LOCATION: Chester, United Kingdom
Photo above is property of Breakout Chester
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: Forgotten Tomb
📅 DATE PLAYED: July 13, 2022
🎬 GENRE: Adventure, Egypt
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 7/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-5 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: £15-20/PP (Weekdays), £17-22/PP (Weekends)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes (45Min)
📖 THE STORY
After discovering a missing page from The Book of Amun-Ra, your team of explorers delves into an ancient Egyptian tomb in search of buried treasure.
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
This room is absolutely beautiful, featuring what I consider the best overall aesthetic of the already impressive roster at Breakout Chester. It’s clear that a great deal of care went into every detail of the props and décor, and the results speak for themselves.
An impressive number of puzzles have been hidden throughout this room in a variety of very clever ways. Many of them are hiding in plain sight from the moment you walk in, creating some wonderful the-answer-was-there-the-whole-time moments that left us feeling very smart once we found them.
Despite having only one room, the most impressive props are cleverly saved for later in the game, leading to some breathtaking discoveries in the latter half.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
The lighting in this room is just dim enough that flashlights are a must, but not dark enough that their necessity feels greatly rewarding.
Your team will stay in the same room for the whole experience. The room is layered enough to feel satisfying all the way through, but the lack of hidden passages or side rooms feels like a missed opportunity in a tomb full of secrets.
Though fun, one puzzle required a member of the group to maintain a slightly uncomfortable position for a couple minutes. I got tired after a bit and had to tag out with my partner.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
In addition to top notch visual design that solidly out-competes most of the ancient-ruin-themed escape rooms I’ve seen, “Forgotten Tomb” is filled with puzzles that cleverly utilize the environment to consistently reward observant players. Every time my partner and I were sure we had uncovered all of the secrets we had access to, we’d notice another clue disguised as a decoration which had been staring us in the face from the moment we’d walked in and get a burst of excitement at finding ourselves back on the trail. Puzzles were also well varied, with many of them featuring satisfying tactile elements. Their difficulty was generally in the moderate category, relying more on careful attention to room details than on complicated formulas and multi-step thinking, making it a room that is satisfying for escape veterans while remaining reasonably approachable for newcomers.
Of all the rooms I’ve seen that eschew restrictive linearity by keeping multiple puzzles active at once, this room has executed that strategy most effectively. Its wide approach to puzzle sequence limits frustration by letting individual players take breaks from puzzles they get stuck on since there will usually be something different they can be working on elsewhere. This approach also makes “Forgotten Tomb” a good room for larger groups, so don’t worry about bringing too many people along. Whether you have two people or five, you’ll still have a great time here.
Though it has stiff competition from the other eight rooms we did there, “Forgotten Tomb” is my pick for the all-around best escape room on offer at Breakout Chester, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
Because it is in a historic building, Breakout Chester is not handicap accessible. Players need to climb multiple staircases before they reach any of the rooms.
This is in a car-free part of the city, so you will probably have to walk a couple blocks from the nearest parking lot or bus station.
Employees on an intercom need to buzz you into the front door and want you to arrive five to ten minutes ahead of your game (but not earlier) so they can spread out guests for health reasons. Plan accordingly!
(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"!)
