Best Rooms In The Netherlands & Belgium: A Traveller's Guide

Beautiful Bruges (Belgium)

I finally made it out to Europe this year to play the top games in The Netherlands and Belgium after the initial trip in 2020 got postponed because of the pandemic. This was part of a larger tour of 39 games played that also included Paris and Geneva (these cities will featured in a separate post). 

The games in this part of the world were outstanding with some great storytelling and smart uses of physical space. We were thrilled to be able to play so many wonderful games and highly recommend a visit to this area for all escape room enthusiasts.

Special thanks to local enthusiasts Helena and Sven for joining us for some of the games we played! It is always great meeting new people and so far every single person we have met over the years has been a blast to hang out with.

Impressions & Observations During The Netherlands & Belgium Escape Room Trip

Getting Around
To play the top games in this region, a car was needed in order to get around. Unfortunately, the games were really spread out in various cities so there were no other feasible transportation options.

English Translations 
All but one of the rooms we wanted to play were available in English. GM's were perfectly fluent, some videos had English subtitles and there were no major language issues at all.

Cash Is King
Many games required payment to be made in cash, so it is wise to prepare for this and not be caught off guard. Be aware of daily limit cash withdrawals from ATM's.

More Action, Less Puzzling
There were more physical elements in the games in this part of the world when compared to the U.S./Canada but less than what we experienced in Barcelona. You should be prepared to crawl and get dirty.

Private Bookings
Like most of Europe, all the games we played had private bookings. You could  get away with two players but for economic reasons you would have to book for three or four players.

The Netherlands & Belgium Escape Room Recap

Mama Bazooka: The Dome
The Dome was the reason why we made it out to The Netherlands. It was voted the #1 escape room in the world for a few years on TERPECA. We have played other former #1 rooms and usually, hype kills. Would The Dome also be cursed with unrealistic expectations? I am happy to say that this game lived up to its reputation. 

The Dome was a technological marvel with great reveals and creative puzzles all blended into a fun theme. The experience was so magical and we really felt immersed into the world they laid out in front of us. It is hard to be impressed after playing almost 500 rooms but The Dome was able to do it! If you are an escape room enthusiast, this is a a must play. 

• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 169€-189€/team
  
• Number of players: 4-6, private (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Mama Bazooka also had a massive lobby with tons of games!

Down The Hatch: Molly's Game
Another top room with an expansive set and some physical elements that surprised us. Molly's Game redefines how to create an escape room that delivers on storytelling in a creepy environment with some great moments. I thought I was done with the "creepy house" settings but I was wrong!

• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 165€/team
  
• # of Players: 2-5 (we recommend 3-4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Dark Park: Stay In The Dark / The End / The Orphanage
Dark Park was a premier Escape Room company with multiple high quality games. 

Stay In The Dark: This game took place in what is likely one of the largest facilities for an escape room in the world. It spanned over multiple floors with each floor being larger than 95% of the escape rooms I have played. The premise was fun in that we were "looking to purchase real estate" and stumbled upon this old factory and then the shenanigans began. I don't want to spoil this so I will not say more but it was quite an ambitious project that lasted 2.5 hours.

The End: A very interesting story with a twist and a super fun ending that I highly appreciated. There are some fun moments as well that really make this room unique. Sven was also a pleasure to play with!

The Orphanage: This was one of the first rooms that we played in The Netherlands and I was extremely impressed with the lighting effects. The timing and use of effects were great at moving the game along.

• Difficulty: Easy-Medium
• Price: +145€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 60-150 minutes
• Overall Rating: Stay In The Dark ★★★★★, The End / Orphanage ★★★★½

Epic Escape: Illusion
There are a lot of magic themed games out there but Illusion was able to make us feel like we were actually in a magician's studio. This game was more puzzle-y than others in the area and I was fine with that. We also had Helena join us and that made it even more fun!

