LOCATION: Edmonton, AB, Canada Photo above is property of Escape Hour Edmonton Photo above is property of Escape Hour Edmonton 📝  ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: Five Lives 📅 DATE PLAYED: August 28, 2023 🎬 GENRE: Various 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 5/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-8 ppl 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE: CAD $27/PP (Room Min $75) ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes 📖 THE STORY Are you ready to fix a spaceship, escape a killer's boiler room, train as a ninja, hangout at a wild nightclub and prevent a nuclear disaster? Can you do it all in under an hour? Make quick decisions, move fast, take risks, and work as a team. Are you ready to travel through five lives and complete all the tasks at hand? Video above is property of Escape Hour Edmonton 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE We encountered a bunch of fun challenges throughout the rooms, where a majority of them relied on a lot of teamwork to make it through. Each room was decorated with a high-quality set design, immersing you completely into the experience of each theme. The physical challenges blended well with the flow and story of the game, making the immersion even better. One of the rooms had many low hanging metal objects and they provided hard hats for us, which was appreciated 🧩 MISSED THE MARK The balance of puzzles across each theme was uneven, disrupting the game's flow. In some rooms, we had to complete multiple tasks to progress, while the others required just one or two simpler ones. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? "Five Lives" was a solid room with puzzles that promoted teamwork throughout. The rooms were well-decorated to immerse you into the theme. At Escape Hour, they offer 3 ways of providing hints: (1) Normal, (2) Organic, and (3) Hardcore. For "Normal", they will ask if you want a hint if it seems like you're falling behind on time. "Organic" is where they will give you hints automatically along the way and "Hardcore" is where they sit back and wait for you to ask. We used the normal hint system which was helpful as there were moments when we felt like we were falling behind but were assured that we were not. We played with 5 people with a variety of escape room experience, which we felt was the right amount. Any more and there might have been some players sitting out for some tasks. For a different type of escape room with some more physical challenges to complete, this would be the room for you. ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO Paid Parking Located on 3rd floor inside a mall Washroom located in food court Lobby with seating area Photo above is property of Escape Hour Edmonton (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"!) #MatthewLui #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #EscapeRoomEdmonton #Various #Edmonton #Canada

LOCATION: Oftringen, Switzerland Photo above is property of GAMEGURU Photos above are property of GAMEGURU ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: The Adventures of The Halfling 📅 DATE PLAYED: December 9, 2023 🎬 GENRE: Adventure 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 6/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-5 PPL 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE: CHF 30/PP (pending on group size) ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes (41:00) 📖 THE STORY The halfling Malion was renowned for slaying the fearful dragon Smog. He was able to achieve this unlikely feat by utilizing the many great artifacts he had collected through his adventures. Unfortunately, not all the dragon eggs were destroyed and it appears one has hatched, spreading panic amongst the local villagers. Your task is to visit the aged Malion and acquire the artifacts which will help you defeat this new threat. 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE The room has been well constructed and the style is indicative to that of a Hobbit’s home, something fans of the Lord of the Rings universe will appreciate, Beside the general look of the room, props and artifacts found within also play true to how they would have looked in the movies. Fans will likely enjoy discovering and interacting with them since they are the key elements to how the game plays. There is a lot of tech in the room, making it almost entirely padlock free, and some small special effects which provide several magical elements. The puzzles, like the visuals, have a relationship with the story and theming. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK The variety of puzzles was limited. Essentially, each puzzle consists of finding an object and placing it in a specific spot to unlock the next step. Although the logic was always fine, the repetition of tasks began to feel flat. The game’s finale was surprisingly abrupt and anticlimactic. We had expected the game to have progressed further before slaying the dragon. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? The game is most suitable for fans of LOTRs and beginner groups. More experienced teams may find the room too simple and the game play too limited. ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO GAMEGURU is located in a large entertainment complex which features multiple eateries, bars, and a cinema. The company also has a karaoke room and table tennis. Inside there are lockers for you to store your belongings. 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 GAMEGURU 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. #RyanDriver #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #GameGuru #Adventure #Oftringen #Switzerland

