Chikako Omura
- Dec 15, 2023
- 3 min read

Tokyo Mystery Circus (by SCRAP) - "The Magical Cauldron: The Culinary Academy's Final Exam"

Updated: Apr 23

LOCATION:  Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Mystery Circus (by SCRAP) - "The Magical Cauldron: The Culinary Academy's Final Exam

Photo above is property of Tokyo Mystery Circus (by SCRAP)

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: "The Magical Cauldron: The Culinary Academy's Final Exam"
📅 DATE PLAYED: November 7, 2023
🎬 GENRE: Magic
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 6 ppl): 7.5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 3-6 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: ¥3,500/ pp, ¥19,200/ Group (Weekdays); ¥3,800/ pp, ¥21,00/ Group (Weekend)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

You are students of the Culinary Academy of Magic, and today is the big day for the final exam! You must pass this final test to graduate. For the final test, you must demonstrate cooking several dishes of the magical realm by using the magical cauldron and your wand. But, on your way to your exam, you accidentally step onto the mysterious flower, "Forget-Me-Do." The pollen of the flower causes you to forget the most significant memories at the time, what you have studied for your exam! The only hope you have is what you have written in your notebook. Can you create all the magical dishes in 60 minutes and graduate from this school?

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

The visual effect of the projection mapping was stunning! When we used the big pot that showed the images, we joyfully said, “Wow!” We were all excited. Especially for the story of the magical world, the visuals by the technology greatly enhanced the immersive feeling. I felt like I was using magic for real!
The puzzles were all incorporated into the story well. In the beginning, the puzzles were more about collecting information from the notebook each of us had. Those were puzzles by communication. The puzzles became challenging and tricky toward the end, like any other games by Scrap. The flow of the game was excellent.
There was a part where we played a mini-game with projection mapping. It was fun to play the mini-game in between puzzle sections. People who have never played escape games or don’t like puzzles can also have fun participating in the game.
I felt the feeling of some privacy while playing the game because black curtains divided each table in the game room,
The staff was friendly and helpful.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

When we played, the sensor of the projection mapping system did not recognize our answers several times. The staff was not always around. So, it was hard to figure out if we were not solving puzzles correctly or due to an issue with the system.
There were a lot of instructive texts to read for how to play, and the room was too dim to read the tiny letters, especially the letters with light blue color. It would have been nicer if there was a tutorial step or video instead of text.
It was stressful for us to type answers on the tablet because the keyboard layout was not standard.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

Even though we had some issues with the sensor several times during the game, we had a great time playing this game together. I met half of our team members for the first time on the spot, but I felt a bond with the team after playing this game. I believe the real escape game is about bringing people together. “The Magical Cauldron: The Culinary Academy’s Final Exam” was an excellent immersive game that brought us together as a team with fantastic visuals of projection mapping, fun puzzles, and an engaging story! This game is perfect for everyone from a beginner to an enthusiast. If you are in Tokyo, why don’t you visit Tokyo Mystery Circus to take this magical final exam to cook some yummy magical foods?

Photos above are property of Tokyo Mystery Circus (by SCRAP)

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

No parking available
Near "JR Shinjuki Station" and "Seibu Shinjuku Station"
Located on the 4th floor of Tokyo Mystery Circus (elevator available)
Disability: please check the "game limitations" section on the website
There is no place to store any luggage during the game. Do not bring large bags with you. There is a cloakroom on the first floor of TMC (500yen~). There are luggage lockers at nearby stations

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

Check out our visit to Tokyo Mystery Circus (by SCRAP) and our exclusive interview with the manager to understand more on the development side of the game:

Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

BOOK NOW

(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 Tokyo Mystery Circus by SCRAP for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.