• Difficulty: Medium- Difficult
  
• Price: +135€/team
  
• Number of players: 3-6 (we recommend 3-4)
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Kamer 237: Kamer 237 / The Concierge
The original room, Kamer 237, was about 5 years old and it was incredible in terms of physical manipulation and story progression. The mechanic used to progress to different rooms was simple yet so satisfying and we slightly preferred this game over The Concierge which can only be played by two players.

• Difficulty: Difficult
• Price: 80€-125€ 
  
• Number of players: Kamer 237 - 2-6 (we recommend 2-3), The Concierge - exactly 2
• Duration: 70-75 minutes
• Overall Rating: Kamer 237 ★★★★½, The Concierge ★★★★
  

Time Adventures: Inferno
This fireman themed escape room had a feature that I don't think I will ever see again. It was quite crazy and it was worth playing just to see it.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Price: +89€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-6, private (we recommend 2-3)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Escape Room Katwijk: Here I Am
This game was inspired by the Spanish show "Vis-a-Vis" and somehow made us feel like we were in a real prison, despite having played so many games of this theme. Make sure you read the email they send you before playing this game.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Price: 150€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-5 (we recommend 2-3)
• Duration: 70 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

 

Rock City Escapes: Soup Du Jour

I loved the start of this game and how the GM role played when introducing the team to the room. The first half started off great with some smooth puzzling and it transitioned into more of a traditional escape room setting towards the end.

• Difficulty: Easy
  
• Price: 140€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 75 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

De Gouden Kooi: The Secret of Saint-Rumoldus

The game flow of "The Secret of Saint-Rumoldus" was seamless and the unique story line towards the end made us laugh. Definitely a standout in the Belgium market!

• Difficulty: Medium-Difficult
• Price: +120€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 3-4)
• Duration: 70 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Escaping Belgium: Le Prince
Le Prince was one of the more puzzle-y games we played on our trip and we were lucky to have Helena for the added brainpower! Overall, it was a clean and polished experience that would satisfy many puzzlers and escape room enthusiasts.

• Difficulty: Difficult
  
• Price: +90€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 2)
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Other Notable Escape Rooms In The Area

 

 In The Netherlands:

• Escape From Wonderland: A colorful room with a ton of puzzles!
• Escape Room The Cube - Triplicate Institute: Great execution in creating a mind-bending experience
  

In Belgium

• Push Mystery Rooms - The Movies: An ambitious take on the world of blockbuster movies
  

We hope this post helps out anyone who is hoping to venture off to The Netherlands or Belgium to play world class escape rooms!

Logic Locks: The Secret Of Eliza's Heart (Online Game)

This post was written by Daniel M., who we had the pleasure of playing this game with. He has played escape rooms all around the world and one of our best teammates!

This was our first experience doing an escape room remotely and it definitely scratched my escape room itch while sheltering in place! The physical room is in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and was completed via video call with our game master/companion holding a camera as we instructed him on what we wanted to do in the room. The game master was in character throughout the escape which really added to the experience. We played as a team of four from two different locations which worked well. From their website:

"Greetings Investigators! My name is Richard Fimblewood and soon we will meet face-to-face - or at least screen-to-screen. I am quite relieved you signed up for the task of helping me to explore the study chamber of the infamous explorer Elizabeth van Leeuwenhart. I do have to admit that I am still a bit nervous. We have only one shot and a limited time to make this work… However I'm sure that with your assistance it should all work out."

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles

One of the biggest downsides of doing a physical escape room remotely is that you lose a bit of atmosphere by not actually being in the room. That said, our game master’s narration (and trepidation!) as he interacted with the room and puzzles, and his quips and humor did help keep us fully engaged. Technology and set design were similar to what you’d expect in higher end generation one rooms. The puzzles were clever but overall there weren’t very many of them. However this is probably required since you can’t divide and conquer different tasks or even search due to the remote aspect of the game.

Memorable Moments 

This room will always stand out for me as our first endeavor with remote escape rooms. It's amazing to be able to experience an escape room halfway across the globe from the comfort of your home. Additionally the finale of the room definitely built suspense and left me satisfied.