LOCATION: Genèva, Switzerland Photo above is property of Trip Trap Bazar Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: The Antiquary's Testament 📅 DATE PLAYED: September 29, 2023 🎬 GENRE: Horror (Mild) 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 5/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-5 PPL 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE: CHF 180/Room ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes 📖 THE STORY You have been recently contacted by a notary that has a testament from a great-great-great grand uncle of yours. What is strange is that you have never heard of its existence before (he died more than 50 years ago…) and what’s even stranger is that he bequeathed you his antiquity shop. Intrigued, you meet the notary at the shop to sign the papers and become the new owner, but right after signing you remember a quote stating “antiquaries are thieves of souls”. You decide to explore the shop (your new acquisition) with that quote in mind, in order to figure out why you thought about it… 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE The venue is very well decorated (even from the outside), it looks like a real antiquary shop (apparently, sometimes some random customers enter the venue in order to buy stuff exposed in a showcase). The transition between the introduction/pitch and the start of the game is very smooth, which is very appreciable. It changes from the classical “you have 60 minutes to get out of the room/find the exit/retrieve the lost artefact/save the world), please open the door and enter the room now”. The room is very well decorated with a lot of old items that seem true (and for some of them, quite heavy so be careful when you manipulate them): props for the realistic environment! 🧩 MISSED THE MARK Some places are a bit too dark: I understand it’s for a better immersion for the horror theme, but sometimes it is a bit difficult to clearly see what we are doing and if we are doing things correctly. Some places are a bit narrow so you might feel a bit uncomfortable in a large group. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? Even if I sorted this room in the horror genre, it is still very mild: you don’t have any jump scare or an actor chasing you with a chainsaw. This room is not for the faint of heart thought as the general atmosphere and sounds you can hear can add quickly to your anxiety level (that is why it is not possible to play below 12 years old). Trip Trap offers here a pretty decent experience with interesting mechanics, but quite linear overall. I would recommend a group of 4 players maximum (3 would be perfect in my opinion). ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO For parking spots, you can either find a place in the nearby streets or in the train station underground parking lot. 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), some actions may result in slight discomfort. For people with disabilities, unfortunately it is not suitable for wheelchairs and seems extremely complicated for crutches (presence of stairs and narrow passages) No drinks or food unfortunately: the Catalpa bar is only available at the GRAND TRIP TRAP HOTEL Toilets are available Photos above are property of Trip Trap Bazar (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 #TripTrapBazar #Horror #Geneva #Switzerland

LOCATION: Genève, Switzerland Photo above is property of Trip Trap Bazar Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: The Lotus Trap 📅 DATE PLAYED: September 30, 2023 🎬 GENRE: Adventure 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 5/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-6 PPL 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE: CHF 180/Room ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes 📖 THE STORY You are a crystal hound with a great passion for treasures from Asia and you just heard of a big opportunity to obtain a rare crystal lotus. You have a meeting in an antique shop with a contact that brought to money in a case to buy it. You were ready for some negotiations to get the lowest price for the acquisition but let’s say that it didn’t go as expected… Photos above are property of Trip Trap 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE There are some good ideas in this room: different mechanics, good variety of puzzles and an additional quest if you are quite ahead in time. The quality of the set is unequal: the second part is much better in terms of immersion and sticks to the theme, while the first part is a bit more random (we were here in the first place to buy a crystal lotus so we would expect a different scenery). 🧩 MISSED THE MARK Unfortunately, quite a lot of padlocks in the room (this room is pretty old and it may not stand the comparison with the most recent ones). Some places are a bit too dark: it is a bit difficult to clearly see what we are doing and if we are doing things correctly (be careful of possible misreading). 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? Overall, this room suffers a bit as it is a pretty old one, not in terms of ideas but in terms of mechanics (presence of many padlocks). But put aside, this is still a pretty decent escape room. I would recommend a group of 4 players. ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO For parking spots, you can either find a place in the nearby streets or in the train station underground parking lot. 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 in wheelchairs, if its width is less than 75 cm (30 inches) or if it can be folded, it should be OK in the room. The game master can help with it, but please call first to make sure (Tel: +41 22 345 05 15) No drinks or food unfortunately: the Catalpa bar is only available at the GRAND TRIP TRAP HOTEL. Toilets are available (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 #TripTrapBazar #Adventure #Geneva #Switzerland

