Escapologic: Curio

Did a day in Nottingham and sadly the one we was looking forward to the most was the biggest let down. Swelteringly hot with very little air flow and a kind of musky quality to the whole room made the entire game uncomfortable and made it hard to focus. They told us before going in that is was their hardest room with lots of puzzles. This was true, but only due to lack of signposting, half the game being red herrings and poor lighting mixed with small worn out hard to read clues. This game does have a very unique 'twist' you probably haven't come across anywhere else but I think they expect this to make up for the rest of the flaws. 

In an unfortunate situation where I find myself agreeing with every other review on here, the room is stunning, the puzzles are clever and on the whole it’s a great room! In fact we also played another room here which we enjoyed very much!

But we were severely let down by the hosting during our visit, we struggled to find where to start and were given a clue through an audio based system, we did not hear this correctly and asked for it to be repeated, it was not. Later after spending over 10 minutes on another puzzle having overlooked a small detail, we asked for another clue, waving and verbally asking. There was no response. It just felt like the host was not paying attention to us and  there was a lack of hints in general that when combined sadly ruined the experience. 

There were some things that were not reset properly which made one puzzle in particular very frustrating! A very clever game design though. 

One of the most original rooms I have ever played. Fantastic concept, some excellent puzzles, and yes, we failed to escape, but on a room this good, I wasn't even mad at failing. Good hosting too. 

Curio is a little bit of an industry legend and this speaks for its self! Superb game, although frustrating at first, we managed to escape with 6 minutes left. (and we escaped on our first attempt, which I believe is rare!)

I will echo other comments here, its starting to look old and little frayed around the edges. Some TLC and it could be a super game again. 

We *just* escaped. There so much to love about this room, including the wonderful twist and great immersion. It feels like you're on a genuinely exciting adventure and I'd still recommend all enthusiasts try it.

However, it was a tad linear, and we got stuck at points in a way that was frustrating. There was also an issue where the host did something they weren't meant to at that point, and couldn't communicate to us directly their mistake. This meant we lost several minutes wondering what we *should* be doing, confused about the thing that shouldn't have happened. Similarly, events that were manually triggered by the host were slightly delayed following us meeting the requirements, making things a little disjointed at times.

We had an excellent host and really enjoyed it. There's lots of creative/varied puzzles, as is the case with all Escapologic rooms. It's one of a kind, and well worth doing. Don't be put off by the traditional theme - you won't see this one coming! 

Just to note it is very linear, so I wouldn't recommend for large groups (max 4/5 players). 

A good escape room with a surprising twist

Such a clever room. Flowed well, good hosting and very different from many other escape rooms. Definitely a ‘must play’ for escape enthusiasts.

This room is so unique in so many ways. We really enjoyed the puzzles, the theming and had a great time completing this room. We'd highly recommend anyone give it a go it's unmissable. 

One of a kind concept for an escape room, with incredible execution and great puzzles throughout. The twist is amazing! We experienced no technical problems on our attempt.
The best room that I've completed to date. Hats off to Escapologic Nottingham!

Very clever, something a bit different to other escape rooms. It's the hardest one there, with a success rate of 9%.

Great idea for an escape room and as others have previously said, the room has an aspect which you are unlikely going to find elsewhere. If your okay with a slight feeling of nausea give this room a go. 

Loved the mechanism in this room - so clever, so cool and incredibly unique. Also really enjoyed the theming and how each of the puzzles fit within it. Great experience from start to finish.

Quite a difficult room with a unique mechanism. Lots of different puzzle types and original tech. Out team all enjoyed it and would recommend to enthusiasts.

The only issue we had was the walls are thin and the Butcher is next door and you could hear everything that was happening in there which was distracting. 

Quite difficult for two people, but well worth it. A particular mechanic that will definitely surprise you, and it is put to such great use. One of the best rooms you can do in the UK.

Just brilliant. Even without the unique way that you navigate your way through the room, this would still have the substance to be a great room but the 'wow' element just makes this something special. There are some puzzles to really treasure in here and while there was quite a lot to do for two of us, we still had the time to just appreciate the cleverness of the room. Superb.

Loved this room.  I'd heard great things and it didn't disappoint.