Room For Improvement

The only slight complaint was how the video was filmed. While the GM tried their best to keep the camera steady one of our team members became nauseous and wasn’t able to complete the game. However, the rest of us felt ok.

Overall Thoughts

Eliza’s heart was a great introduction to remote escape rooms and I love the fact that we can now play rooms that we probably would never get the chance to go to. One other pleasant surprise is that they mail you a few additional puzzles for completion at home.

Envelope with a bunch of goodies!

These were fun and on par with upper end puzzles from box escape games. These were a great way to revisit the theme and have some more fun!

• Set design: Fun and in line with Gen-1 rooms
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 23 Euros per person/private
• Number of players: 2-7 (recommend 2-4)
• Duration: 80 minutes
• Overall Rating:  ★★★★ (½★ bump for extra gameplay at home)

See their website here:  https://www.logiclocks.com/live-video-escape-rooms

Logic Locks graciously provided complimentary tickets

Best Escape Rooms In Barcelona: A Traveller's Guide

Sagrada Familia view from the Ayre Hotel Rooftop

This summer, we were lucky enough to make it to Barcelona to play 10 outstanding games. Combined with the two escape rooms that we played earlier in the year made for a dozen in this beautiful city. Each of the games we played could have been a stand out in many other cities and we can confidently say that Barcelona is our favorite escape room city so far.

Our Spanish skills are: nada for myself and basic for Sarah. We worked tirelessly to coordinate games with owners to see who could provide translations and scoured a ton of Spanish-only blogs to source the best rooms (Google usually translates the page). When companies were not able to translate their game, we brought along some locals to help us out. We were lucky to hit all the escape rooms that we wanted and we noted the quality of translations further down in this post.  We hope that enthusiasts who don't speak Spanish (and speak some English) can benefit from our research to be able to enjoy these world class games.

Note that all the games we played had amazing set designs so we'll refrain from commenting on that aspect.

Special thanks to the Barcelona bloggers Victor and Maria from El Quinto Elemento and Eulalia from Die Helden for recommendations and translations. Also, local enthusiasts Francesc, Eugenia, Carles, Jonatan for playing with us. You saved us so many times!

Impressions & Observations During Our Barcelona Escape Room Trip

The Start Of The Game
For many of the games we played, you can not enter the building until your start time. More often than not, there was no lobby to wait in and no one will take you in early which almost never happens in the US. At your start time, you ring the doorbell, enter the building and boom... the game begins! This method was much more immersive than sitting in a lobby but also makes logistics tougher on the escape room company given they need single game locations. Also, this probably wouldn't work for corporate crowds so this might not be as practical to implement in America.

Getting Around
The metro system is excellent. It was very quick, clean and we didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes for a train to arrive. However, there are a lot of games that are within 20 miles (30km) of Barcelona that are outside of the metro system but worth doing. For those, you could rent a car or use taxis (what we did). Uber no longer exists as we know it in Barcelona but there are a ton of taxis in the city and you could also try the Free Now app (formerly the myTaxi app) . We did have an issue returning from Badalona which was 8 miles (13km) away where Free Now had no drivers. It was 12pm on a Friday and we waited 30 minutes to get a taxi back to the city.

English Translations
All but one location had Game Masters who spoke pretty good English. Even the place where the game was not translated, the GM spoke English so we were lucky. Puzzles were generally decently translated, most videos had English subtitles and a only one video and audio track was in Spanish only. While our guide should be accurate for when we played the games, you should confirm with the escape room about the current state of translations.

Cash Is King
We also experienced this in Italy but most places accepted a deposit online (20%) and then would ask for the rest of the balance in cash after the game was over. If you want to play a ton of games, make sure you have enough cash for your entire group. We tried to take money out at an ATM but our US-debit and credit card was not accepted so we were lucky to have a local friend with us to help out.