LOCATION: Geneva, Switzerland Photo above is property of Trip Trap Secret Floor Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: The Brotherhood of The Stone 📅 DATE PLAYED: September 29, 2023 🎬 GENRE: Investigation 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 4/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-5 PPL (Max 10PPL/2 ROOMS) 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE: CHF 180/Room ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes 📖 THE STORY The story takes places in Geneva, in the early 20th century. There are rumors about a powerful and secret society that controls everything in the shadows, thanks to influential members with very high positions. You and your friends are well renown detectives that have been recruited to investigate one of its most dangerous members: Victor de la Verrière, a very famous architect. You will need to sneak into his mansion and find evidence but be careful, as an evil architect, some traps may have been set in place. Your contact Archibald will be there to help you in this perilous mission. Good luck! 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE The lobby is very well-decorated and has a lot of space. The game masters are very welcoming. For a first-generation room, the mechanisms used are very clever and fun to play with. A lot of good ideas have been used to avoid redundancy of actions and it is well appreciated. A good mix of search, thinking and cooperation. Even if the room is pretty small, we did not have the impression to be cramped (we were 4 adult players), the space has been well optimized. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK Even though we did enjoy the mission, we feel like a common thread was missing for all the puzzles, they were fun thought. In the end, the backstory does not seem that important when we consider what we have done in the room 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? It is a pretty small first-generation escape room overall, with padlocks mixed with mechanisms, and the difficulty is quite low so it may be less entertaining for hardcore gamers. It is more suitable for recreational players or beginners. I would recommend a group of 3-4 players. If you are a large group of players, it may be cool to consider splitting into 2 groups and challenging each other. Photo above is property of Time Trap Secret Floor ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO There are some white and blue parking spots in front of the building There are stairs and an elevator to get access to the lobby 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 The lobby is pretty big and there are comfortable seats/couches while you wait. You can store your belongings in separated closets This game can be played in French or in English No drinks or food unfortunately: the Catalpa bar is only available at the GRAND TRIP TRAP HOTEL. You may still ask for a glass of water or syrup (free) Toilets are available (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 #SecretFloor #Investigation #Geneva #Switzerland

LOCATION: Tokyo, Japan Photo above is property of Real Escape Game by SCRAP Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 📝  ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: "Escape from the Small Wonder Room" 📅 DATE PLAYED: November 7, 2023 🎬 GENRE: Mystery 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 5/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 1-2 ppl 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 10 Mins. 💰 PRICE:  ¥1,500/ pp (1 person), ¥1,000/ pp (2 ppl) ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes 📖 THE STORY A mysterious small room suddenly appears in Real Escape Room Shimokitazawa, and you are locked in this room with strange items and figures. You have only 10 minutes to escape from this room! Are you ready for the challenge? 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE It was an exciting game with fun and a slight sense of rush. The length of the game was only 10 minutes. I believe it is a perfect game for warm-up if you play this game before you try other games. The game setting was simple. There were no embellished stories, and nothing was complicated. I loved that this room reminded me of classic escape games in the old times! The volume and difficulty of the puzzles were well-balanced for a short game. There were varieties of puzzles in such a small space. I loved that the game had physical puzzles or searching items rather than logical puzzles or puzzles on paper, which games by SCRAP usually have. Although there was a puzzle that might require knowledge of Japanese culture, SCRAP provided us with the information needed. No reservation was required to play this game. You can decide whether to play it or not on the spot. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK I cannot think of anything. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? “Escape from the Small Wonder Room” was a simple but exciting game with various puzzles in a small room. It was pure fun, just like a classic escape room. I recommend this game to everyone. It can be a great warm-up game for enthusiasts. Or it can be a great introductory game for those who have never tried escape rooms. Shimokitazawa is a vibrant town. It is easy to access from Shinjuku or Shibuya. If you are in Tokyo, why don’t you visit Shimokitazawa to get locked into this mysterious small room? ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO No parking Located near "Shimokitazawa" Station. How to get to Shimokitazawa: From Shinjuku: Take the Odakyu Line. 7-9min from Shinjuku Odakyu Station to Shimokitazawa From Shibuya: Take the Inogashira Line. 3-6min from Shibuya Inogashira Station to Shimokitazawa Shimokitazawa has many shops and restaurants. It is a great place to hang out. The current Shimokitazawa SCRAP will be closed after the 8th of January 2024. Check information on where this game is held via the Real Escape Game website. 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 (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 Real Escape Games 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. #ChikakoOmura #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #RealEscapeGamebySCRAP #Japan #Mystery

