The Escape House: Galacticus

Super cool room from Escape House that we were all keen to play following their previous room. Loved all the tech and the clever puzzles, although it definitely increased in difficulty as the room went on! A couple of puzzles were slightly unclear, but we worked it out in the end and managed to escape! Very cool theming and quality of puzzles.

Marked down a little for x2 things:

1. The use of AI (inc. the introduction videos) felt unnecessary and against the essence of the handcrafted nature of the Escape House.

2. The first impressions of the waiting room etc. isn't great. It's a cool building, but the entrance room could really do with some TLC, including a bit of a dusting on those shelves! If only they could bring the same level of theming to their entrance as they do to the games! Having visited Tulley's and seeing their (albeit much larger) entrance, I feel like some notes could be taken by EH!

All that aside, we had a great time and can't wait to play whatever their next room is.

Great room, one of the most immersive I’ve ever done, really interesting puzzles and the the tech all worked properly!

Genuinely one of the best rooms we've played. Beautifully designed with some amazing tech. There's something for everyone in this room, our kids came out buzzing.

After I played Spellbound at the Escape House in St Neots I said they had the best escape room in the country and that no one could beat it, but, it seems they can themsleves, I think they actually topped it with this one. The story, the puzzles, the attention to detail and especially the amazing set and props are superb.  Some of the puzzles used ideas I've never seen before and the each puzzle was achieveable without being too simple.  Obviously I don't want to give away any details but I'll end by saying we did a 300 mile trip to play this escape room and it was worth it. If you only play one escape room ever, play this one! 

Fantastically built, non linear but also with a clear path, love that it was 90 minutes. A brilliant variety of puzzles. Just super fun.

A very well presented room with lots of high tech puzzles and very little use of padlocks. The first room at Escape House was great but I think this does improve on their first effort and is well worth a visit as you can see the amount of work put into this.

This was astonishing in so many ways - the originality of the puzzles while remaining thematic, the technology on display here, the great use of space (no pun intended) and the brilliant set design. Definitely one of my favourites! There's so much to do but it seems well-balanced in terms of the time allowed and how much there is to get through. We only just did it without any hints! 

If I'm being picky I would probably prefer they get rid of the AI video captain (he's not used much at all, no more than a few minutes) and change it to audio only perhaps so the AI-ness is less obvious. I think escape rooms are a good fit for AI given time and budget constraints (and there was a terrible actor video at Atlantis in Broadstairs that I remember) but I don't think it fits here where everything else is so painstakingly crafted! 

All in all, we absolutely loved this and definitely worth a dedicated trip! 

A great room with creative tech fuelled puzzles. Enjoyed how the story developed and the range of puzzle types displayed. A clear step up in build quality from their first game too which is lovely to see!

This is a very tech-heavy room that utilises a wide variety of sci-fi special effects: displays, motors, lasers, and a ton of LEDs, as well as the usual RFIDs, buttons, and levers. There's also a ton of puzzle content here, and something of a (slightly predictable sci-fi story). 

It's clear that a huge amount of effort went into the construction and attention to detail of the finish, and there's several moments where there's a good adrenaline rush. Yet for all its technical wizardry I couldn't help but feel it just lacked a little... soul? 

e.g. I'd have preferred the opening briefing to have been delivered by a GM wearing a sci-fi costume (however shonky!) rather than the pre-recorded A.I.-generated video used. And there are other encounters that were just a bit too "digital" and "arcade-y" that I would have preferred a more organic interaction. But if you like sci-fi, you'll probably love it.

Galacticus is an exceptional, top-tier room that shines on every front. It's jam-packed with beautiful, innovative and well designed puzzles, and provides a superb immersive experience and a well-appreciated challenge for enthusiasts.

It's a 90min room and we'd call it fairly challenging (in a good way). There's a huge quantity to get through in the time, and luckily it all flows well and makes good logical sense. It's somewhat non-linear but it's such a beautiful game we'd recommend taking the time to all see the countless cool features as you go. 
The room looks superb and is very well finished in terms of set and props. Very high-tech with lots of new/innovative puzzles and aesthetic details that provided a running stream of "wow" moments. Owen was a great host, very welcoming and knew just when to nudge us or let us ponder a bit longer.

It particularly shone as a narrative experience - yes, it was an escape room full of puzzles, but the journey was encapsulated in so many well-considered details, action sequences and plausible framings that made it a next-level immersive story; we very much felt like we were on a space mission!

Imagine if they condensed the Science Museum's interactive area into a spaceship and added a cool plot and theming and it gives you an idea of what you'll face. 

So many cool puzzles, loads of hands-on tactile things to figure out. Very, very clever tech implementation. 

It was leagues above a lot of the other games we've played. Great story, great visuals and prop design and loads of awesome moments. A LOT of work has clearly gone into making this room. 

The team were very welcoming and the clueing was spot on and as requested. 

Highly recommended. 

We’ve done quite a few escape rooms but this has to be the best. Difficult but not impossible. Loved it. We were told we were the first ones to try it, we haven’t tried spellbound but it’s now definitely one we want to try. 

I've played almost 40 escape rooms, but Galacticus has shot straight to the top, knocking Escape House's other room, Spellbound, down to my second favourite. I can't fault this room.

Despite not being sci-fi fans, this had us fully immersed. The theming was spot on, the set design meticulous, the puzzles original, the room packed with so much to do, and the hosting was great.

The designers have come up with many clever ways to adapt to the room to make it accessible to everyone regardless of team size, experience, or age. They have also ensured that there are workarounds for certain sections if players are claustrophobic or are affected by flashing lights, for example.

I would strongly urge you to play this room. You won't regret it.

As the first players to do this room, I feel very honored and also mind blown! The absolute meticulous attention to detail is extremely apparent and you can clearly see the masses of time and effort that has gone into building this room. Never have I done a room that is so well put together, with such a variety of puzzles. It really is impressive and such a brilliant experience.

If you have done spellbound, you're in for even more of a treat with Galacticus!

 The owners went above and beyond and opened the room early just for us as we won't be able to do any rooms for a long time. 

Brilliant room, brilliant owners and a brilliant experience!

Cant wait for the next one!

As the first players to do this room, I can absolutely vouch for how incredible it is and how much of a treat everyone's in for when they play!!

The absolute meticulous attention to detail is extremely apparent and you can clearly see the masses of time and effort that has gone into building this room. Never have I done a room that is so well put together, with such a variety of puzzles. It really is impressive and such a brilliant experience.

If you have done spellbound, you're in for even more of a treat with Galacticus!

 The owners went above and beyond and opened the room early just for us as we won't be able to do any rooms for a long time. 

Brilliant room, brilliant owners and a brilliant experience!

Cant wait for the next one!