More Action, Less Puzzling
If you want to feel like you're in a movie and appreciate the sense of discovering new spaces, book your flight to BCN right now. Actor interaction was great and often times the climax at the end did not disappoint. However, if you are more puzzle-centric (i.e. you do puzzles outside of escape rooms for fun and prefer mental challenges), don't like actors or crawling, then you might not be so gung ho about all these games.

Physical Nature of The Game
While I am not expert in European Law, I am pretty confident that there are less litigation risks in Barcelona than anywhere in the US. This may be the reason why there were quite a few more physical tasks like climbing, crawling and using heavy tools which are not dangerous at all, but perhaps avoided in the US.

Private Bookings
Like most of Europe (outside of the UK), all the games we played had private bookings. You could probably get away with two players but for economic reasons they require you to book for three or four.

Horror Themed Games
In our research and from talking with local enthusiasts, it seemed that there were a lot of top games in the horror genre. We did not try any of these because it's not our cup of tea, but if you enjoy a good scare you can make an entire trip with just horror themed rooms. You can even get kidnapped from a parking lot and hurled into the back of a van, getting tased in the process. Or have to drive out for an hour in the middle of the night to an abandoned shack in the forest (without knowing beforehand).

Do Other Things 
If you are visiting Barcelona for the first time, please try not to stuff only escape rooms in your schedule. I started off doing this and eventually kept half my days free to see the city. Some ideas:

• Sandeman's 2.5 hour Free Walking Tour: I've done this in many European cities and they are normally great. Get to see the city and learn some cool things about the Catalan people.
• Sagrada Familia: Large unfinished Gaudi church and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Construction began and 1882 (!) and anticipated to be completed in 2026. Buy your tickets ahead of time and maybe go to the rooftop of the Ayre Hotel for the best view (a local secret I'm told). It's worth the 15 euro drink.
• Food: Of course you will eat amazing local food such as jamon serrano and paella, but like any metropolitan area, there is great food from all over the world so don't try to only eat local food 3x a day.

Barcelona Escape Room Recap

We gave five rooms the highest possible rating of 5 gold stars. This is the most we have given for any area in the world that we have played (which is skewed towards North America but includes some major cities like London, Rome and Hamburg).

Unreal Room Escape: La Mina
First, prepare to get dirty. Second, there are a LOT of things to do with some nice surprises. The excitement of doing a million things was extremely fulfilling and oh so much fun. The set was on the larger side and they really, really maximize the space that they have to an impressive level. Show up only at your timeslot.

See the full review here

• Translation: The intro video and a few clues were not translated but we were told they rectified this after our feedback
• Difficulty: Easy/Medium
• Price: 16€-33€ ($18-$38)/person 
• Number of players: 2-7, private (we recommend 2-3)
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Overall Rating:★★★★★

Escape Barcelona: Alien Origen
You wanted a movie-like experience? You got a movie-like experience! The fantastic start and strong finish will forever be in our memories. The tasks were more video game-like which may not be favored by puzzle-centric players. Still, it was a blast to play if you want to run around a spaceship.

See the full review here

• Translation: Perfect 
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 17€-25€ ($20-$29)/person 
• # of Players: 4-10 (we recommend exactly 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating:★★★★★

Abduction 4: Enterprises
Holy Batman! Yes finally a Batman room! The atmosphere was great and there were some moments that Batman fans will love. This was also one of the most physical games we have played and wished that more places incorporated this style. We cheered each other along the way and the ending was frantic and so fulfilling. You could get away with two players if you are fit but it would be tough for one challenge.

• Translation: Not offered in English (we got by with locals but the GM spoke perfect English so ask before booking)
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 23€-32€ 
• Number of players: 3-8 (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 70 minutes
• Overall Rating:★★★★★

Open Mind: SWAT
SWAT thrusts you into the action the moment you begin and you get to do things that you don't normally do in American escape rooms. This is a great game for two players that starts off with a lot of physical tasks and transitions to more cerebral puzzles. Show up only at your timeslot.