Videos/ Photos provided by Fizzbox Company: Funny That Game: The Inventor's Vault Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Live Stream Puzzles W/ GM 💻 Genre: Comedy, Adventure Date Played: 6/6/2021 Difficulty (based on 6 players): 5/10 Size of Team: 4-24 Players Time: 60 mins Price: £99.80+ (per group) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 You've found a mysterious vault in an abandoned house. Since it's been hidden so well, there must be something valuable inside. The only way to get into the vault is with the right code as too many guesses will cause the it to self destruct. Are you witty enough to solve the puzzles left inside the house in order to crack open the vault in time? 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 This game was played over Zoom with an virtual inventory system called Telescape. This is not a game staged in a real escape room. Our GM utilized various displays of virtual backgrounds to act like we are exploring the different areas of the house. If we wanted to search a particular room, he would inform us what he was able to find and bring the actual item to the front of the computer screen. During the game, you'll receive images and documents through Telescape that will help with solving the puzzles and opening up locks. You'll also receive website links that'll lead to interactive puzzles. We were genuinely impressed by Stephen's ability to host this game as a one man show. He was quick on his feet and fast with his hands. Items were bought to us to be examined while links were being send in the chat for us to review. At the same time, he was also able to remove items we've already used in Telescape. We played the standard one hour version of the game and got out with few seconds to spare. You'll get a score of how much you've stolen at the end based on time and how many hints you've used. If you want more puzzles and a longer play time, he has harder versions that would run for 1.5-2hours. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 There were a good mixture of traditional escape room type of puzzles and innovative types that we had to think out of the box for. Pairing the narrative with a bit of comedy and stirring in just the right amount of puzzles was what made this game really entertaining. Since there's a good amount of places to explore in the house, we divided our team to searchers and solvers. There was one puzzle that felt quite magical and futuristic and we were truly impressed by his creativity. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Our GM, Stephen, comes from a Comedian background. He hosts other virtual events like trivia and comedy nights but this is his first escape room game. We were impressed by the game flow being that this is his first attempt. You can tell he's put a lot of work into making this happen as a one man show. There's some tech props that we haven't seen in other games use before like the close up camera. We love seeing innovation in the community and this one was definitely special. No matter if you are the competitive type of player that's looking to steal the highest amount possible from the vault or a casual player that just wants to be entertained with funny jokes throughout the game, this is a great choice for you and your family and friends. Maybe we will get to see some actual magic in his next game? 😜 (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank Funny That for comping our tickets for this experience. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #ESCAPETHEROOMers #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #ChorusProductions #Eschaton #ENDTIMES #OnlineImmersiveEntertainment #Mystery #Maze #VirtualClub #InteractivePerformances #Nightlife #ImmersiveTheatre #halloween

Photo above is property of HKAppBond Company: HKAppBond Game: 3D Escape Game: Chinese Room Country: Hong Kong 🇭🇰 Language: English Type of Game: Video Escape Game 📱 Genre: Mystery, Puzzles Date Played: January 2, 2024 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 4/10 Time: Unlimited (Approx. 30 Mins.) Price: Free (In-App Purchases) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 As a pilgrim, you are about to embark on a journey as you explore different ancient temples situated on snow-covered mountain in China... Video above is property of HKAppBond 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 "3D Escape Game: Chinese Room" has 5 levels and there are all different types of puzzle challenges along the way. The first level of this game reminded me a little of "The Room" by Fireproof Games mainly because it was one box inside of a room that had so many secret compartments to unlock. But as you continue on, the other levels explore other parts of the rooms. The graphics and music was beautifully designed to create a authentic experience. When you open a box or unlock a compartment, the unveiling is truly cinematic. It many not be for everyone. Much like IRL escape rooms, some players are just there to solve and escape as fast as possible and some players are there to absorb every moment of the experience. The controls are fairly simple but it does take some getting used to. Certain objects will require a twist, turn, push, pull, or click type of finger gesture on the screen. The game