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LOCATION: Genève, Switzerland Photo above is property of Grand Trip Trap Hotel Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: Aunt Hilda's Room 📅 DATE PLAYED: September 30, 2023 🎬 GENRE: Fantasy, Fairy Tales 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 7/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 3-8 PPL 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 90 Mins. 💰 PRICE: CHF 260/Room ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes 📖 THE STORY One day in 1837, when the Grand Trip Trap Hotel opened, a mysterious woman named “Aunt Hilda” became the very first customer and lived in her very own room ever since. She was a very special woman, with a huge imagination that she used to invent stories, fairy tales that she loved to tell kids! It is even said that she was the nanny for the famous Grimm brothers who may have been influenced by her! She, unfortunately, disappeared recently, but her spirit is fully part of the Hotel now as she has spent so many years in her room. Even today, we can still hear her tell us about her favorite fairy tale, in her room: the story of the cursed Princess “Petite Aube”. Are you brave enough to lift her curse and save her from an eternal sleep? 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE Soon after you leave Hilda’s room for the adventure, the scenery is simply awesome and really sticks to the theme: it is exactly what you would expect from a Fairy tale, it’s definitely worth the visit! Special congratulations for the puzzles and riddles that are perfectly integrated to the story, with tons of great ideas and mechanisms to play with! The items and artefacts you play with are well designed and fun to manipulate! You really feel like you are part of the story, living your own adventure: it’s a dream come true! There are a lot to do in 90 minutes, and many tasks can be performed in parallel so you won’t be frustrated if you are in a large group 🧩 MISSED THE MARK Nothing 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? This escape room has won many TERPECA prizes and I personally understood why after experiencing it myself. I have played more than 300 games so far and this one is in my personal top 5. Everything is coherent, logical, well designed and during 90 minutes you just forget that you are in Geneva, you are just transported in another world: you “escape” reality. I strongly advise you to play this room, and if you are experienced players, probably a group of 4-5 would be the best to enjoy at maximum this adventure! ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO No parking at the venue: you can either find a spot in the commercial center in Carouge nearby or find a spot in the street around Trip Trap asks to arrive 15 mins in advance if possible so you can enjoy the full experience Pregnant women can take part to the adventure (if not too close to the term) and a chair can be installed by the game master upon request for comfort. For people with physical disabilities, unfortunately it is not suitable for wheelchairs, but crutches are fine (unfortunately the experience may be more difficult to enjoy as there are some stairs) You can order drinks and hot beverages at the Catalpa Bar: teas, coffees, sodas, wine, beers, cocktails and eat some bagels, assortments of cheese and charcuterie. The bartender and waiters are adorable and cocktails taste amazing! The bar in itself is also very well decorated. Toilets are available (and very funny if you understand french) Photo above is property of Grand Trip Trap Hotel (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 Trip Trap for offering us a media discount for our tickets to this game. Although a media discount was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #AlexandreTang #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #TripTrap #GrandTripTrapHotel #Fantasy #FairyTale #Geneva #Switzerland

LOCATION: Genève, Switzerland Photo above is property of Grand Trip Trap Hotel Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 📝  ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: Mr Trippolyte's Cinema 📅 DATE PLAYED: September 30, 2023 🎬 GENRE: Retro (80's) 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 4/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-5PPL (Max 10PPL/2 Rooms) 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 75 Mins. 💰 PRICE: CHF 230/Room ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes 📖 THE STORY While visiting the renown Grand Trip Trap Hotel, the groom tell you the story of its owner: Trippolyte de la Trapp. He was famous for being a quite eccentric person and apparently he was so fond of movies that he decided to build a cinema in his own Hotel! It is said that he had even managed to watch 1000 movies 1000 times! A real movie-lover! And apparently, he was specialized in 80’s movies! Trippolyte was the exclusive customer of this private cinema for a very long time, until very recently! As lucky guests you have the opportunity to visit it now, so hurry up and let’s go! 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE The escape room starts a bit like the movie Last Action Hero: you watch the movie and then you are part of it! It’s a very fun way to start the experience in my opinion! If you grew up in the 80’s, nostalgia will hit you hard on this one: there are so many references about toys, video games, movies, music! And you even have to interact with some of them to solve puzzles! Trip Trap faithfully recreated the typical room of a teenager from the 80’s, it’s just delightful! The pace of the game is well designed, there is not a single moment where the intensity drops. There are many mechanisms/interactions that will make you feel like you are back in childhood, it’s really pleasant! 🧩 MISSED THE MARK If there is a single thing to say about this room: it would have been even better if we had more! Time flew so fast and we got out pretty quickly in the end! But then it only transcribes how good this room is. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? If you like "Stranger Things" or "The Goonies", you will love this one! I believe if you are in your 30-40s this room will have a bigger sentimental value than for younger players but overall I would recommend it for all kind of players: the diversity of the things to do, the variety of mechanisms involved in this room, the finale…everything is well designed to offer you the best nostalgic experience. I would recommend a group of 4 players and if you are not very experienced, you may enjoy it even more. ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO No parking at the venue: you can either find a spot in the commercial center in Carouge nearby or find a spot in the street around Trip Trap asks to arrive 15 mins in advance if possible so you can enjoy the full experience Pregnant women can take part to the adventure but some movements can be difficult if you are too close to the term (you can call them to make sure it’s OK: tel +41 22 345 05 15). For people with physical disabilities, unfortunately it is not suitable for wheelchairs nor crutches You can order drinks and hot beverages at the Catalpa Bar: teas, coffees, sodas, wine, beers, cocktails and eat some bagels, assortments of cheese and charcuterie. The bartender and waiters are adorable and cocktails taste amazing! The bar in itself is also very well decorated. Toilets are available (and very funny if you understand french) Photo above is property of Grand Trip Trap Hotel (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 Trip Trap for offering us a media discount for our tickets to this game. Although a media discount was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #AlexandreTang #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #TripTrap #GrandTripTrapHotel #Retro #80s #Geneva #Switzerland

