James Bloodworth

Ultimately this was the reason for the visit and whilst the game has some issues it was definitely the stand out experience.  I knew the venue had bought this van from a defunct place in Hemel a couple of years before they opened it.  With it being an ex-genuine prison can the sceneography is definitely immersive and the puzzles are ‘mostly’ in keeping with the overall theme of the game, the audio soundscape is a nice tough but could be a bit overpowering at times where we would have to wait for it quieten down again.

Our host was Humsa again who hinted us well throughout.

This was a frustrating game which is a shame as I think the overall theme and idea are really good but the execution really lets it down.  The plain set and insanely bad puzzle signposting contribute to this, poor puzzle maintenance was a factor as some of the labels on some of the props were so faded it bordered on being unreadable.  We opened something but never heard the usual ‘click’ of the maglock being released but that could be explained by the open window for the AirCon but normally you still hear these things and we had to be prompted to try something.  

I know the venue changed owners earlier this year and apparently the new owners are reviewing each of the games but this one hasn’t been done as yet.

Our host was Humsa who was really good throughout.

I had played this as a remote game but I didn’t remember until I got inside the room and even then there was only one thing that I could remember.  The premise (Bletchley Park during WW2) isn’t hugely original and the scenery is suitably plain.  Other reviewers have commented about the number of red herrings in this game and there are a few but they feel a bit obvious if that makes sense.  The gameplay is relatively linear and the only clues we needed were mainly related to search fails on our part.

Our host was Amy who was excellent and a definite highpoint of our visit.

A linear christmas game that interestingly features a second room in case of advanced players (which apparently we were).  The game is fun but nothing special.

The game is themed well but this game left me a little cold, there's a couple of puzzles where the signposting off and we had to be nudged back onto course, I preferred the second half to the first but a little disappointed after all the positive reviews that have been posted.

A fairly standard christmas game that features linear gameplay, theming is adequate if a little plain.  We did have one reset fail (a puzzle door was open) and one tech fail (a door refused to open).  An ok experience but nothing special.

the annual Christmas game is a tradition at EO, and having played one half at Hourglass the previous day, we were looking forward to this and it did not disappoint.  This is a non-linear collection game where parties can split up and work on puzzles independently as you try and find all of the christmas wishes as well as Joey's bonus wish.  Full of the trademark EO humour and hosted excellently, this is one christmas wish I would make again.

EO have become one of my favourite escape venues with their clever stories and puzzle design.  This acts as a prequel to The Karma Club and carries on similar themes.  

A fun Christmas game that, whilst elements are reskinned from their pirate game, there's still a couple of tricky puzzles that could trip you up.

Not for the faint hearted, but only if the thought of over 80 puzzles make you weak at the knees.  There are puzzles to solve everywhere that you can complete in a non-linear fashion, can't solve one, find another and they can add more.  There is an added complication that each present needs to have the right name label attached before being dispatched to Santa for delivery, but if you get it wrong, back it comes.  This is a great concept and is executed well, there are puzzles for all ages (you can the difficulty level of the puzzle by the bow on top).

Not a theme I thought I would ever see but it is executed well with some very clever theming throughout.  Some clever puzzles that enthusiasts may overthink, the room is deceptively empty when you walk in.  Probably my favourite game at the venue of the three I've played.

Fun Heist game with some clever puzzles and a split start (you aren't apart for very long and you can see each other.

Who doesn't love a Christmas Room?  This is a lovely non-linear collection game, can you get all the stars before the hour is out?  Puzzles are a nice combination with clearly some designed for the little ones.

Another intense experience well executed with some fun moments and some puzzles that look simple but it's easy to overthink.

A haunted mansion, an exorcism and some wonderful actor interactions, whilst not up to the standard of "You'll float too" this game is still worth your time.

Fun casino heist game featuring some wonderfully fun moments.

Wondefully fun game set in a magic school, loved the theming and the puzzles worked well, my favourite game at the venue.

A linear room featuring props you may well have seen in other rooms (we recognised the supplier), the flow is ok and there's a couple of jump scares but nothing to stress about.

Very search heavy game with a couple of nice features to give it that air of authenticity, probably the weakest game at the venue.

Fun themed Titanic game with a nice flow to it, it took us 27 minutes to escape!

Really well executed concept in a well themed room.  Some of the puzzles take some time to get your head around what it is you are trying to do but it is worth it, best game at the venue at the time of writing.

The first two thirds of the game are well done and presented well, in the final area, despite there being some great puzzles there's a couple that let the room down.

Features a Split Start but you don't spend too long apart, some good puzzling presented in a classic way, good fun for an hour.

Classic escape game presented in a competent way, won't blow your socks off but some good puzzling.

This is a VS game featuring two starting areas the same,after that the areas differ to a degree but both feature puzzles and transitions in keeping with the overall theme.  This game does feature some very small crawlspaces.

A fantastic game that takes place a really boat!  The setup is that the boat is sinking and that you need to escape.  All of the puzzles are in keeping with the theme and are presented well.  There’s several areas to explore with a wonderfully dramatic ending.