provides you with a brief tutorial on how the controls work. Like most app games, there's an inventory for the items that you collect. What's interesting is that the items are 3-D, so you can examine every part of it. If you're stuck on a puzzle or a "mini-game", there's an option to skip it by using 30 gold coins. You can also accumulate 5 gold coins in exchange for watching an advertisement. Photos above are property of HKAppBond 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 A majority of the puzzles required a search and find aspect to it. Most of it was straight-forward and simple to understand. None of it was language-based, so anyone should be able to understand the puzzles. In comparison with their other game - "3D Escape Room Detective Story", which focused more on the storyline and puzzles, this game focused a lot more on the graphics and the ambience. Photo above is property of HKAppBond 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Personally, I really enjoyed "3D Escape Game: Chinese Room", as it reminded me of parts of China that I recently visited and I thought it was beautifully designed from beginning to end! As a puzzle-lover and a fan of immersive theatre, I thought that everything was well-executed and provided a truly cinematic 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"!) #BrandonChow #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #AppGames #HKAppBond #Mystery #Puzzles #HongKong

Photo above is property of HKAppBond Company: HKAppBond Game: 3D Escape Room Detective Story Country: Hong Kong 🇭🇰 Language: English Type of Game: Video Escape Game 📱 Genre: Detective, Puzzles Date Played: January 2, 2024 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 5/10 Time: Unlimited (Approx. 45-60 Mins.) Price: Free (In-App Purchases) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 It's 1930, and you are a renowned detective in London. You receive a phone call in your office from Sheriff Claude requesting your help with a case. He asks you to meet him at the Tulip Inn on Sun Dew Avenue. Upon your arrival, you find the outline of a body on the floor next to a briefcase... Video above is property of HKAppBond 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 "3D Escape Room Detective Story" has 5 chapters and there are all different types of puzzle challenges along the way. The graphics were quite realistic and they really made you feel like you're there exploring the space. The controls are fairly simple but it does take some getting used to. Certain objects will require a twist, turn, push, pull, or click type of finger gesture on the screen. After the intro, the game provides you with a brief tutorial on how the controls work. Like most app games, there's an inventory for the items that you collect. What's interesting is that the items are 3-D, so you can examine every part of it. If you're stuck on a puzzle or a "mini-game", there's an option to skip it by using 30 gold coins. You can also accumulate 5 gold coins in exchange for watching an advertisement. Photos above are property of HKAppBond 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 Some puzzles in this game were very unique and provided a surprise reveal once solved or unlocked. There were many multi-step challenge throughout the game. For the most part, the difficulty level was beginner-intermediate. As you continue playing, you start to get used to the types of puzzles along the way. In comparison with their other game - "3D Escape Game: Chinese Room", which focused more on the graphics and the ambience, this game focused a lot more on the storyline and the puzzles. Photo above is property of HKAppBond 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Until now, one of my favorite app games has been "Agent A" by Yak & Co and "The Room" by Fireproof Games! "3D Escape Room Detective Story" has a very similar gaming experience that allows you to navigate parts of a room and approach objects in order to solve it. The storyline was quite unique and kept I recommend playing this game on your iPad as some areas may need to be investigated a little bit closer and some objects may require a little bit of finesse. (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"!) #BrandonChow #AtHomeGames #VideoGames #AppGames #HKAppBond #Detective #Puzzles

Photos provided by Live Cam Escape Company: Live Cam Escape Game: Sherlock Holmes Country: Poland 🇵🇱 Language: English/Polish Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣 Genre: Mystery Date Played: 6/23/2020 Difficulty (based on 3 players): 5/10 Size of Team: 2-6 Players Time: 60 Minutes Price: From €13,33 pp Sherlock Holmes discovered some dirty secrets on a few of Her Majesty's closest acquaintances. He suspected that they were the ones that stole the Queen's jewelry a few years ago. We need to find these evidence and save Sherlock from his kidnappers! Live Cam Escape had a very organized remote escape room setup. It felt like they have been doing this type of game for years. After our intro, our avatar Greg took us on a detailed tour of the room. He was accompanied by the lovely camera man Mark. Since our avatar had both hands, it was very easy for him to open locks and execute our commands. We really enjoyed the clarity and close up shots from Mark. Greg also did a great job interacting with us as the detective in the field. The decor felt like we were in the 1800s. The office space had very high ceilings and contained a few "surprises". The lighting made it very easy to see all the puzzles. There was no inventory system but we didn't feel like it was necessary. When we needed a closer look on the puzzle, the avatar was able to put a PDF image directly into our Zoom screen. Since the puzzles were linear and not too difficult (we also had help from our friend Rich who's done over 900 rooms), we got out in 31 minutes including the 4 minutes of room touring time. Yay for breaking new record! Even though we crushed the room, we still had lot of fun. We much prefer a room that had puzzles that made sense versus one that was difficult because of "time filler" puzzles. Live Cam Escape will be coming out with an app soon that should make the remote experience even more seamless. We can't wait to check out what else they have up their sleeves! *** We regret to inform this company has closed its doors*** (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 Live Cam Escape 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 #LiveCamEscape #SherlockHolmes #RemoteEscapeRoom #Avatar #Detective #Mystery #Thriller #queen #yourhighness