Photos provided by Island Quest Escape Rooms Company: Island Quest Escape Rooms Game: Project: Atlantis Country: Spain 🇪🇸 Language: English, Spanish Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣 Genre: Adventure Date Played: February 7, 2021 Difficulty (based on 4 players): Size of Team: 2-6 Players Time: 60 Minutes Price: €50 (1-2 connections)/ €70.00 (3-5 connections) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Professor Harrison Atlanta has gone missing. His assistant Abigail contacted you to help find his whereabouts. The last thing she heard him talk about was "Project: Atlantis". Could this be the cause of his disappearance? 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Our avatar met us on Zoom inside the professor's office. This game is paired with the Telescape inventory system. Our avatar gave us an overview of the room prior to the start the game. The camera did become in and out of the focus a few times so we definitely suggest the use of a harness. The room may look normal at first but there were definitely a few hidden surprises waiting for us in the latter parts of the game. This is mostly a gen 1 room but we also enjoy our basic lock and key type of games from time to time. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles were quite easy for enthusiasts in this game. Most of our time was spend on "search and find". If you're an enthusiast, you probably want to inform your game master on how you would like to play the game at the start of the clock. There were definitely some hidden items that we couldn't see just based on the camera angle and that wasted a lot of game time. It would be great if the avatar could be more intuitive in those situations to point us to the right direction. We finish the game with 2 minutes left but would much prefer a better game flow and finish the game with 20-30 minutes left. The puzzles were designed to make us feel like we're tracking down professor's whereabouts and it did just that. We were following clues that he left behind on postcards, maps, and other prized possessions. There was one physical puzzle we would love to play in person but it's great that it didn't take too long for our avatar to operate. It was still fun to watch as she skillfully completed the task. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 It's always fun to do a traditional type escape room with puzzles we are quite familiar with. There was one tricky one that even trapped us for a second. We enjoyed sleuthing around the professors office and eventually finding what we came for but we're still unsure of the professors whereabouts...Hopefully he'll turn up one day? Or we can just keep what we found? Finders keepers! 𝔼𝕊ℂ𝔸ℙ𝔼𝕋ℍ𝔼ℝ𝕆𝕆𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕤❜ ℙ.𝕀.𝕤❜ 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 Hanna N. I had a great time with the P.I. team solving the mystery of Project Atlantis! The puzzles were on the easy side which was nice since there was also a lot of searching and looking around to do. The main camera had some focus issues, but we were given photos of the most important parts of the room so it affected the immersion more than our puzzle solving abilities. If you’ve played any rooms before you will recognize a few puzzles and mechanics, but there are also a nice twist to some of them! ______________________________________________________________ Caroline T. The room had a very good storyline and was easy to follow. The puzzles were not overly hard but got me thinking and they were some that surprised me after we solved them. The chat master was excellent, she was clear when explaining things. Would recommend giving this room a go. *** This game can no longer be booked as a remote game but can still be booked as an in-person experience *** (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 Island Quest Escape Rooms for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #AtHomeGames #RemoteEscapeRoom #IslandQuestEscapeRooms #Lanzarote #ProjectAtlantis #Adventure #Atlantis #Fantasy #Avatar

Photos provided by Island Quest Escape Rooms Company: Island Quest Escape Rooms Game: The Magic Market Country: Spain 🇪🇸 Language: English, Spanish Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣 Genre: Adventure Date Played: March 20, 2021 Difficulty (based on 3 players): 5/10 Size of Team: 2-6 Players Time: 60 Minutes Price: €50 (1-2 connections)/ €70.00 (3-5 connections) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 It's almost time for the final exam and there was no way you were going to pass this year without the help of Potion of Unlimited Knowledge. Your only hope is to retrieve the potion from the Magic Market but it won't be an easy task. Are you ready for the quest? 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 As instructed by a mysterious letter we received in an email, we arrived in the back alley of the Magic Market. We're greeted by a mysterious woman wearing a cloak. She's to going to hopefully help us retrieve the Potion of Unlimited Knowledge. It felt as if we've just entered Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. There was a wand store, potion store, owl post, dessert shop and more! We were very impressed by the quality of the handmade props. It felt like we're on a movie set. The game was paired with an online inventory portal called Telescape. We're able to hear a owl hooting sound whenever something was added to the portal. It played nicely with the theme and felt quite magical at times. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The utilization of spells, potion making, and hidden compartments in the Magic Market was seamlessly paired with the various puzzles in the game. It felt like someone casted the spell of "Apparition" on us and that's how we arrived into this mythical world. The puzzles had various levels of difficulty. It was great to have some automation from the game master as some directions would've been repetitive and difficult to instruction over Zoom. We enjoyed her character's intuitiveness. It was just the right amount of guidance. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. This room definitely gave me the urge to want to go back to watch the entire series again. One of my favorite part about this room was the way we're able to use our "wands" to create magic spells over Zoom as a group that gathered from all over the world. It was definitely an enchanting moment to be able to use our energies together to make something magical happen. I'm happy to report that we retrieved the Potion of Unlimited Knowledge with 20 minutes and 50 seconds left and of course we aced that test! 𝔼𝕊ℂ𝔸ℙ𝔼𝕋ℍ𝔼ℝ𝕆𝕆𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕤❜ ℙ.𝕀.𝕤❜ 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 Koen D. Pro's: - great environment, cool set design - lovely host in full wizard attire - good puzzle build quality and decoration - great use of the location Con's: - some puzzle elements hard to read/find *** This game can no longer be booked as a remote game but can still be booked as an in-person experience *** (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 Island Quest Escape Rooms for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #AtHomeGames #RemoteEscapeRooms #IslandQuestEscapeRooms #Lanzarote #TheMagicMarket #Adventure #Atlantis #Fantasy #Wizards #Witches #Avatar

