by The Panic Room Gravesend (website)
The Grove, DA12 1DP
2-8 players
Languages: EN
60 minutes

Welcome to The Happy Institute!
Our clinical trials have been going on quite a while now for a new drug that makes people unnaturally happy, you are the lucky first trial group being tested how our new formula makes test subjects perform under the influence and how it affects cognitive function.
RESULTS CLASSIFIED.
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based on ratings from 11 users
combined with 4 pro reviews
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Player reviews
Simon (The Overthinkers) expert rated this:

Played: 31 May 2019 Team size: 2 Time taken: 39:15 Outcome: Successful escape!
Ronnie Meade experienced rated this:

Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
I really wanted to love this room with a storyline that excited me, it's just a shame that the overall experience wasn't as exciting. The Live actor is a nice touch with not too much interaction and adding a humorous touch. The room didn't seem to flow and had faults in being disjointed. A nice room with enjoyable elements, just missing that certain je ne said quoi
Adam Bravery experienced rated this:

Played: 20 Jan 2020 Team size: 3 Time taken: 59 Outcome: Successful escape!
immersivestory-drivenintensequite difficult๐จcreepy
Great room, first one with an actor. Generally interesting puzzles, and a good story. Hard
๐James Bloodworth expert rated this:

Played: 2019-08-24 00:00:00 Team size: 5 Outcome: Successful escape!
Rooms with actors in them are usually there to increase the tension, not here, at least not so much. Under the pretence of taking part in a series of clinical trials you are monitored by your 'doctor' until you get out of the initial area and realise whats going on. There may be the odd jump scare but that's not the focus of the room, they may help, they may hinder but this is not your typical experience. I imagine each GM who does this room has their own little spin on the character so you could possibly go through the room again and have a slightly different experience, even so this is one Panic Room's more interesting ideas.
Anouska123 rated this:

Skye Karis Pass rated this:

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Reviews by escape room review sites
Two things to note up front for this review. Firstly, while itโs not a full on horror experience, The Happy Institute is definitely not suitable for nervous players. And secondly, much like the Gilman Hotel game it replaced, some elements of the game work best when you have no idea what to expect. Iโm not going to give any spoilers for anything thatโs not covered on the website or ahead of the game's start, but if you want maximum impact you might want to stop reading until youโve played it.
Al...
We visit the Happy Institute to test out pills that will make us constantly happy. Do we leave this escape room with a smile on our faces?
The start of the game is particularly strong. Although itโs not something that we havenโt come across before, for some reason it just worked better than the other experiences that weโve had along that same vein.