• Translation: Great (intro video had subtitles)
• Difficulty: Easy/Medium
• Price: 17€-33€ ($18-$38)/person 
• Number of players: 2-7 (we recommend 2-3)
• Duration: 80 minutes
• Overall Rating:★★★★★

Chronologic 2: El viaje continua ("Life Continues")
Time travel theme with some very fun moments. There were a lot of sci-fi Easter eggs throughout the game and the ending was spot on. Communicating with the computer and reading some articles required Spanish while everything else was language agnostic. They owners did such an amazing job building and decorating the place to make it immersive that you forget you are in a normal building.

• Translation: Not offered in English (we brought a translator)
• Difficulty: Difficult
• Price: 18€-30€ ($18-$38)/person 
• Number of players: 2-5, private (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 75 minutes
• Overall Rating:★★★★★

Unreal Room Escape: Narcos
Thrown right into the game from the start, the actor got real chummy chummy with me. Perhaps I instigated with some ribbing so he made me uneasy which was on point with the theme. There were some nice props and role playing in this game that we hadn't seen before. Fun start and ending and like La Mina, a great sense of opening new areas to discover. Show up only at your timeslot.

• Translation: Perfect 
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 16€-33€ ($18-$38)/person 
• Number of players: 2-7, private (we recommend 2-3)
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Overall Rating:★★★★★

Abduction 3: The Exam
Everyone says, the less you know the better. Also much more physical than most rooms. You should make sure you get to play this when you visit the city because it was real fun and different.

• Translation: Fine
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 17€-42.50€/person 
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Connecta Escape: Atrincherados ("The Trenches")

One of the most immersive war games with a clever use of space. You will get dirty and you will have to crawl more than you would like. The actor was screaming at us a lot, which i guess simulates what it would be like in a war. Located 10 minutes south of Sabadell in Cerdanyola Del Valles and also the same company as Escapem.

• Translation: Average, 90% of the game is translated
• Difficulty: Medium/High
• Price: 20€-40€/person 
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Overall Rating:★★★★★

Chronologic 1: La creación ("The Creation")

The first room created by the company and, although older, it had some nice moments. I struggled with this one since there was a lot of Spanish reading required but could appreciate the puzzles after they were explained to me.

• Translation: Not offered in English (we brought a translator)
• Difficulty: Difficult
• Price: 16€-30€ ($18-$38)/person 
• Number of players: 2-5 (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Escapem: Bajo Zero ("Below Zero")
You start off in a helicopter and transition to a snowy setting which was a first for us. They even had the AC blasting to make the temperature drop. Some fun concepts and the spacing was a bit tight so two player groups are best. Located in Sabadell.

• Translation: Good except one hint seemed to be wonky
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 16€-30€ ($18-$38)/person 
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 2)
• Duration: 70 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Golden Pop: Catacombas

The lobby looked exactly like the cinema area with popcorn for you to eat but strangely enough we could only enter when it was our time. The intro video of Spanish Indiana Jones was well done with English subtitles (although they blasted the volume so loud it hurt our ears) and the huge cavern had some nice reveals. The game has apparently gone through major changes since the ownership change so the version we played might not be the same that you will play. I was also a little lost due to all the audio being in Spanish and I followed the lead of my teammates.

You can enter only during your time slot

• Translation: Not great (intro video had subtitles) and audio was Spanish only
• Difficulty: ???
• Price: 22€-25€/person 
• Number of players: 2-8 (we recommend 2-3)
• Duration: 80 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★

Thanks Eulalia (local blogger from "Die Helden Room Escapers") for translating!

Cinemaescape: Barum Dum
This Lord Of The Rings inspired room was fun but we expected more action and suspense. There were no words in the game so it is fine for English speakers - the intro was only in Spanish but consisted of mostly trailers for other escape rooms. We almost didn't get to play due to a tech issue but after about a 45 minute wait the issue was fixed!