Photo above is property of Island Quest Escape Rooms Company: Island Quest Escape Rooms Game: Dino Heist Country: Spain 🇪🇸 Language: English, Spanish Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣 Genre: Heist, Adventure Date Played: March 12, 2022 Difficulty (based on 6 players): 6/10 Size of Team: 2-6 Players Time: 60 Minutes Price: €70.00 (1-2 connections)/ €90.00 (3-6 connections) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 After years of research, scientists have discovered how to revive and create dinosaurs. The company’s park is now ready to be unveiled and open to the public. Welcome to Triassic Park! A rival company deployed a team of operatives to steal as many samples of the dinosaur DNA as they could but were captured by the Triassic Park security team. Luckily before beingcaptured, the team was able to hide the DNA samples around the park’s visitor centre. Having a contingency plan, the rival company is now sending you as part of the backup team to complete the mission and retrieve the hidden samples. An inside person who is part of the Triassic Park team will be helping you out as your eyes and hands as you navigate the visitor centre, retrieve as many samples as you can and get back to your tour group before anyone finds out what you are up to. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 The game started us off with a high quality introduction video that looked like it came straight from an amusement park tour ride. The introduction was clear in out lining our objectives and how we should play the game. Once the game began, we were able to interact with our GM through zoom and navigate through the 3D view of the room in Telescape. One key thing that was very helpful in the 3D view was the clearly marked “Take a closer look” areas that would provide a clearer picture of certain areas of the room. Each lock was also marked in the 3D view with what you would need to open the lock, whether it be 4 digits or 3 letters. One of the fun aspects of the room was that our objective was not only to escape but to leave with as many of the 30 dinosaur DNA samples hidden around the room (We only found 28). This was a nice additional side quest we could attempt when we had a few more minutes at the end of the game. One thing Island Quest did well was we never struggled with trying to read information from the camera or wondering where certain material was. Everything was well organized either in Telescape or our GM was able to provide us with what we needed on the camera. Photos above are property of Island Quest Escape Rooms 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 All the puzzles in the game had an amusing dinosaur theme to it. The puzzles also had a nice variety to them as we had to use pretty much everything in the room to see what we could come up with. Telescape was utilized quite well with the puzzles. As we solved and unlocked different areas, the items and locks were removed from Telescape to keep us organized. A few things to commend was, first, they removed a puzzle that would not translate well onto an online game. Second were the side quest puzzles. There were some puzzles that had nothing to do with the main goal of escaping but it was fun to find some hidden puzzles at the end when we had time to try to find all the DNA samples. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Dino Heist was a well thought out online escape room with the variety of puzzles, the fun dinosaur theme, and the flow of the game. The set design was simple but effective. The side quest of trying to collect all the samples brought a new dynamic to the game. For anyone who is a fan of dinosaurs or the similar popular movie franchise would love this game. We played with 6 people but this could easily be completed with less. This was also a nice refresher from your standard bank heist games since it added a little twist to the theme. Just make sure to keep your arms and legs in the vehicle the entire time! *** We regret to inform this game is no longer available for booking but check out other games on their website*** Disclosure: We thank Island Quest Escape Rooms for comping our tickets for this game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #MatthewLui #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #RemoteEscapeRoom #IslandQuestEscapeRooms #Lanzarote #Heist #Adventure #JurassicPark #Spain

LOCATION: Barcelona, Spain Photo above is property of Unreal Room Escape Photo above is property of Unreal Room Escape Date Played: February 26, 2019 Genre: Exploration Difficulty (Based on 4 PPL): 5/10 Total # of Players: 2-7 PPL (Ages 12+) Length of Time: 90 Minutes Price: €18-34/PP (pending on team size) Booking Type: Private Escaped? Yes (50 Min) 📖 THE STORY For decades, the St. Louis Mine has been used for its mineral resources. But one day, a big explosion killed all the workers inside and since then, there has been no real explanation about this accident. A mining company has recently managed to reopen the mine, claiming its goal is to take care of the bodies of the victims stuck inside and restart mineral exploitation. But according to experts, this mine should be running out of minerals soon, which is very suspicious. Some rumors about a precious and rare mineral located inside the mine started to emerge. You and your friends have been recruited to investigate this, but you only have 90 minutes because a landslide is about to condemn the mine. Video above is property of Unreal Room Escape 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE The set of the room is absolutely stunning: you really feel like you are inside a REAL mine (you are asked to come with comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty), there are many areas to explore, with special effects that make this experience unique. Plenty of realistic actions to perform during the game. You will feel like a real mine worker, which is pretty satisfying! The puzzles are not very hard and you will keep a dynamic pace throughout the game. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK I don’t really see any drawback in this room sincerely… well if I have to say something then I would say that the storyline could be enriched a bit. But to be honest there is no impact on the experience you are about to experience. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? In my opinion, "La Mina" should definitely be on your bucket list if you like immersive escape rooms that make you feel like you are on an adventure! The riddles are not too hard, so it is beginner friendly (but if you haven’t done a lot of escape rooms before, starting with this one may set the bar very high for your upcoming rooms and you may feel disappointed by other rooms afterwards). The game masters are very nice and friendly, and of course: you can ask to play the room in english, just mention it when you book the room. ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO No parking There is a metro station nearby (L1) Come with comfy shoes because you will have to crouch sometimes, the room is big, you will get a bit dirty also, even if you will. be given some equipment (you are in a mine, that's normal) Lobby is pretty small and you will be asked to enter only when your team is complete and on-time for your booking Toilets are available to clean the dirt off afterwards For this experience - no stairs Pregnant women can do the experience, children 5+ accompanied with an adult. Drinks offered Photos above are property of Unreal Room Escape (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"!) #AlexandreTang #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #UnrealRoomEscape #Exploration #Spain