Photos above are property of Escape Masters Company: Escape Masters Game: Prison Bus Country: New Zealand 🇳🇿 Language: English Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣 Genre: Adventure Date Played: September 18, 2021 Difficulty (based on 5 players): 4/10 Size of Team: Up to 6 Connections Time: 60 Minutes Price: $100 NZ/ Team (Approx. $75.00 USD) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 You and your friends have been incarnated for crimes you did not commit. To make matters worse the prison guards have placed you all on the incorrect bus that would take you to Wellington Maximum Security Prison! You have sixty minutes before the guards return and you need all the help you can get. Thankfully, the prisoners meant to travel on this bus have left behind their possessions and these might come in handy for your great escape. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Escape Masters sends you an online portal link for each participant to sign up and check in for. This portal is your access point to view an inventory as well as open the Google Meet link. If you have played any remote escape game on Zoom this has the similar format of your gamemaster taking on an avatar role. When your gamemaster comes across a file or document they will scan the QR code associated with it so it can show up in your inventory. The first goal of the room is to escape the locked bus you are in before breaking into the prison warden’s office to make your great escape. You are allotted three hints during the sixty minutes but our gamemaster did explain they do provide unlimited hints after the sixty-minute mark. This game can be played as a team challenge as the facility has two prison buses. Photos above are property of Escape Masters 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The general consensus for our game was that this game reminded us of the old school escape rooms. The majority of the puzzling involved opening three-digit locks that you find through exploration of the room. I did find two puzzles interesting as they required you to make connection between items that would come together to a reveal of a key component. In both cases there were great “aha” moments and gave a good pace to the experience. In addition, some of our experience was impacted by lack of technical experience, and inconsistencies between the items we received on the platform and the items viewed in person. Our camera view was often shaky and dizzying and items were missed because our gamemaster glossed over them without giving us a chance to notice them. We ended up using a clue only to discovery we had already accessed the area but our gamemaster had glossed over this additional clue. Another issue came when trying to figure out a password only to find the signifier for the puzzle was completely missed in the online version and our gamemaster had to eventually point this out. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "Prison Bus" has some pretty good bones to the experience, and it would be a lot more fun as an in person experience being that there are physical items that could be used to enhance the prion break theme. It's also a cool idea to compete against your friends in a race against the clock situation. As it stands, the online version does need some updating for a smoother run. (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 Escape Masters for comping our tickets for this game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #RemoteEscapeRooms #Prison #Adventure #EscapeMasters #NewZealand

Photo above provided by Puzzle Room Escape Game Company: Puzzle Room Escape Game Game: Score-settling Country: Brazil 🇧🇷 Language: English, Portuguese Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣 Genre: Thriller Date Played: 6/17/2021 Difficulty (based on 5 players): 5/10 Size of Team: Up to 8 Connections Time: 60 Minutes Price: R$472 (Approx. $90 USD) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Jack has been kidnapped by the Larapius gang. He has managed to get a video call out to you for assistance. This is a vicious gang disguised as bikers. Jack's life is in your hands... 