by Puzzlair Bristol (website)
1/A Barton Road, St. Philips, BS2 0LF
2-5 players
Languages: EN
60 minutes
Overall rating
based on ratings from 24 users
combined with 7 pro reviews
Your review
Player reviews
A great setting, but I did not have the greatest of experiences as I was in my own cell on the van with nothing to do for quite some time after the game had started. Once I got out, there was nothing new for me to locate that had not already been found by my teammates.
Very small space (well, it's a van) and frustrating for at least one our teammates who was basically confined on his own for a large amount of the game. Interesting novelty factor.
It was our first room not within a room and being in a van is quite exciting and very unique but the puzzles let the room down. A lot of locks, not many interesting puzzles, a logical continuity a bit broken and clearly not enough space. I'm surprise that the room can host up to 5 people as the two of us kept stepping on each other. One of our padlocks was also open by mistake so it didn't help either. As you start locked in your cell, one of us spent 25 minutes locked in a cell, not really fun. But then again, the room itself is very different so you might want to try it out for its uniqueness.
I thoroughly enjoyed this room - the fact that it's set inside an old prison van is a unique concept. Being separated from your teammates at the start adds an exciting twist, and it's really satisfying when you eventually come back together.
The variety of puzzles were great, and I found the whole experience really fun and engaging - only needing support with a few parts. Although the timer was not visible for the first few minutes, once we mentioned it, a member of staff quickly came in to fix it and even added a few extra minutes, which we really appreciated.
Be aware that this room is extremely cramped at the start, and may not be suitable for all people.
I would definitely recommend this room!
The most epic part of this escape room is the look bystanders gave us as we climbed into the real prison van. Some of them were somehow convinced we were hardened criminals, it was hilarious!
The space is a little narrow (which it is supposed to be), so I wouldn't say it is a game suitable for everyone.
Reviews by escape room review sites
Puzzlair is split across two venues, and strictly speaking Prison Van isn't in either of them - it's played in an actual prison van parked outside their Barton Road. If that sounds cramped - well, it's a pretty big van, and there were only three of us, and it was fine, but it'd get pretty cosy with a larger team.
As with many prison scenarios, the team starts split up, each in a separate cell within the van. First one player then another gets out into the main part of the van, with the final ai...