LOCATION: Barcelona, Spain Photo above is property of Unreal Room Escape Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Date Played: September 22, 2022 Genre: Crime Difficulty (Based on 2 PPL): 6/10 Total # of Players: 2-7 PPL (Ages 12+) Length of Time: 90 Minutes Price: €19-35/PP (pending on amt of players) Booking Type: Private Escaped? Yes 📖 THE STORY The fight between us and the rival cartel is on! They have stolen 4 kilos of our new substance that we needed for our new drug called DEXTRONETOL. We have to get it back to regain our throne! Video above is property of Unreal Room Escape 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE If you like endless rooms and hidden doors/entrances, then this is the room for you. It felt a never ending journey (but, in a good way)! The intro played by the game master in character was a lot of fun. We were really hyped up and ready to begin our mission. The puzzles were designed to exemplify exactly what we would do in real life. This is definitely new for us as the "two finger rule" or "don't break anything" went completely out the window. As cautious players, we did ask for permission before attempting to do what we thought couldn't be undone. The story had a twist which was a great add-on for the ending. The game master once again did a great job with acting out their part. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK One puzzle at the beginning confused us in the wording. We didn't know which perspective we were supposed to look at it from. Some props felt like they needed some updating. One of the puzzles didn't have clear direction on what we needed to do. Somehow we pressed a bunch of buttons and it worked but we had no clue on the reasoning behind it. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? This is a great room for players who like to explore large areas and find hidden "wow" moments. The puzzles were not difficult. They felt more like given instructions and we just needed to follow a picture clue in order to solve them. This game is 90 minutes and we played the room with just the two of us and finished it in about 60 minutes or so. But for beginners, it might feel like there's a lot to do as you'll need to run back and forth and associate items with things that you found before with later puzzles. With the game master's involvement, the authenticity of the storyline went up another level. As you can see in the victory photo below, we successfully reclaimed our title as the best cartel in town! ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO Street parking Storage bin in lobby Buzz for entrance only when it's your booking time The game is located on the second floor (no elevator access) (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 Unreal Room Escape for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #UnrealRoomEscape #Mafia #Crime #Spain

LOCATION: Barcelona, Spain Photo above is property of Unreal Room Escape Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Date Played: September 22, 2022 Genre: Fantasy Difficulty (Based on 2 PPL): 7/10 Total # of Players: 2-7 PPL (Ages 12+) Length of Time: 90 Minutes Price: €20-38/PP (pending on team size) Booking Type: Private Escaped? Yes 📖 THE STORY The Sultan of Agrabah is in danger and he needs your help! He needs a group of brave souls with pure hearts to enter deep into Agrabah. Rumor has it that besides priceless treasures, there's also a magic lamp. The lamp will be able to grant you any wish you desire and this might be the only way to save the people of Agrabah. Video above is property of Unreal Room Escape 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE The set design is incredible. From the real sand on the floor to the gigantic doors that opens into an outdoor market place to the starry night sky, everything felt like movie production quality. Some rooms even provided the right aroma. Just like a lot of scenes in Aladdin, the atmosphere felt playful. Most of the puzzles were designed to be game-like. You might even recognize a character or two throughout the experience. Most of our memorable moments were towards the end of the game. I really didn't anticipate what was going to happen and then it happened! For a short period of time I felt like I was a 5-year old again. The storyline was very clear and the game had a nice flow. I really liked how the game designer was able to make the player go a certain route or focus on a certain puzzle and not get distracted by anything else that's around them. The space is enormous, so the "guidance" was very much appreciated. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK It was hard to hear the hints through the speaker. The music might need to be turned lower or off when hints are given. We missed the sound "clue" for one of the puzzles and wasn't sure what we had to do for one of the puzzles. Perhaps, if we can re-trigger the hint somehow on our own then it would help instead of having to ask for a hint. The ending puzzle was also difficult to hear. Perhaps a print out of what was said would be helpful. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? I would probably categorize this room to be more of an adventure than a typical escape room. We had so much fun in the room that we forgot about time, what was happening in the outside world and even hunger! We felt like we were characters in a movie and each room was a different scene. The game masters were like the directors giving us "cues" on where to go next. Once we got there, we would have the freedom to explore and act out our part. If you are a huge Disney fan (like me), then you'll want to take a trip to this magical land in Agrabah! ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO Street parking Storage bin in game Buzz for entrance only when it's your booking time Restroom inside the game (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 Unreal Room Escape for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #UnrealRoomEscape #Magic #Aladdin #Spain

Photos provided by Intrigue Escape Room Company: Intrigue Escape Room Game: Master of the Game Country: South Africa 🇿🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣 Genre: Thriller Date Played: 10/12/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 4/10 Size of Team: 2-6 Players Time: 60 Minutes Price: $18.00 (USD) per person/ R150 (EFT) per person Leroy Lancaster has been a 5 time champion at the Vintage Board Game event since it started in 1995. For some reason he was accused of cheating and got disqualified in the 2000 game. He is convinced that this was a set up by an opponent and ran off with one of the prizes for the event: a wooden puzzle box. Twenty years later, we are contestants ourselves at this event and one of our teammates has gone missing. He finally answered our call and it seems like he's trapped in a basement surrounded by "The Trivial Pursuit of Life" puzzle cards. We need to help him escape before crazy Lancaster comes back to finish him off! This remote escape game was played over Zoom. Our avatar Jason acted as our eyes and hands in the room. We also had to form a group in Whatsapp prior to the start of the game. Nicky was in charge of sending us close up photos of clues we've discovered in the chat. She was very efficient at removing the ones we've already used. This room was a Gen-1 room and you'll probably see a lot of home made props in it (they even had a homemade Cryptex!). We were impressed by what they were able to build considering the limited resources in South Africa. The puzzles would probably be on the easier side for enthusiasts as we finished in about 33minutes or so but if are the kind of player that overthinks things, you might get yourself into a trap. Although we had no issues with working on two devices (computer and cell phone) to complete the game, it would be more convenient if the inventory portal could be somehow incorporated onto the computer as well. Moreover, some players may not have Whatsapp and would need