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 We started the game with our avatar, Jack locked up inside a jail cell in what looks like a biker's garage. He has managed to send out a rescue call over Zoom to ask for our assistance in helping him to escape. I always loved the idea of breaking out of a jail cell especially if clever tools are utilized. Some puzzles had to be altered for the online version but we're lucky to see what it would been like if we were to play this game in real life. Since the avatar was very organized in putting the items we've collected on a large table, we didn't feel that it was necessary to have an virtual inventory system for this game. Some items that needed a closer look was send to us via the chat box in jpg format. Zoom doesn't allow jpgs to open so we did have to save individual images. That took away a bit away from the game play so hopefully the company will be able to condense the images into one file. The set design was nicely done. The car tires, barbed wire, gears, and locks were all authentic and made the garage look real. We also discovered a few surprises along the way that would have been great to experience in real life. Our avatar also portrayed Jack in a humorous yet nervous way that had us laughing throughout the game. Photos above provided by Puzzle Room Escape Game 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 We've seen a lot of these puzzles used in various escape rooms before but it's always fun to revisit them. I love that some of the puzzles also incorporated the use of "tools" which went perfectly with the garage theme. The game flow was really nice. We didn't question why a certain item was there or how a certain puzzle worked. There were no red herrings and plenty of puzzles to solve. There was only one puzzle that we had to use trial and error that did take a bit of time for one avatar to operate. Perhaps if there could be a way to identify the correct answer, it would be a nice adjustment for the online version. With a group of 5 enthusiasts, we finished in 48 minutes and 27 seconds. While solving the puzzles, we also got to learn some Portuguese which was the icing on the cake. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "Score-settling" had a unique theme and storyline that we really enjoyed. Through searching for the right tools, finding out information about the gang members (ask the avatar about the hidden Easter Eggs) and discovering the hidden secrets, we were able to eventually free Jack from the gang. Do you think you have what it takes to take down the Larapius? *** 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 Puzzle Room Escape Game 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 #killer #Suspense #PuzzleRoomEscapeGame #Scoresettling #RemoteEscapeRoom #Avatar #Thriller #Action #Adventure #Bikers

Photo provided by Puzzle Room Escape Game Company: Puzzle Room Escape Game Game: The Collector Country: Brazil 🇧🇷 Language: English, Portuguese Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣 Genre: Horror Date Played: 8/27/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 5/10 Size of Team: Up to 8 Connections Time: 60 Minutes Price: R$225 (Approx. $50 USD) We were contacted by a hostage who's been kidnapped by Lindomar dos Anjos, a notorious serial killer in the Curitiba region. He's known for involving creepy dolls with human sacrifices and bizarre rituals. We have 60 minutes to help the victim to break free before Lindomar returns and finishes what he had started ... This game was played over Zoom. There was no inventory system but we didn't seem to need it for this game. You are required to download Whatsapp so photos could be sent to you during the game in case you need a closer look on certain items. We started right away in a creepy cabin. The game master gave us a tour of the room. The light was a bit dark to see some items clearly but when he zoomed in on it, it was much better. We would definitely recommend turning your cameras off as the WiFi signal wasn't that great throughout the game. Although we were able to complete the mission in time but the lag and disconnect definitely took some play time off the clock. This might be due to the fact that the game uses a router to share the WiFi from the main building. It's a shame because the set design and puzzles were amazing and during the time that we were able to see clearly, we had a lot of fun. I would imagine being there in person would be even scarier with a room full of broken and creepy looking dolls. The puzzles were also quite innovative as we've seen most of them before used in escape rooms but they were utilized in a different way or had an added "feature". Puzzle Room Escape Game has another remote game called " CSI: Operation Russia" and that one should have better Wifi signal since it's inside the main building. We really hope they will be able to resolve this issue soon as it's definitely a room a remote escaper would enjoy. But if you have a little patience and connect with only 2-3 logins, you should still be able to free the victim in time! (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 Puzzle Room Escape Game 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 #killer #Suspense #PuzzleRoomEscapeGame #TheCollector #RemoteEscapeRoom #Avatar #Horror #Saw #eerie

LOCATION: Mechelen, Belgium Photos above are property of De Gouden Kooi (The Golden Cage) Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Date Played: March 29, 2019 Genre: Thriller, Adventure Difficulty (Based on 4 PPL): 8.5/10 Total # of Players: 2-6 PPL Length of Time: 70 Minutes Price: €110/2PPL (Price varies based on group size) Booking Type: Private Escaped? Yes 📖 THE STORY OK, Picture this. What if Disneyland made and escape room about the Legend of Zelda but had H.P. Lovecraft as an advisor? Can you picture it? Good. Because you don’t have to picture it anymore, this room exist in the heart of Belgium in the city of Mechelen and is 22 nd on the list of Terpeca. The place to be is The Golden Cage and where in the city it’s situated is a perfect example of what Mechelen has to offer. Lovely canals, tasty cafés and restaurants, and also the beautiful architecture. When you walk past the escape room building you can immediately look inside thanks to the many glass window in the front and you just know they have put some time in the décor and creation of the business (to this day I still think “the golden cage is one of the best names I have come across”. Once you enter you are greeted by the front desk helper and the welcome hall is full of plants and light wooden furniture that are very