Sherlocked: The Alchemist

By | October 13, 2022

by Sherlocked (website)

Damrak 247, 1012ZJ

Amsterdam

4-6 players

Languages: EN, NL

Winner of a 2023 TERPECA award90 mins
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Overall rating

Rated between 4.5 and 5 out of 5

based on ratings from 12 users
combined with 4 pro reviews

Your review

Player reviews

Spanishfleas expert rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 19 Oct 2024 Team size: 5
hi-techbroken techpoor hosting

On a normal day, I can see this being 5 star for most people. It is stunning and beautiful. One of the best made sets and puzzles I have ever seen. So ingenious. 

The GM wasnā€™t overly helpful or enthusiastic. Didnā€™t set the mood and wasnā€™t helpful throughout. We love to take our time playing rooms but had no sense of how on track we were. We had some tech that wasnā€™t well signposted or work first time and that was fustrating and never signposted us when we changed course incorrectly. 

One of the puzzles towards the end didnā€™t work as intended plus we didnā€™t gel great with one of the others either.

So would say worth doing but didnā€™t have the flow we wanted. 

caroline354 expert rated this:Rated between 4.5 and 4.5 out of 5
Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
quite difficult
Billa Babybel experienced rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 5 Sep 2024 Team size: 2 Time taken: 75:00 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulhi-techimmersive

Just fantastic. The set is amazing. A must for any escape room enthusiast.

fullfrontalnerdity rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Christoph expert rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 3 Aug 2024 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
immersivestory-drivenbeeindruckend
Tim (Escape Witchers) expert rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 10.07.2024 Team size: 5 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techimmersiveepicquite difficult

Amazing game, with a beautiful backdrop, special effects and very versatile, modern puzzles. Super nice hosting and debriefing!

šŸ”James Bloodworth expert rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 20 Apr 2024 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulhi-techimmersive
Iā€™d heard some buzz around this games as to how beautiful it was and they were not lying.  One of the most beautiful and ornate games Iā€™ve ever played.  The care a thought thatā€™s gone into every element is very much on show throughout.  Itā€™s hard to put into words without giving spoilers easily one of the best escape experiences Iā€™ve had for a while.  From the fabulous opening to the transition between spaces to the way the story was delivered whilst playing the game.
  I like Escape Rooms to give a sense of story, wonder, exploration and this delivers in spades.  If I was nit picking then I could say that there arenā€™t many puzzles but the ones that are there are multi-layered in their approach and solution.  Sign posting and flow was excellent and I donā€™t think there were any points where we stood around looking confused.  Hints were delivered by a device you take in with you.  Any trip to Amsterdam should include this fabulous experience.  The finale is very well done although (nit picking again) itā€™s primarily a viewing experience but nothing Iā€™ve seen before in an Escape Room.This game ranked at only 31 at least years TERPECA which means the games above it should be something else as this was amazing.
Anonymous expert rated this:Rated between 4.5 and 4.5 out of 5
beautifulimmersiveintensequite difficult
This game must be played if you are in Amsterdam, the production, the setting... just get it booked.
Countless never-before-seen moments, only let down by some of the puzzles being given away by dirty finger contact meaning you know what's what quicker (however, finding what is what on a chart is not usually that fun so maybe it did us a favour?).
Puzzles with enjoyable steps that can be done by a big team, and the game ends with one of the best finales I have epxerienced.

Lucy (The Detol Crew) experienced rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 14 Apr 2024 Team size: 5 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulepicbroken tech
Would have been a 5 star review if everything had worked properly! Such a shame as we felt we really didnā€™t get the full experience that we should have done if everything was working. Our game was delayed while the host tried to fix something, a mechanical element broke mid game when we tried to use it and the host couldnā€™t fix it, and a digital element broke just before we were due to get to that part of the room, which the host was unable to fix. So we missed out on a couple of puzzles, and the ending didnā€™t feel quite like it was meant to happen the way it did. That being said, the production design of the room was epic, the use of space again was amazing, and the variety of puzzles was fantastic, and our host was super lovely too and explained everything to us at the end.
olf expert rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 02 Oct 2023
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Reviews by escape room review sites

The top rooms in the Netherlands tend to sell out weeks or months in advance, and even booking six weeks ahead of time we were very fortunate to be able to grab a weekend slot for The Alchemist. Because although it wasnā€™t the game for which weā€™d decided to visit the Netherlands, for me it was the exquisite highlight of the trip.
The experience here is carefully crafted from the start, including the briefing and even the confirmation email, which are used to set up the story and the scene. Sherl...

Back then when I started playing escape rooms regularly and people would ask which were the best ones, a game regularly mentioned was The Vault. Itā€™s therefore not surprising that in the first Terpeca awards that game made it into the Top 10.

Many years passed until Sherlocked announced a new room was coming and given the groundbreaking nature of The Vault, expectations were of course high. It was quite a wait but as the saying goes: ā€œGood things take time, great things take a little longerā€. I am glad it took longer, as this game is certainly a great thing.

A fundamental component of every great game is the start, and when you start a game like this you can be certain that you are up for a ride. The game takes place in a beautiful setting, in which itā€™s enjoyable just to be there.

This is one of those games where you will play and then want to play again just to go back and see what you missed. Every single item in this game has been hand-crafted for the world they have created and the attention to detail is incredible

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