to download and learn the usage of the App just for the purpose of the game. One other thing we thought the game lacked was a surprise moment for the players. We did give some ideas and feedback to the creators so hopefully that would be implemented for future players (Update 10/17: Some new puzzles were added so hopefully you'll discover a surprising moment in the game when you play it now!). One final advice we felt could be helpful for with this game is for the company to get a quick survey from the players that booked the game to see if are beginner or experienced players. It would help for the avatar to guide the beginners more but give less hints or handholding to experienced players as they might finish the game too quick or feel like they didn't solve the puzzles themselves. Overall, we really enjoyed the originality feel of this game, especially with the craftsmanship on some of the props that were build in-house. Although we're really sad that our February 2021 cruise to South Africa got cancelled, we're happy to add our first review of a South Africa Escape Room company to our website. *** We regret to inform this company has closed its doors *** Disclosure: We thank Intrigue Escape Room for comping our tickets for this game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #ESCAPETHEROOmers #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #IntrigueEscapeRoom #MasterOfTheGame #RemoteEscapeRoom #Avatar #Mystery #Puzzles #Challenges #chess #game #kidnap #saveme

LOCATION: Ljubljana, Slovenia Video property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Date Played:  July 26, 2019 Price: $67/Team Length of Time: 60 Minutes Total # of Players: Up To 5PPL Difficulty Level: 7.5/10 Public/Private: Private Escaped? Yes Hint: Things may look different through a looking "glass"... This was a delighted surprise for us on this Europe trip. As our cruise docked quite far (in Koper, Slovenia), it looks us 2.5 hours by bus through heavy traffic to get to its capital city, Ljubljana (try to pronounce/spell this one). It was well worth it even though we ended up only having 2 hours to spend here before getting on the bus for another 2-hour journey back. When our tour guide gave us a map of the city of Ljubljana, it was like discovering GOLD! There were over 4 escape room companies within walking distance to where our bus was dropping us off! How could we miss this and not been prepared? So, without knowing which one we should try, we picked the one that had the most games and prayed that they will have an available room during the time that we were there. As we walked to the location, we realized how beautiful this city was. There were tons of shops along the Sava river. The city actually won the "Green Capital of Europe" in 2016. There was so much to do and so little time. As we walked for about 10 minutes (we realized we already passed some escape room locations at this point), we saw a large sign along the walls of a building with Enigmarium Escape Room written all over it. We pressed on the buzzer at the door a few times and no one answered. I realized they have a number that you can call if this happens, so I guess they do accept walk-ins because the note says they are very close by. I was about to turn on my cell phone data to give it one last try when the door buzzed open. Yay! As we walked down a long hallway, we saw the game master welcoming us near the door. We explained that we only have two hours here and they graciously squeezed us into one of their newest rooms, “Salvation Room 2: Inventor Čuden’s Wondrous Machine”. We didn’t waste anytime and went into the room right away after debriefing. The storyline was quite interesting as it was based on the fact that Ljubljana had a very big earthquake back in 1895 and out comes this famous inventor who invented a machine to prevent earthquakes. At this time the semi-graphical instrument just reported that there’s an earthquake that’s about to happen, but we don’t know where this inventor is. So, we have to go into his apartment in hopes to turn this machine on in time to save the beautiful city. As we enter the room, the furniture did feel quite dated to fit the timeline. The owners build everything in-house so there was definitely uniqueness to its set design and puzzles. This room is extremely puzzle heavy. It wasn’t all locks and keys which made it more enjoyable. I loved how I was able to use some of the things I learned in high school (this was my showoff moment to Brandon) from math and science class an applied it to some of the puzzles. It’s not difficult so don’t be intimated, it’s just cleverly used. No puzzles repeated itself in terms of the design. There was one surprising factor that we’ve never seen before which cleverly fooled us when we first saw it. Later on, we heard from the game master that this building is quite old and protected so they don’t really have much freedom with the build of the room. So everything had to be worked around what was given. This location currently holds 5 escape rooms. They also have an outdoor “escape adventure” game aptly titled "Unlocked". The most intriguing one, which we didn’t have time to try, is the “Sensperience” room which lets you experience all your senses on another level all while being blindfolded and seated in a chair.  From the escape room we just did, we already felt that this would be done really well as besides “smell” we felt that we used all the other senses in the salvation room. We recommend a larger group if you can for the room above. Although we escaped with two people there was definitely a lot of puzzles to go through. Another bonus is that regardless of how many people you bring (max 5), the price is the same and it’s per room. The only one that’s different is “Sensperience” as it’s a 90-minute game at 90 Euros. Enigmarium Escape room is a franchise and they have a few more escape room and entertainment locations under their belt. We would love to come back and visit them on our next journey back to Ljubljana! (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"!) #escapetheroomers #etr #review #escaperoomreviews #escaperooms #escape #rooms #games #escaperoomenigmarium #enigmarium #salvationroom2 #ljubljana #solvenia

Photos provided by Escape Room Enigmarium Company: Escape Room Enigmarium Game: Maestro Luigi & the Secret Recipe Country: Slovenia 🇸🇮 Language: English, Slovenian Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣 Genre: Adventure Date Played: 2/20/2021 Difficulty (based on 5 players): 5/10 Size of Team: 2-5 Players Time: 60 Minute (+15 Minutes) Price: €75/ Team (2-5 Players) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 The famous chef Luigi made a recipe for a pasta dish that will make the world very happy. Unfortunately the gangs found out as well and they are on their way to retrieve the secret. You only have 60 minutes to figure out the decrypted message that Luigi had left for you. Once you've decoded the message, make sure to destroy it so it won't fall into the wrong hands! 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 We were greeted inside the kitchen over Zoom. Our avatar gave us a verbal introduction before the game began. We would probably suggest either a video trailer or telling the narrative while we're playing the room as it felt a bit too long. The set design was very cute. We felt like we've entered a home kitchen. We loved all the vibrant colors. It definitely had a happy vibe. Our GM was great at keeping the energy up for our group throughout the game play. We're semi jealous that she got to do all the physical puzzles but on the other hand, I'm also quite happy sipping my coffee while watching her make all the "magic" happen. There's no inventory system that's paired with the game. We did have to take a few snapshots with our phones so other members of our group could continue to look at other things while we focused on solving the puzzles. Our GM did a great job with setting the clues that were relevant together on the table. Having an inventory system would benefit the game as sometimes we felt like the GM had already "completed" some aspects of the puzzles by putting it in order. It would be great if these clues could be translated into the inventory portal so we could do them on our own. