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| Odeon of Herodes Atticus (Not an escape room but a beautiful Roman theater you should see) |
Athens had the highest amount of world class games in one city. You can play 17 of the top 100 TERPECA games in Athens, which was unparalleled! If you like escape rooms, you need to make a trip out here unless you are unwilling to play horror games, then I would recommend going to Barcelona or The Netherlands/Belgium. We played 20 rooms in Athens which was quite a lot given the average runtime of two hours.
Here are some general notes and tips for Athens.
Horror Themed Games
Most of the top games were horror. Locals must love jump scares, loud noises and being chased by monsters in the dark. At least for me, playing multiple horror rooms in a row made it tougher to fully appreciate the genre as it became repetitive with pitch black rooms and jump scares. Also, even in some non-horror games, actors randomly came out and made loud banging sounds which felt forced. However, the top horror games were absolutely amazing as they blended immersive theater with puzzle solving.
Pro Tip: Bring Earplugs
The volume of the music in many rooms, even the non-horror ones, was overwhelmingly loud. Bring a good pair of ear plugs! This made the horror games much more enjoyable. For context, we had a team member quit a top TERPECA winning room because it was too loud, even with ear plugs! When we asked to lower the volume, GM's said they were not able to and didn't seem to think it was an issue.
English Friendly
English was widely spoken by most locals, except for some of the older folks in retail stores. This was in contrast to Barcelona where many people of all ages do not speak any English.
Cash Is King?
Bring some cash for escape rooms but many of the rooms also accepted credit cards. Check in advance with the company.
Commuting
Games and taxis were super affordable, probably 30%-50% less than US prices. FreeNow was also significantly quicker than Uber and I recommend using that app. Food was even cheaper and delicious!
Safety
Safety standards were visibly less stringent compared to most countries we've played in. Often times, we were truly locked in handcuffs or in a room with no emergency release. Also, pools of water were changed out maybe monthly (?) so you may want to be careful around that.
Athens Escape Room Recap
I gave 11 rooms a 4.5 star ratings or higher which was quite incredible after playing over 600 escape rooms around the world. I am not a horror lover but still loved the top horror games.
Athens
😱 = Horror
Way Out: Ice Tiki
This light hearted escape room was amazing and deserved to be higher on TERPECA. It was a whimsical room so maybe locals or those who love horror disliked that. Ice Tiki was one of my top games overall and a must play! ★★★★★
No Exit: El Exorcista 😱
I am not a horror fan and somehow this room was one of my favorite rooms of all time. This game was about five years old and still had some of the best cinematics and actor performances that I had ever seen. Another must play in my book. ★★★★★
Lockhill: Chapel & Catacombs 😱
A huge sprawling set with actors made for a crazy game. Some fun chase sequences and the mandatory fumbling through the dark was second to none. ★★★★★
EscapeClue: Lethal Decision 2 😱
This was a tough one to comment on as we had a teammate tap out about 40% in because of the crazy loud music. The others on my team were also going to tap out and I had to convince them to stay. The second team in our group had someone fall and fracture a bone so yes, safety standards are very different. The game did have some fun parts, if you can bear the loud sound and jump scares. ★★★★½
Trapped Chalandri: ExperimentumX
I thought this game was underrated and perhaps it was due to it being a more physical room which I enjoyed a lot because of the uniqueness. I tend to seek out uniqueness and prefer large physical sets and props. ★★★★★
Escape World: Houdini
We added this new game at the last minute and it had really great cinematics that I hadn't seen anywhere else. I just wished there were more! Note there are some minor jump scares. ★★★★★
Escapolis: Cosmos 5
This was a nifty starship themed puzzley room and I love good looking starships. I think this was one of the more puzzle focused rooms that I have near the top of my list which was rare because I am not a puzzle lover. ★★★★½
No Exit: Wanted: Dead Or Alive
The actor made the game and he was witty and entertaining. If you enjoy signifiant bantering with actors this game is for you. A large footprint along with a ton of silliness made for a fun time. ★★★★½
Escapolis: Butcher 😱
An interesting take on a horror room so if you are ok with doing a bunch of rooms in this genre I think you would enjoy it. If you had to choose only a few, El Exorcista and Chapel and Catacombs were a cut above. ★★★★
Paradox Project: The Mansion, The Library, The Music Academy
This trilogy of games took 9 hours to complete! The puzzles were very chewy so it was normal to spend over 30 minutes on one riddle. The general consensus was that The Library was the best of the three and I would agree with that. Note this game was not flashy compared to others in Athens but will surely satisfy puzzle folks. The Mansion ★★★½, The Library ★★★★½ , The Music Academy ★★★★
No Exit: Death Row
Death Row was probably the top prison game I had ever played. The theme was cliché but well executed with a lot of physical elements. ★★★★
Verona: Don't Take A Breathe 😱
This was based on the movie "Don't Breathe" and had a lot of tense moments. Watch a synopsis of the film to see if it's your type of game. It was also in a town where many locals told us not to go to because it was super dangerous so that added to the tension. ★★★★★
Lockhill: The Sanitarium 😱
The Sanitarium can be played in three modes: Midnight = Difficult puzzles with monsters, Night = Easy puzzles with monsters, Day = Difficult puzzles with no monsters. We played Midnight mode and it was really scary because of the thick fog that made visibility less than an arm's length. I learned this was what they call "Type 2" fun. ★★★★½
We also played the games below that you may consider if you have time (with the exception of Creepy Store and Gustave Eiffel).
- Dark Matter, Creepy Store, Gustave Eiffel (Escapolis - Galatsi)
- Lilipout, Scooby...Who? (Art Of Escape)
We hope this post helps out anyone who is hoping to venture off to Athens to play world class escape rooms!
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