustrated. 

While we did escape, it certainly wouldn't have been possible without the hints we received. 

You will be split up and spend some time in the dark. Final words of advice; read all of the material in the room! Also, you are given a hint before you enter. LISTEN TO THIS HINT AND REMEMBER IT! 

I'm still giving three stars as this is still a good room. The puzzles just didn't hit the sweet spot for me personally. But theming, hosting and the story are great. I can see why a lot of people love this room, it just wasn't for me. 

markb experienced rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Played: 4 Dec 2021 Team size: 2 Time taken: 46

The room has great theming and all the puzzles fit nicely, a lot of them are more physical style puzzles and the first task had us stumped for quite a while, but overall a fun game to play.

Team Tonks experienced rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 16 Jan 2022 Team size: 2 Time taken: 44.49 Outcome: Successful escape!
originalcleverimmersivequite easy

Easier than Gateway or Chronos, but a really fun and immersive room in its own right with the same level of clever little tricks you'd expect of this company.

Mark Greenhalgh expert rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Played: 05/02/18
🔐James Bloodworth expert rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 25/09/2021 Team size: 3 Time taken: 47:08 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techimmersivegreat hosting
Great theming and in interesting story.  Despite its age, this room still compares really well to its more modern compatriots.  This room features a lot of physical puzzles but all in keeping with the theming of the room.  
🦡cipherdelic virtuoso rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Mike S expert rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
GATAPAE blogger rated this:
The story is a slight twist on the disaster scenario that you might expect from the name. No cliched meltdowns here - rather than shutting down the reactor, your aim is to start it up, to clear the family reputation...
Brian experienced rated this:Rated between 2.5 and 2.5 out of 5
Team size: 3 Outcome: Successful escape!
Escapetopus experienced rated this:Rated between 4.5 and 4.5 out of 5
Played: 27/01/2019 Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!

Played this as a pair which was quite challenging but we managed it! There was one puzzle at the start which felt slightly illogical, but after that the game flow was very effective. The set build is impressive and everything you need to do feels like a feasible step in operating a nuclear reactor rather than a puzzle.

Escapologic is always a great venue to visit with friendly staff and great decor.

Roory experienced rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 05/10/2019 Team size: 4 Time taken: 38.10 Outcome: Successful escape!
Tim Cooper expert rated this:Rated between 4.5 and 4.5 out of 5
Played: 18.06.2019 Team size: 2 Time taken: Outcome: Successful escape!
StaceyF expert rated this:Rated between 2.5 and 2.5 out of 5
Played: 5 Oct 2024 Team size: 3 Time taken: 59:17 Outcome: Successful escape!
frustrating

My least favourite of our ten rooms in Nottingham.

Hard to say anything without spoiling it anything that uses the lack of light as the main "puzzle" for half of the experience is not for me. Years ago we did an escape room that was designed to show fully-sighted people what it was like to be blind - that was a good room. It's a nice gimmick in some rooms but here it was too long and in the end frustrated and bored me.

Way too much reading and I'm the one in the group that likes to read. I had no idea what was going on towards the end, I'd checked out. Escaped by the skin of our teeth. Story and hosting were fine.

lishahirst experienced rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 2024-06-01 Team size: 2 Time taken: 00:46:00 Outcome: Successful escape!
Really well done game, very immersive with no padlocks. The games story is really good and the rooms are massive too. Eat carrots!
Wesley Mead expert rated this:Rated between 3.5 and 3.5 out of 5
Played: 13 May 2024 Team size: 2 Time taken: 57m52s Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techstory-driven
Anonymous rated this:Rated between 2.5 and 2.5 out of 5
great hosting😨creepy
The first 10 minutes were fun then the game turned into reading instructions followed by reading instructions, followed by reading instructions. Then a fun (yet frustratingly slow) mechanical element, then escape.
Jemileh experienced rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 21 Apr 2024 Team size: 3 Time taken: 43 Outcome: Successful escape!
Team Jophie experienced rated this:Rated between 3.5 and 3.5 out of 5
Played: 18 Feb 2024 Team size: 2 Time taken: 41:38 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techimmersive

Reviews by escape room review sites

Reactorvate eschews the obvious plot for a game set in a nuclear power station in favour of a more complicated premise: your great uncle was blamed for a catastrophic meltdown, and your aim is to sneak into the abandoned station, find data to clear his name, and get out before you’re caught.

This game’s most controversial decision is that one sequence leaves you in more or less total darkness. That initially seemed like a terrible idea, reducing us to fumbling our way around a large and complic...

My favourite games are those that completely immerse you in the world around you, particularly by forcing players to perform “real-world” tasks, and make you feel as though you are the star of your own film. Reactorvate did this, and more, and has firmly embedded itself in my mind as my favourite game at Escapologic’s Leicester branch (so far, at least).

The technology Reactorvate uses is great. You get to do physical puzzles, mental puzzle, observation puzzles…and you get to DO so much. We love a room that offers players the opportunity to really feel as though you are ‘doing’ the puzzling, rather than simply solving notes scribbled on a page. The whole thing had such a tactile feel as we lifted heavy objects and manipulated strange contraptions we’re all too young to know the true purpose of.

This isn’t an escape room – it’s a nuclear reactor simulator! A really great fun room with lots of dramatic moments.
This is my favourite of the 4 games at Escapologic Leicester. It doesn't feel like an escape rooms but it has all the joys of one. If you only have time to play one game, this would be my top choice if you aren't worried about a high level of difficulty. A must play.
Escapologic had us breaking into an abandoned nuclear power station and starting up the reactor in order to clear our great-uncle's sullied name... All in a day's work!

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