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 Escape Room Enigmarium did a great job utilizing all the relevant props that you would have seen in a kitchen to make the puzzles. Some physical puzzles looked really fun and I would've loved to play them in person. One cool prop sort of got lost in translation to the online version because we couldn't see the actual progress but the GM was great at keeping us informed. Most of the puzzles were things you would see in a Gen 1 room but we didn't mind it as long as it was relevant to the theme and made sense. There was one physical puzzle that was rather time consuming mainly because there were a lot of repetitive steps that we had to take in order to solve the puzzle. It was also hard for the GM to understand our directions. I would definitely suggest a more clever way of doing that puzzle over an online interface. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 For a newcomer to the remote escape room world, Escape Room Enigmarium has most of the important items down. The GM definitely played a big part in this experience. With some more practice on sturdier camera movements, character play and an inventory portal, this could be a solid game. Too bad we can't play this in person. I would love to make a delicious pasta dish! 𝔼𝕊ℂ𝔸ℙ𝔼𝕋ℍ𝔼ℝ𝕆𝕆𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕤❜ ℙ.𝕀.𝕤❜ 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 Jen M. Master Luigi & the Secret Recipe serves up some tasty puzzles and good fun. The plot is straight forward—you must recover the famous chef's secret recipe to prevent it from falling into the hands of thugs and bring happiness to the world through delicious pasta. The Italian cooking theme fits perfectly in the brightly colored kitchen scene Enigmarium has created. I love that they incorporated actual appliances into the set and into the puzzles. It was clear to me that Master Luigi is a delightful escape room. However, it would benefit from some optimizations to make the online play experience as much fun as playing in person. There were points where it was challenging to efficiently instruct the avatar on how to interact with some of the objects and places where it was difficult to see clearly what impact the avatar's actions had. There was one physical puzzle that they shortened for online play, but was still visible in full which created a little unnecessary confusion. Overall, I was charmed by the theme and some clever puzzles. And now I'm hungry. ______________________________________________________________ Ryann S. I had an excellent time playing this game and continuously found myself being wowed when I remembered that I was playing a game in Slovenia while sitting on my couch in Minneapolis. [Seriously—how cool is that?!] This room was packed. There seemed to be an almost endless number of things to search and puzzles to solve. The loosely-kitchen-themed puzzle variety was great, with types ranging from mathematical puzzles to visual puzzles to tactile puzzles (all at a variety of difficulty levels). While I did really enjoy having our friendly avatar-host act as my hands throughout this game, I also found myself increasingly frustrated with one tactile puzzle. It seemed like my fellow players and I all had the same idea about how to solve the puzzle and tried to communicate this (at the same time) to our avatar with moderate difficulty. This became a bit hectic, though it’s easily “fixable” and certainly didn’t ruin the experience for me. I also felt a quick moment of disappointment when I couldn’t see something super cool that was happening due to camera angle. Thankfully, our avatar explained in detail! Compared to many other experiences, this one was a bit lighter on the storyline and exposition, with more emphasis on completing the puzzles. In a way, this was beneficial since we didn’t have to read into each puzzle’s solution as part of some grander meaning or advancement of a story. [Of course, I still tried to do that multiple times… including at the very end of the game!] Overall, while there are a few very small ways that the game creators could tweak their in-person room to really shine in a virtual format, this experience was absolutely worth waking up early for. ______________________________________________________________ Marta I. I had a pleasure to play this online escape game with a live avatar. The game had a lot of puzzles and there is plenty to do even if you done a few rooms before. Some puzzles really surprised me and one of them I never seen before. The set up was interesting but focus on the camera was going off from time to time and sometimes I wasn't able to see clearly all the items, colours and important details, so I couldn't cope with the rest of the team. I know zoom is taking a lot off the quality but I would suggest some extra lighting in darker places that should improve quality. I think all the puzzles were connected with the theme of the game which is really good. There was a few physical puzzles that I would love to do in person. The avatar made them as easy as possible to follow but some didn't transfer perfect for an online game. I wasn't able to see all the details sometimes. If small improvements will be made or if the whole mechanism will be shown before we start working with the puzzle in more details, then it can make the game more smooth. I was missing an inventory in the game as some of the puzzles contained a lot of pieces or have been placed in different parts of the game. I do recommend an inventory or simplified the puzzle or move them around to get quicker access to all pieces, sometimes a small change will make a huge difference if someone do not prefer an inventory. I do miss a little chat with the game master after the game ( personally I think it is always a nice touch) and a bit more description how the game will look like before, will be beneficial. Overall I had a nice time playing this game and I think if few small improvements will be made the game will be suitable for an excellent online experience. *** This game can no longer be booked as a remote game but can still be booked as an in-person experience *** (If you do decide to try this experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank Escape Room Enigmarium for comping our tickets for this game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #ESCAPETHEROOmers #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #EscapeRoomEnigmarium #MaestroLuigiandtheSecretRecipe #Fun #Recipe #Chef #Kitchen #Adventure #Mystery #RemoteEscapeRoom