Original in its features and room mechanics. Apart from that is there anything special about this? Not particularly… 

The room was well worn and looking very tired when I played it, to an extend where one puzzle was so stiff to move it made it barely usable, which was very disappointing to see at such a popular venue

Heat in this room is dangerous. I nearly passed out. So many elements are broken and to this day I don't see why it is so raved about. Its all subjective and own opinions but we had at least 3 broken puzzles, with the heat was unbearable. I wanted to leave

Amazing room (though hot in summer) with unique approach. Weirdly felt like we were constantly behind yet made it through! 

A great game with a unique 'twist' and plenty of puzzles to keep you going from start to finish. Truly fantastic! 

I've never seen a concept like this in any other game. Very original and thoroughly enjoyable.

Such a cool use of space and very unique. Took us a while to get into the flow of the game but picked up our speed as the game continued. Unique puzzles which I have not seen before and the design of the set and technology/mechanisms used made me feel fully immersed. One of the puzzles was a bit of a time filler which left us feeling a bit frustrated but other than that it was a great experience. Ideal room if you’re looking for something different! 

#70

This room has a a shining reputation and it’s definitely earned - very original and clever (no spoilers), we took a while to get going and needed a couple of pushes, but the puzzles were all fun and a few original things really stood out.  Definitely add to your list for Nottingham.

The main concept of this game is brilliant - something we'd never soon. Great host, very story driven and lots to do. It's really hard for a two so I'd make sure you're v confident if taking it on as two.

Fantastic.

It turns out your senses really rely on each other.

Played Curio as a 3 today and it absolutely lived up to my (very high!) expectations. I've always heard incredible things about this room and it just did not disappoint. The set is beautiful, some of the puzzles really unique, and we just had great fun from start to finish. I didn't catch the name of our GM but he was excellent - we had the perfect number of clues while in the room, and he was so friendly before we started and once we escaped. 

Only comment would be I felt the music could perhaps be a touch louder, most of the time it felt we were playing in silence and a little more background noise would've amped up the immersion. But, that is nitpicking!

This room truly deserves the hype it's received - a must play!

A very 50-50 review.

This room has a big reputation dating back many years.  I understand why because it is fairly unique.  However, it does feel very run down and in need of some TLC. I think it was probably in a league of its own 5 years ago, but it definitely needs some updating. Broken props and tech. Some bits we were told just to ignore as they were part of an old puzzle that wasn't part of the game anymore. 

We did have an amazing host and there is a great clue system in this room. 

This was an awesome escape room experience - a must do for enthusiasts!!! and for anyone really!! SO much fun - great hosting from Ed too!!

Great concept for an escape room and like no other we have escaped. Really enjoyed it. Some puzzles were behaving badly as we had the right idea just puzzle design letting us down. Worth a go if in Nottingham. 

A great room with an original twist! One for those who have done lots of rooms

Curio is in some ways a very traditional experience, with regards to its theming and approach, but the room is elevated by Escapologic's extremely high production design, excellent puzzle design and balance, and a truly magical central conceit.

It was only the third room I ever played but our team of 4 failed having completed (according to the host) around 95% of the room, so we were able to see a lot of what makes this one special. Still one of my favourite rooms to date and highly recommended for veterans.

Birthday escape room with 2 novices. Decent puzzles and really good immersion and room design. Perhaps somewhat overhyped, and felt a bit tired. Definitely unique, just wished there was more of it as we had 20 minutes left! 

Such a clever game.  Very original concept and mechanic and has a lot of wow moments.  

We've heard of the Curio room everywhere we go in the UK, rating as one of the favorites of the escapists community. The design of the room is one of the most well thought and executed room but the puzzles may seem a bit classic in comparison. We had an amazing time despite the motion sickness kicking in at times. The team at Escapologic is lovely and professional and they are not clue-heavy at all. Thoroughly enjoyable! 🙂

WOW WOW WOW

This room is UNMISSABLE 

it's very difficult to say anything about this room without giving spoilers, however it is a room that has one element that i doubt you will ever find again in any other room. 

The way i described this room was like "A real life version of the mobile app, THE ROOM". If anyone has played them games, then this is as close as you will ever get to being in the real thing. 

I cannot say enough about how good this room actually is 

This has one of the most unique things i have ever seen and is one of the most puzzley that Escapologic have. Excellent!

mindblowing, loved it.

Absolutely brilliant room, flawless in design, decor, and execution. A great theme, ingenious clue system, and a real ‘wow factor’. Tough puzzles even with 5 people, but always logical and with a clear flow.

An unmissable room for any escape enthusiast.

Still in my top 5 rooms. This room is fantastic; it looks beautiful, it is genuinely different, it is completely immersive. A must play.