Let me start by saying I’m not a fan of Horror Games as I’m not a fan of jump scares and don’t do scare mazes or fright fests (but I have had some intense experiences in Athens). This game has been moving up the charts for a while and was sitting at #2 overall based on every review giving in 10/10.  It’s been noted that in over 600 reviews I’ve only ever given out 15 such scores.  This is the 16th.   So why?  Let’s look at my usual criteria:

Story: I’m not a fan of horror films but I remember watching the 1990s IT miniseries (with Tim Curry as Pennywise) so am vaguely aware of some elements of Stephen Kings Story.  I don’t know how well this game follows those events but the story is well told from the initial (in character) briefing before the game starts to every scene transition.  The story potentially gets a little lost in the latter stages when events take precedence but it’s always there and someone who is more familiar with the story could probably comment better on this.

Theming: The theming of every section of the game is incredibly well done (a couple of minor elements, involving an old piece of technology lets it down but I’m being incredibly picky there and some printed brickwork).  Each scene is well done and is interesting on the eye and is also well decorated with some clever transitions between each scene.

Puzzles: In games like this, puzzles sometimes take a secondary place behind the overall ‘experience’, that’s not the case here.  Puzzles are interesting and themed well so nothing feels out of place or a random puzzle breaks the immersion because it looks out of place.

Sign Posting/Flow: The game flows well and I can’t remember if we had any hints of even what the hint system was.  More often we knew what we had to do and it was a searching fail that hindered us but never did did we stand around wondering what to do next. 

Hosting: This game features multiple live actors at various stages of the game, all of these were done well and the actors and hosts were excellent both, before, during and after the game.

Value for Money: This is the elephant, this game is not cheap.  It’s 90 minutes with multiple live actors.  We played as a group of 3, I think the optimum size if 4 but the game caters for 2-8 (although I did see one person reviewed it here played it solo).  For a team size of 2-4 there is a flat fee of £170 to play, so if you played it as a 2 then it would be £85 each!  As to if it’s worth it then Your Mileage May Vary depending on your experience or what you are looking for in an escape room.

The Bottom Line is that I do think this is one of the very best games in the UK at the moment (and should be mentioned in the same breath as The Great Loudini and Loot the Lanes).  As I stated at the top, I’m not a fan of horror games but I’m glad I’ve played this.  The cost is high but so are the production values , this is not a cookie cutter game but something special and that’s to be celebrated.  Had I played this back in October I would have nominated it for a TERPECA (and if I participate next year then I will do so).

Curio has been my white whale Escape Room for a while.  I should have played it back in March 2020 but it was the first weekend of Lockdown..  I've tried a couple of times since then and each time my plans have fallen through for one reason or another.  It feels like I'm the last enthusiast to play it, but I finally have.  Curio was, for a long time, one of the highest rated rooms in the UK, looking today its just outside the top 50.  Was it worth it?

The central premise is typical escape room fare that doesn't contain anything unusual, what it does have, is a central mechanism which is unique in all the games I've played.  To go further is to wander into spoiler territory but it makes ingenious use of the building in which it is housed.

The puzzles feel old but are still cleverly designed with some interesting ideas, some parts reminded me of Contraption, another room at the venue.

There's a lot to like here, and if I had played it 5 years ago it would have been a solid 5* game just for the ingenious set design but parts of it feel tired and in need of some TLC, its such a strong concept though, I'm surprised I haven't seen it elsewhere, I'd love to see a new game based on the same idea.  In short, this is very much worth your time if you haven't already played it (if you're reading this then I'm guessing you probably have).

Our host was Alexander (I think) who did a great job and hinted us just at the right times to keep us moving through.

Contraption is the oldest game at Escapologic and at 9 years I expected to find it in pieces (having had some bad experiences in older games this year).  I was happily relieved to see this game, whilst having a couple of rough edges still looks pretty good for it's age.  the gameplay is mostly linear but with only a couple of padlocks, there's more technology in the room then you might initially think.  Our host was Evie (I think) and she was great throughout, hinting us (with a clever clue system) at just the right moments to nudge us back on the path.  Nothing in this room will wow you but it was a very fun thing to do for an hour.

This was the best game we played at the venue.  It’s very much inspired by some wizard school you might have heard of.  There are no padlocks in the game and everything is handled via electronics.  The puzzles are mostly linear but there’s a nice flow to it and we moved our way through the game.  There’s some clever puzzles and as I said the progression is mostly linear moving from one puzzle to the next.  The story is one you’ve heard before but the theming is mostly on point with some clever ideas and a couple I’d not seen before.

Another Alice in Wonderland inspired game.  This game features a mostly linear progression from puzzle to puzzle) with a fun couple of transitions.  It’s a fun whimsy game but nothing that’s going to blow your socks off and thematically was the weakest of the games we played.  