LOCATION: HarbourFront, Singapore Photo above is property of The Escape Artist SG Date Played: November 20, 2021 Genre: Adventure, Ninja Difficulty (Based on 4 PPL): 8/10 Total # of Players: 2-5 PPL Length of Time: 60 Minutes Price: $22/PP (Weekdays), $25/PP (Weekends) Booking Type: Private Escaped? No 📖 THE STORY A reconnaissance squad has failed to return. Selected as part of a team of elite ninjas to track their whereabouts, you reached the last known location and realized that it was a trap. You must now quickly investigate the motive and escape before it’s too late. Hayaku! 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE Fans of a certain Japanese anime will certainly enjoy this game due to the tidbits and Easter eggs scattered around the room as part of the story and puzzle solving. The effort to sustain the narrative was apparent throughout and the puzzles were related to the theme. Props and set design can all be related to the "ninja" theme, making it one of the more unique games in Singapore as I have not seen any similar room with such setup. There was a good mix of puzzles, cleverly thought out and having its own satisfactory solution when the 'aha' moment came. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK One of puzzles is a physical task. Hence, if you cannot do it, it means you cannot do it. There will be a way to bypass it, but it takes away some immersion and the climatic moment at that time. A mid game puzzle was a bit tedious but logical. So it depends on your group's preferences. However, it is only a minor nitpick of my preference and does not detract away from the entire game experience. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? "Night Before The Storm" is a room with some cool moments with the set design immediately transporting you to the olden 'Japanese' culture. There are multiple rooms to explore and plenty of puzzles to keep you occupied and you don't even notice how fast the time just flies by. Overall, it is a challenging room with several 'aha' moments and the puzzle solving is fair once you can link the clues together. It is recommended for players who likes physical and mental challenges and for those who have always dreamt of becoming a ninja. (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 The Escape Artist SG for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #MelvinLim #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #Adventure #Ninjas #TheEscapeArtistSG #Singapore

LOCATION: Sultan Gate, Singapore Photo above is property of Amazing Chambers Singapura Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Date Played: December 4, 2021 Genre: Singapore Cultural History Difficulty (Based on 4 PPL): 7/10 Total # of Players: Up To 10PPL (Recommend ages 12+) Length of Time: 90 Minutes Price: $25-39/PP (pending on group size) Booking Type: Private Escaped? Yes 📖 THE STORY The Princess Radin Mas Ayu is getting married to Tengku Bagus. However, the murmurs from the village talk about the prospective groom’s kidnapping of the Sultan, the Princess’ father. Break into his house but beware – the Tengku has hidden his important materials behind numerous locks. Find the needed evidence to stop the Tengku before it’s too late! 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE We were looking for a unique escape room challenge without relying on the common horror genre setup. This room was an immersive experience that concentrated on the sights and sounds of that particular point in local cultural history. As immersive as the experience was, it did not distract from the mission at hand. The countdown clock at the start made sure of that. The set design put us in the middle of the Malay Archipelago in the 16th Century. Each section also told the story that inspired this room in parts, culminating to a final lock. Red herrings were sparse as well, with most pieces intentionally placed. There was a helpline provided via wireless phone, giving us access to unlimited hints. Despite that, the clues given by the Game Master were more like nudges rather than walkthroughs, and thus did not take away from the experience and our want to figure puzzles out on our own. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK We ended up taking a lot of time in the last legs due an important clue that ended up being overlooked due to lighting and placement within the room. One of the puzzles in the later sections needed us to piece relevant names of the Lore of the Escape Room together with reading direction (left-to-right, vertical etc…) for a number code to the next section. However, the margin for error was relatively high, considering how there were more relevant names in the puzzle than required. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? If you are interested in Singaporean Cultural History beyond the textbook, this is a place to start! What the team appreciated was the ability to convey a thrilling, challenging experience without having to rely on common horror or supernatural aspects highly present in local Escape Rooms and mythology. The puzzles were also accessible, with each piece intentionally placed for us to put together. The set design and background sound effects threw us in the middle of the Malay Archipelago of the past. Helplines here are more like nudges to the right direction, balancing helpful hints that did not take away from the challenge. We would recommend an average of 4-5 people for this room, any more would have the room feel cramped. Amazing Chambers definitely encompassed what we were looking for – a balance of challenging puzzles, an immersive, pleasant experience, and just a space to have fun. ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO It is located on the second level of the building - accessible via the staircase left of the main entrance/ through the first level cafe, not wheelchair accessible, regular discounts or package deals, payment made onsite; lockers provided. ** UPDATE - We regret to inform that "Amazing Chambers Singapura" has closed. (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"!) #JoelynAlexandra #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #AmazingChambersSingapura #CulturalHistory #Singapore #Mythology

LOCATION: HarbourFront, Singapore Photo above is property of The Escape Artist SG Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Date Played: March 9, 2022 Genre: Thriller, Detective Difficulty (Based on 4 PPL): 7/10 Total # of Players: 2-6PPL (Ages 13+) Length of Time: 60 Minutes Price: 28SGD/PP Booking Type: Private Escaped? Yes 📖 THE STORY Deep in the woods lies a cabin where reports of blood-curdling screams have been piling up and you have been sent to investigate. Upon reaching the area, your communication device begins pinging with messages from an unknown contact, looking for help from the past, at the very same area. It turns out that the cabin was also the place where a series of unsolved murders took place. Can you find out the truth behind these cases, the screams, and where this unknown signal is coming from? 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE The experience was highly immersive - right down to the devices and messages needed to progress with the story logically. The set design was functional, but did not feel sparse - the environmental audio kept up with the mood of the story. Great use of technology and devices to enhance the relatability of the experience. A satisfying conclusion upon escaping the room - it was not just about solving puzzles, but ensuring that we put our deductive skills together to come to the needed conclusion of the room’s lore. Unlimited hints that were helpful without giving the story and the answer away. The inside of the room is also surveyed via an external camera, in case the Game Master needs to inform you of urgent or important information - like not pulling certain parts of the room apart. We would also like to note that the physical space for the room is small - no bigger than an average bedroom - and yet, The Escape Artist was able to construct the physical space to maximise the required interactive experience. