SionEscape - "The Secret of the Electric Empire"
- Ryan Driver
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
LOCATION: Sion, Switzerland
Photo above is property of SionEscape
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: The Secret of the Electric Empire
📅 DATE PLAYED: March 8, 2026
🎬 GENRE: Steampunk, Adventure
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 8/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-10 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: 110 - 300 CHF/ pp
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes [51:00]
📖 THE STORY
In the late 19th century, the world was racing into a new technological era. Nations competed to lead this rapid modernization, and all eyes were on the United States, an electric empire at the forefront of innovation. But progress attracts danger.
One of the era’s most notorious thieves has set his sights on stealing these groundbreaking technologies to sell to the highest bidder. His first attempt failed… but he won’t stop until he succeeds. That’s why you’re here today. As inspectors and scientists, you must enter a strange laboratory, uncover what he’s after, and stop him before the balance of this new age is lost forever.
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
Exceptional world-building: The room immediately impressed me with how cohesive and intentional the environment felt. Every prop, mechanism, and puzzle element looked like it genuinely belonged in this strange experimental laboratory. There was a satisfying level of hands-on interaction, turning dials, connecting components, aligning machinery, so the room never fell into the trap of feeling like a collection of padlocks and boxes.
Floor-to-ceiling immersion: The décor was striking throughout. I caught myself looking up several times to admire the sculpture-like piping suspended overhead, and it was clear that every corner of the room had been carefully considered to bring the steampunk aesthetic to life. The props were sturdy, high-quality, and convincingly industrial, adding a sense of authenticity that elevated the whole experience.
Strong puzzle integration: The puzzles were thematically rooted in early electrical experimentation, charging, powering, linking circuits, and figuring out how prototype devices might function. Even though the story wasn’t heavily delivered during gameplay, the puzzles themselves reinforced the theme beautifully. The flow was smooth and we rarely encountered bottlenecks where the entire group had to wait on a single task.
Fully nonlinear gameplay: The open structure encouraged us to explore freely and split up naturally. There were multiple tasks available at almost all times, making the room highly engaging for teams who like to divide and conquer. When we split up, we regularly regrouped to share what we had completed and what had been triggered as a result, which kept the experience dynamic and collaborative. This format works especially well for slightly larger teams, ensuring everyone has something meaningful to do.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
Limited space: The room is on the smaller side. While the layout is smartly designed to make the most of the available area, I can see it feeling tight with a larger team. Our group size worked well, but with too many players you risk crowding, especially around the more tactile puzzle elements.
Lack of story development: Although the room is thematically strong and visually impressive, the narrative doesn’t really evolve as the game progresses. The puzzles often feel like independent tasks rather than meaningful extensions of the storyline. A stronger link between puzzle progression and narrative, and some form of story arc, would elevate the immersion significantly.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
Overall, "The Secret of the Electric Empire" was a fun, smooth, and very atmospheric experience that captured the feeling of stepping into a forgotten 19th-century lab. I’d recommend it to players of all levels, but especially to teams who enjoy hands-on, thematic puzzles more than highly story driven adventures.
For the best experience, I’d keep the group to four players or fewer, ensuring everyone gets to engage with the many interactive elements. It’s a creative, well-constructed room that delivers exactly what it promises: a plunge into an “electric empire” with a satisfying mix of exploration and puzzle-solving.
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
There is no private on-site parking, however there are public parking spots in front of the building which you have to pay for.
There is a comfortable briefing area with a chairs and lockers to store your belongings.
This game is accessible for wheelchair users.
Photo above is 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 SionEscape for providing a media discount on the tickets for this game. Although discounted admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion of the review whatsoever.
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