There’s some really good ideas in this game.  It a linear progression of puzzles but there is one puzzle in the first half of the game that I feel is desperately unfair and hard to achieve.  It becomes fairly obvious  what you have to do, but achieving it is something else.  We struggled with this so much that the GM eventually overrode the puzzle letting us proceed with the game.  We ultimately failed due to one of the last puzzles being broken (the GM was incredibly apologetic and we had solved the puzzle, we knew what we had to do we just couldn’t’ complete it).  I think that puzzle in the middle is unfair and even though this game is offered to two players, only having two players would increase the difficulty of it by a level of magnitude.  

The theming is strong if the story is a little confused.

This is the hardest game at the venue, theres one central puzzle you need to solve to help you progress the other puzzles.  There's some genuinely interesting ideas here but the rooms tiredness lets it down which is a huge shame.

A moderately original theme that is only let down by its execution, I think there could be a good game with the theming and the ideas.  Another very linear game so not suited for large groups (definitely not the 8 the room can take).

Another serial killers basement, the room is relatively plain and the props look tired like the others. Nothing here will surprise you.

Probably the best game at the venue, it has a lot of the issues other games have but this flows well, the puzzles are moderately well executed and overall I thought this was good.

The room is quite tired and the story doesn't really hang together as such.

Clearly riffing off of a well known franchise (you start on the USS Ripley), this is a sci-fi game that involves you trying to solve the mystery as to why the crew has disappeared.  This is a very linear game so not suitable for large groups, there's also a couple of moments that are only doable with two players.  The game looks great but I didn't like the ending, I can't say why for spoilers but I wasn't a fan.

Possibly my favourite game at the venue, just pipping Alien Encounter, its time to get your inner indiana jones on!  Theres a lot to do here and the puzzles are clever and themed well.  the immersion is well done and overall there's a lot to like.

I'm a big fan of prison games, call it my inner Michael Schofield (google it) and this one has some good ideas and does feature a split start (every GM starts every game in character).

A fairly run of the mill game which still works with some interesting ideas.

First off, this isn't an escape room in the traditional sense, nor is it a walkthrough experience (like Acid Bath Murderer at Hounds).  It's billed as a starship simulator, so is it like Bridge Command, and not quite.  It certainly has similar elements as Bridge Command but isn't the same thing at all.  

There are 4 stations on the "bridge" (Captain, Pilot, Tactical and Engineering) and the game is divided into challenges and depending on the challenge depends which stations are involved (but all players can help).  These challenges can be variations on themes we've seen before in ER's (such as an implementation of the game Mastermind).  In between these sections when the ship is in "Hyperspace" each station then has its own series of mini challenges.

At the end of the 75 minutes you then have a score which shows you how well you have done.

The implementation is very good, the puzzles work well and the instructions are mostly clear as to what you have to do, its not quite the learning curve of Bridge Command but it feels like it at times.

This is a fascinating look into a venue doing something different, and whilst not totally successful I can recommend you try this experience.

This is a fabulous game that looks great, the puzzles are very well designed and include elements I've never seen before.  I've always regretted never playing Professor Dunstan but this really should be on your playlist.

An interesting creepy game, there's no jump scares as such but the game is played in low light.  Puzzles are well thought out and flow well.

A fun original game with some well thought out puzzles.

A fun christmas game with an fabulous clue system, christmas games often raise a smile and this is no different.  My favourite game at this venue.

Was I too hard on this game?  I really enjoyed Advent Alley that it replaced, that was a wonderful collection game and I'd hoped to return to play the puzzles I'd missed out on first time round.

I'm not a huge Home Alone fan, I only watched the film for the first time relatively recently so I had some idea what this game may be about but I wasn't really sure.

This is a fun game, make no mistake, I enjoyed this.  Like Survival I played earlier, there's all kinds of nods and winks to the film its based on but all in a respectful yet playful way.  You are basically alone in the house and the bandits are on their way, you have to find and set traps for them.  You find traps by solving puzzles and then you have to place the traps...

I think this approach for a Christmas game is unique and well handled, I may have preferred Advent Alley but this is really, really good.

Looking back, was I too harsh on "The Cabin"?  I've been talking for a while about the games in the UK needing to change their design paradigm and looking back I think Cabin did that without me realising it.  When I played the Cabin it was part of a large group so I missed chunks of the game, would I have rated it higher?

Anyway, this is about the Basement, the sequel to that game.  Once again you are up against a serial killer and his evil machinations.  The theming and set design is once again superb and really does lift the bar for games like this.  Like the Cabin, there is a live actor interaction and again this is where I begin to see the European influence.  The interaction is very different to how most UK games would do it and it really enhances the game, some people will feel awkward talking but others will embrace it.  The Actor was great throughout and responded well to our randomness.  The Puzzles are all in keeping with the overall theme and don't feel out of place.

If I'm honest (and I try to be) I think Cabin was a slightly better game but this is still very much worth your while (and would make an amazing game to play one after the other).  

Unsolved are quietly raising the bar with this series of games and should be applauded for it, I'm only sorry I didn't see it until now.  I can't wait to see what Part 3 looks like.