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK While we appreciated the intention behind the tech of the room, there were a few inconsistencies that ended up with us calling the helpline for tech support rather than puzzle hints. A couple of the main issues included correct puzzle answers not reacting correctly or leading to the next step because of tech sensitivities and inconsistent systems (e.g. a puzzle that did not result in an audio signal when all puzzles have resulted in audio signals thus far). Certain aspects of the room might be an issue for players with mobility issues. For example, steps to climb. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? Go for this session if you’d like a physical experience (getting on your hands and knees) in solving a mystery on your own. We (including Mr. Magpie) were feeling like the private investigators we were supposed to be, down to the actual deduction needed for the conclusion of the story. Each piece of each puzzle was placed with intention, requiring us to work out the process of the puzzle instead of allowing for brute-forcing solutions. Despite the high “fear factor” rating for this room, we realised that most of the fear came from our own minds. The space was well-lit and organised, which meant a lower reliance on clutter and red herrings. A team of 2-4 people is recommended for this room. ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO This room is located on the third level of the Harbourfront Centre mall, accessible via elevators or escalators. Parking is available in the mall for drivers but the mall where this room is is also accessible via public transport. However, a few rooms may not be accessible to players with mobility issues. Therefore, interested players are advised to choose rooms with low physicality ratings on their website. This room, The Escape Artist, also organises event-based / pop-up escape experiences. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers *** We regret to inform this game is no longer available for booking but check out other games on their website*** Disclosure: We thank The Escape Artist SG for offering us a media discount for our tickets to this game. Although a media discount was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #JoelynAlexandra #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #Mystery #Thriller #Detective #TheEscapeArtistSG #Singapore

LOCATION: Joo Koon, Singapore Photo above is property of Singapore Discovery Centre Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Date Played: May 12, 2022 Genre: Sci-Fi, Investigative Difficulty (Based on 4 PPL): 5/10 Total # of Players: 4-6 PPL (Ages 12+) Length of Time: 60 Minutes Price: SDG30/PP Booking Type: Private Escaped? Yes 📖 THE STORY The Black Lake Facility, is Singapore’s top secret facility for multi-dimensional experimentation and research, and home to the Black Lake Relic. Named ‘Operation Onyx’, five of the facility’s soldiers were sent through the relic’s portal, and only four have returned with a single artefact. On top of that, CCTV from the facility’s armoury, medical centre, basement, and the research lab showed disturbing footage of the returning soldiers and the artefact they brought back just before the facility’s emergency evacuation. With only one hour of communication available between you and the facility’s communications, will you be able to find out what happened to the missing soldier and information about the artefact before communications goes dark? Video above is property of Singapore Discovery Centre 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE The setup to the room was exciting. With the introduction of the lore of the rooms, the pre-show footage, and the immersive environment, our team entered with high hopes. Even the setup for a group photo was written into the pre-show! Unlimited hints were helpful but it did not give the puzzle away - hints were given through a phone and communicated clearly enough to progress the game. Puzzles here do not need too much of a leap of logic to solve the moment we get to them. Therefore, it makes the puzzles themselves rather accessible across difficulty levels. There were some creative takes on puzzle building, such as using sound to activate doors, or magnets to unlock boxes. This room (or set of rooms) had a lot of potential to expand in terms of the story and story-puzzle alignment. Therefore, we will be looking forward to seeing how this location grows. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK From a mechanical and detailed standpoint, some of the puzzles needed work - we had an incident of asking one of the room’s staff to enter the room because one of the mag locks was not functioning well. At the same time, there were cases where the puzzle process could be smoother if there were points of reference within the room, without relying on external or general knowledge from the players. There were a few logic leaps in getting to the puzzles, especially since there was little to no link between the puzzles and the story in the room’s sections. In the end, some of the puzzles ended up being accessed by accident, brute force, or only through calling for a hint. While the puzzles worked well on their own, they felt like IQ tests thrown into their environment - for example, puzzles that were there as mechanical barriers to the end - rather than puzzles that led to the final objective of the room. Which led to the next point… There was a lack of closure or pay-off at the end of the room. After solving the final puzzle, we were expecting a conclusive epilogue that linked our activity in the game to the lore of the location. However, it turned out to be just us getting informed that our game was just one of four chapters that could be played in any order, with no indication on what happened to our final objectives. For players with issues with night vision or seeing in a dark environment, there can be safety concerns while exiting the game rooms. For our room, we had to go from a lit environment to the darker lobby, and down a flight of stairs. While there was a staff member available to ensure safety, it never hurts to be careful here. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? Go for this room if you’re a beginner for escape rooms or you're not as concerned about the lore of the escape rooms you visit. In terms of costs, people who have family memberships to the Singapore Discovery Centre can also give it a try, especially if you’re looking for an experience with puzzles. However, I would personally give this a miss for now. The buildup to the room was great, but the weak link between the puzzles and the story, together with a lack of closure at the end of the game, were its downfall. The accumulated costs needed to play all four (4) chapters to get through the location’s lore (up to SGD120 per person) with no clear process of each room’s conclusion is also, unfortunately, too high for the experience provided. Regardless, the buildup and back story behind this room still has a lot of potential for improvement and immersion. Therefore, I would not discount returning after a major revamp. ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO This room is located next to the entrance lobby of the Singapore Discovery Centre. Parking is available outdoors, via a short walk from the main Discovery Centre building. However, mobility and accessibility issues will come into play, as stair-climbing and crawling might be involved in play. This room, "The Research Lab", is one of four story chapters in Black Lake Facility, forming an overarching story. Take a look at their web page to keep updated on new rooms or room updates. 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 Singapore Discovery Centre for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #JoelynAlexandra #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #Scifi #Investigative #SingaporeDiscoveryCentre #BlackLakeFacility #Singapore