much deliberately chosen to put your mind at ease so you can prepare for the room. When they explain everything to you they make sure everything Is well and thoroughly explained and they give you some time to maybe drink something, go to the restroom or just talk a bit. There are some mini puzzles on the table in front of you to already activate your thinking brain and before you know it the Game Master calls your group and you’re instructed to stand under a red light “once it turn green you can go through the door”. So you patiently wait and once it turns green, you open the door and disappear into the darkness and the unknown. What happened next? Well … you have to find out for yourself!! What I can say is that the experience is nothing like you have seen before. The décor and the blending of going from the “real” world into the room is so good you almost forget you’re in a building. The decor, the sounds, the lighting and even the smell has been perfectly crafted so you have no doubt that it fits the whole story and aesthetic. The puzzles are so well integrated into the story and the flow that you start to feel like a true detective and adventurer with every puzzle that you solve. Also for the less puzzle minded there is plenty look around and be astounded by as there might be some hints strewn around for several things, so looking around is definitely a must!! As for the rest. I’m afraid I can’t say more before I would spoil anything. But as far as rating goes.. Video above is property of De Gouden Kooi (The Golden Cage) 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE Most puzzles are well integrated into the story. You don’t always have the feeling you’re solving a puzzle that has been placed deliberately. The story line is not something new, but how they delivered it and presented it something I have seen very few rooms do. Staff is well trained and capable of getting you in the mood of the room. Décor is just magnificently done, everything is well thought out and well crafted. As for the flow you are almost never lost of confused what you need or what you have to do to continue. Some Very unique puzzles that I have either never seen or is so heavily modified they feel new. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK There are 1 or 2 puzzle that could have been better integrated into the story. Some puzzles where some inexperienced players might stumble upon. What could heighten the intro would be that the game master would wear some costume or something theme wise? 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? YES! Absolutely yes!. This room is a must have for all escape room enthusiasts. There is a reason this room has climbed in the rankings or Terpeca from 27th to 22nd . This room is also a masterclass for every builder on how to build atmosphere and a how to bring a story to life without falling flat at the end. I do recommend not to play this room as your very first because it can be a bit tricky and it’s so much more satisfying to get through it completely on your own and also if you play this as your first room, you kind of set the bar for all the other rooms you are about to play… and it would be a very high bar to beat!! Also... we beat the record and it's still there!! ADDITIONAL Underground parking lot (2 euros/45 Mins.) This game can be played in French or English (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"!) #JoeriJacobs #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #Thriller #Adventure #DeGoudenKooi #TheGoldenCage #Belgium

Photos provided by Red Lock Escape Room Company: Red Lock Escape Room Game: The Heist Country: Australia 🇦🇺 Language: English Type of Game: Remote Escape Room 🗣 Genre: Heist, Action Date Played: 5/15/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6.5/10 Size of Team: 2-6 Players Time: 60 Minutes Price: AUD $80 per game (Up to 6 players and/or 4 connections) Red Lock Escape Room's "Bank Heist" felt like a well-rounded package. When you book, you'll get a link to the Zoom meeting and a separate link that will allow you to open the inventory list during the game. There was also a 360 view of the room that you can open along with clickable areas to zoom in. These items really helped us during the game to split into teams and work on different puzzles at the same time. We were also able to see the items that are quite hard to read on the camera very clearly in the inventory list. Our avatar was great at controlling how much suggestions he was giving us. The speed was also nicely controlled so that it felt like we were actually in a heist. I liked how we were able to time check with him through his wristwatch. He even dressed up as a robber! We were not able to see this however until the end when he turned over the camera and said hi to us...It would've been great if he would face the camera at us and do an intro like "team, I'm going in...please help me along the way..." so at least his costume would've been appreciated. There were several physical puzzles that were our favorites. We haven't seen many of those used in a remote room yet. We were able to get out with 6 people with about 12 minutes left. For this room, we actually didn't feel like that was too many people. The 360 view and inventory list definitely helped with that as most of the time we're onto different things. Overall we really enjoyed this game. Who doesn't love escaping with 10 million dollars? Cha-Ching! *** 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 Red Lock Escape Rooms for comping our tickets for this game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion of the review whatsoever. #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #ESCAPETHEROOMers #RedLockEscapeRooms #BankHeist #RemoteEscapeRoom #Avatar #heist #heistofthecentury #game