Despite travelling the world over to lead excavations, Oldervik usually finds time to keep in touch. However, it is has been almost six months since you received his last letter.
Strangely, after enquiring at the Ministry it appears that nobody knows of Oldervik’s current whereabouts. All you can find out is that he had been tasked with locating and excavating the tomb of an ancient ruler. According to legend, the burial chamber contains priceless artefacts including a mysterious statuette, which the Ministry is keen to acquire.
When a letter from Oldervik finally arrives it is unusually short and to the point, requesting that you attend his study to look after his cats. As far as you know, Oldervik does not have any cats; something is definitely wrong.
And so it is that you venture to Oldervik’s private residence in search of answers…
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Loved this escape room. It was very challenging for two people. We played the game on difficult. The room was very puzzle dense with some very well thought out puzzles.
Played: 4 Jun 2023Team size: 2Time taken: 58:36Outcome: Successful escape!
value for moneycleverstory-driven
Had heard only good things about Co-Decode's rooms so I was glad to finally get to see for myself. My mum and I played Professor Dunstan and the search for the Ancient Statuette which was another successful mission to us relatively experienced players. The good thing with this company is you can adjust the difficulty level to give you more puzzles to solve in the room. We played on medium difficulty as there was only 2 of us and thought that was a safer option. Our host and games master Alex was very friendly and we agreed that he would only give us help or hints if we asked or if we were completely heading in the wrong direction with something. This worked out well and we only needed help on a few ocassions. The puzzles in this game were very unique which I always love, especially as I've played 60 games now, so it's nice to see new concepts. The game had good themeing throughout and its clear a lot of time and effort has gone into building the room and setting the scene. We completed the game with 1 minute 24 seconds left so again, I'm glad we didn't go for the harder difficulty setting!
I look forward to going back in the future to try out the other 2 games on offer and would definitely recommend Co-decode to anyone looking to play a game that stands up to it's positive reviews.
Team size: 4Time taken: 50:00Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulcleverimmersivequite difficult
I can't say strongly enough how much I appreciate the sheer craft and attention to detail in this room, with some very memorable puzzles, great "ah ha" moments, unique elements and use of technology. You can see the passion Alex has for escape games in every element. The room is immersive and beautifully decorated/furnished.
Being newer to escape games at the time (with two newbies on the team) we played on the regular difficulty which was just right for us.
This is pretty much a perfect game, with unique and well designed puzzles, amazing theming and was just so much fun to play. The props all felt chunky and well made, and everything just had so much care put into its design. Alex (the owner) was a great GM too, and you can tell he puts a lot into the design of his games. This is my current favourite room, and comes highly recommended!
Quite traditional but a very solid game. We were a bit rubbish on some of the puzzles but all of them were very logical. Theming was good and Alex a great host who spends time to explain anything with the room. We played on hard difficulty (one up from medium but one down from extra hard). We needed a few clues and was also offered extra time (10 mins) to complete.
Played: 12 Aug 2022Team size: 2Time taken: 62:00Outcome: Successful escape!
originalclever
Lots of great, unique puzzles that were all in-keeping with the theme. Loved that they can change the difficulty to suit the team without anyone noticing. This means it’s great for beginners who need a bit more help and for enthusiasts looking for a bigger challenge. We played as 1 enthusiast and 1 beginner on level 2/3 and needed a tiny bit extra time. Lots of fun
Fantastic game! Played on the hardest difficulty as a 2 and got out in 65 minutes so slightly over the hour. Excellent number and variety of puzzles, Alex was a great GM too.
Played: Feb 2019Team size: 2Outcome: Successful escape!
A great game with interesting and clever puzzles. The ability to vary the difficulty level of the game according to the experience of the team is also a nice touch. Alex is a super GM. I'd not hesitate to recommend Co Decode.
Played: Team size: 4Time taken: 59:30Outcome: Successful escape!
Reviews by escape room review sites
Professor Dunstan and the Unfeasibly Long Room Name Search for the Ancient Statuette is buried an industrial park on the east side of Swindon, and it took some searching and a couple of calls to the operator to find our way through the maze of business units to find it. (We visited when it had only been open for a few weeks, so it'll likely have more signposting by the time you read this!)
As a very broad rule, that type of location isn't a very promising sign for an escape gam...
One of the very best games I've played in the UK - easily in my top 10. Good decoration, interesting storyling, strong puzzles and amazing craftmanship. A game with no real weaknesses and plenty of strengths.
Don’t wait to be passing by Swindon to do this room. Make it your destination, it’s worth it!
When a new form of media comes along, such as escape rooms, someone will inevitably ask: “yes, but are they art?” My answer to that is that they probably can be art, but no-one has managed it yet. Co-decode comes the closest I’ve seen so far. Even if it cheats by just filling the room with tons of actual mechanical art.
These are the 100 highest rated escape rooms in the UK, as of 31st Dec 2022, based on combined ratings from enthusiasts, bloggers and experts - every game here comes highly recommended.
These are the 100 highest rated escape rooms (out of 1600) in the UK, as of 31st Dec 2021, based on combined ratings from enthusiasts, bloggers and experts - every game here comes highly recommended.
