Escapologic: Butcher (pre-2024)

By | March 20, 2019

by Escapologic (website)

21 Castle Gate, NG1 7AQ

Nottingham

2-5 players

Languages: EN

60 minutes

closed
Anna and Max have the kind of relationship everyone pretends to find annoying. But really, their friends are just a little bit jealous. Because you can see how much these two people are meant to be together. They just-fit.
Anna is daring and inquisitive, Max is sensible. She encourages him to try new things. He stops her from doing stupid stuff.
USUALLY.
But not today.
Maybe it's the sunshine. Maybe it's the wine. Because today, when Anna finds a randomly-unlocked shutter on a random side street, Max isn't quick enough to persuade her not to go inside. His mind is on the picnic they've just had, the kisses they've shared. So what if Anna is intent on seeking out some new dark and gloomy pace to scare him with. It's just Anna being Anna, right? This is why he loves her.
It's just an adventure. A dare. It'll be OK.
And then the shutter bangs down, and everything is very far from OK.
13utcher is the fifth locked room puzzle created by our resident mad genius, and it's one of the most impressively-realised yet! No expense has been spared to recreate the atmosphere of the butcher's lair in all its gory details. If you had to make a comparison with the movies, it'd be the set of Saw or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The original, of course, not the dodgy 2003 remake...
Outside, in another world, the sun is still shining. But in here, amidst the buckets and the blood, things have taken a decidedly dark turn! You'll need to work fast to solve the puzzles and break out to freedom. Because there's no telling when the butcher might come back...
13utcher is the bloodiest of our Nottingham escape rooms, we'd definitely say it contains scenes and images some may find upsetting. With mental and physical puzzle elements to conquer, and a deliciously tactile set design, this is part classic escape room and part test of nerve. Can you see past the blood, and concentrate on the solution?
PLEASE BE AWARE THIS ROOM IS 18+
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Overall rating

Rated between 3.5 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 3.5 and 3.5 out of 5
Played: 11 Apr 2019 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
immersiveintensenot enough to do๐Ÿ‘ปscary
Anonymous rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Anonymous rated this:Rated between 3.5 and 3.5 out of 5
Played: 12 Jan 2019 Team size: 6 Time taken: 55.00 Outcome: Successful escape!
immersiveintenseepic
browngate experienced rated this:Rated between 4.5 and 4.5 out of 5
Chantelle Goddard rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 10 Aug 2023 Team size: 4 Time taken: 58
immersivegreat hostingintensequite difficult๐Ÿ‘ปscary
Loved it! Amazing host (pagean) Scary kept on our toes. Hated/loved the darkness 
gandalf29 rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 9 Apr 2022 Team size: 2 Time taken: 59mins
great hostingintensescaryvery difficult๐ŸงŸterrifying
excellent hosts we did this on 2 occasions first time we failed second time we escaped with seconds to spare. it's a very phscological game, very intense. 
loughboroughescaper experienced rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
immersive๐Ÿ’€extreme fear
tev rated this:Rated between 3.5 and 3.5 out of 5
Wesley Mead expert rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 14 Feb 2023 Team size: 2 Time taken: 51m Outcome: Successful escape!
immersivegreat hostingintense๐ŸงŸterrifying

Our GM Pagan was fantastic and really made the experience.

Anonymous expert rated this:Rated between 3 and 3 out of 5
Team size: 5 Outcome: Successful escape!
immersiveintensevery easy๐Ÿ‘ปscary
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Reviews by escape room review sites

Escapologic's 13utcher/Butcher game is somewhere between infamous and legendary. On any visit to the venue whether you're due to play it or not, you're likely to hear stories of how extreme it is, how it's the only 18-rated escape game in the UK (which is not quite true, there's at least one other), and of how many players bail out mid-game or even during the initial briefing. That reputation was enhanced for us at least from the previous time we'd visited Nottingham and played Curio - th...

A must do for fans of scare attraction. If you're of a particularly nervous disposition then I'd stay well clear - the puzzle pay off isn't worth the stress you'll go through during the game. For those of us in between, I think it's the sort of game that you'll like appreciate more than enjoy - and as an enthusiast that was more than enough.
This room is not one for the faint hearted and if youโ€™re of a nervous disposition itโ€™s probably one to avoid. However, if you want a room that it a bit different and will not only challenge your mind but also your bladder control, then give it a go!
The third and final escape room from Escapologic that we played.
When it comes to horror escapes we are always intrigued to see what is on offer. Escapologic has 8 rooms in total in their repertoire and can be found just off Castlegate, a short stroll from Nottingham Centre and at ยฃ80 for a group of 4 its also great value for money. Now being held captive with devious puzzles and a time limit is always fun but when you add scares into the mix, well this is why we do these things. And 13utcher at Escapologic Nottingham does it so damn well. The backstory told us of a couple "Max and Anna" that went missing and we were following in their ill-fated footsteps after hearing screams within from the street. Now it was our time to be trapped in the Butchers Lair, A dark and dank chamber resembling a personal abattoir. Of the hour that you have in Butcher, it takes very little time for the anticipation and trepidation to build causing some guests "we were told" to safeword in the first 5 minutes. So how did we fare...
Itโ€™s a scary and tense room as you rush to complete the puzzles before the Butcher returns to his lair. This game is all about anticipation and immersion.

This caused much discussion between our group. Did we feel that the room had enough of a fear factor to offset the fewer puzzles? For some of our group it was clear that the balance was right but I felt it light on content because the scares werenโ€™t as much as I hoped. 

I want to re-iterate that this wasnโ€™t a bad experience in the slightest and Iโ€™d recommend that anyone do it but, if you are a more hardcore horror fan who may have been to a number of scare attractions in the past, you may find the level of scare a little disappointing. Nevertheless, it has certainly made me want to get back to Escapologic and try out everything else they have to offer.

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