A Maze In - "A Monster in the Closet"
- Ryan Driver
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
LOCATION: Strasbourg, France
Photo above is property of A Maze In
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: A Monster in the Closet
📅 DATE PLAYED: June 27, 2025
🎬 GENRE: Paranormal
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 6.5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-6 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 90 Mins.
💰 PRICE: 38-55 €/ pp
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes (64:00)
📖 THE STORY
It’s a family reunion weekend at Grandpa’s house, and everything seems perfectly normal—until bedtime. Your young nephews are terrified, claiming a “monster” is lurking nearby. Brushing it off as childish imagination, you offer to sleep in their room to calm their nerves. Big mistake.
You awaken in a bizarre and dangerous realm—one ruled by monsters and filled with strange magic. This isn’t just a dream; it’s a full-blown adventure where your wits will be tested across fantastical worlds.
To return home, you’ll have to face the monstrous overlord known as the Big Boss. But before that, you must travel through three parallel dimensions, each guarded by a powerful creature, to locate and destroy the monster’s three life artifacts.
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
We don’t usually dedicate much space to the lobby experience in our reviews, but A Maze In isn’t your average escape room venue. In addition to their collection of five escape experiences, they also run quiz nights, game evenings, and more from their adjoining bar and lounge. It gave us a comfortable spot to relax between games and enjoy a refreshing beer—and we’d be remiss not to mention that they may have one of the funkiest bathrooms we've ever seen in an escape room… and we mean that in a good way!
Leaving the bar behind, we found ourselves in the hallway of our grandparent’s house—a narrow, dimly lit space lined with old family photos that evoked a strong sense of nostalgia. It’s here that we received our mission briefing before entering the child’s bedroom. We appreciated this immersive touch. Many venues might default to a neutral lounge or un-themed area for the intro, but placing it in a story-relevant setting helped anchor us in the narrative from the start.
The child’s bedroom was large and packed with detail—bunk beds, artwork, posters, and, of course, a mountain of toys and plushies. Within this believable and charming setting were cleverly disguised enhancements and puzzle elements, including a Connect Four game, a video game console, and more.
Audio cues play a major role in Monster in the Closet, keeping the story alive and engaging throughout. The demon—our elusive antagonist—frequently chimes in, making excuses for our progress, which only adds to the atmosphere. Well-timed audio elements can elevate an escape experience significantly, and here they were used to great effect.
The game gradually shifts through various "worlds," taking players from the comfort of a child's bedroom to unexpected realms like a demonic toy factory. This progression allows for a broad variety of puzzle types, starting playful and becoming progressively more eerie. We especially liked how interactive and tactile the experience felt, with many puzzles requiring you to engage directly with your surroundings. There’s also a welcome emphasis on teamwork throughout—something we always value in a strong escape design.
After navigating through the demon’s twisted game, it all culminates in a final showdown: a video game-style street fight between us and the demon. It was a light-hearted and fitting conclusion—defeating a monster using the very things meant to bring joy to Jimmy, our tormented nephew.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
There’s little to critique here. Perhaps the puzzle difficulty could have been a touch more mentally demanding in places, but overall, the game offers a well-rounded, complete experience.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
"A Monster in the Closet" earns its reputation as one of Strasbourg’s must-play games. It’s an immersive journey that blends nostalgic charm with surprising twists and varied gameplay. While the puzzles aren’t especially complex, the experience is rich in detail and suitable for all skill levels. More experienced teams might breeze through a bit quickly, but we found it most enjoyable as a team of two. That said, newer players could comfortably play in a group of up to four before the space and tasks start to feel a bit cramped.
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
Parking is not available on site, however there are plenty of car parks in the surrounding area, as well as a Park & Ride scheme
There is a large lobby area with comfortable seating and a bar that serves food and drink.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)
Disclosure: We thank A Maze In for providing us with a media discount for this game. Although a media discount was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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