• Translation: No Spanish needed except for intro
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 13€-31€/person 
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★

Carles and Eugenia, some local enthusiasts and me doing a grumpy Gimli pose

Other Escape Rooms In The Area

Some other rooms that we heard great things about during our research and talks with local but did not play were:

In Barcelona:

• Horror Box: Catelepsia, a 2-player game in coffins
• Maximum Escape: Refuge 27 and Spaceship Ulysses, Russian games similar to 60out in the US
• Fear: Zombie Outbreak

In Mataro (20 miles east of Barcelona)

• Cubick: The Interview and The Exam, TERPECA winning games
• Mystery Box: Ghostbusters
• Roomanji, Jumanji-like game

In Pineda de Mar (34 mile east of Barcelona)

• Futura, Bioshock like world

We hope this post helps out anyone who is hoping to venture off to Barcelona to play world class escape rooms!

Locked In Edinburgh: The Cutting Room (Edinburgh, Scotland)

After attending our first cèilidh (KAY-lee, traditional Scottish line dancing), we of course decided to play a few escape rooms. One of the most recommended rooms for the area was "Locked In Edinburgh" which we didn't know much about but were happy to check out their latest game, "The Cutting Room". From their site:

"In 1987 a series of bizarre murders plagued the city of Edinburgh. Over a span of a few months, 6 victims were found in various closes in the city.

The victims were all male, in good physical condition and in their twenties. When dissected it was clear they were all missing an organ but a primitive replacement was found in it’s place.

Just as swiftly as they had started the murders stopped.The police never found out who was behind it all and eventually gave up the case after years of searching.

But last night there was an unexpected development in the case, 5 new victims. we don’t know why he’s back, why he’s taking organs but let’s be clear. If we don’t find the missing organs in the next hour 5 men will die. We’re counting on you."

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles 

Locked In Edinburgh was located in a former university and the game we played was also a former laboratory used by the school. It was such a unique feeling to walk through the lobby, which felt just like my old university, and to walk across "campus". This all somehow made the setting feel more authentic and appropriately set up the mood. The game took place in a spacious lab with some fun elements that we haven't really seen in the past (and we have played in a lot of lab themed rooms).

Puzzles could be solved in parallel and this was perfectly suited for larger groups. There were many lab gadgets and related info in the room, which at times could be interpreted as red herrings. The game flowed nicely and the puzzles built up into unlocking the five missing organs.

All the rooms we played in Scotland seemed to be of the older generation in that padlocks were  abundant and perhaps a little over relied upon. While padlocks were also prevalent in The Cutting Room, there were some clever ways to recover some of the missing organs which we thought were pretty funny.

Memorable Moments 

The unlocking of each organ included props integrated with authentic medical school material and we had some funny moments figuring out how to use them.  The finale was great, with some heart pumping elements that left us in panic!

Room For Improvement

The hint mechanism was thematic, so we really enjoyed it but we felt that hints were far and few in between, even for our team which did not go hint heavy. Perhaps this was by design (they give you hints rather than you asking for them) and also country specific as Scottish games had much lower success rates compared to Spanish or German ones where they make sure everybody gets to the final puzzle.

Overall Thoughts

The Cutting Room was a standout for the Scottish market. The set utilized a former laboratory which made the atmosphere that much more immersive. There were plenty of puzzles to go around and be prepared to work fast!

• Set design: Fine, setting in a former university makes it special
• Difficulty: Difficult
• Price: 60£ -110£/team
• Number of players: 1-10, (we recommend 3-4), public
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★

See their website here: https://www.lockedinedinburgh.com/

Disclosure: Locked In Edinburgh graciously comped this game

Tulleys Escape: Dodge City, Nethercott Manor & Mutiny (Crawley, England)

Located 10 minutes from Gatwick Airport, we dragged our jetlagged brains straight off the plane to play three games at Tulleys. It was raining quite heavily when we landed so perhaps this idea ended up being a smart move rather than just a crazy enthusiast's ambitious schedule.

Tulleys Farms started off with haunted house and corn maze attractions and just like many other similar establishments, have expanded into the escape room world. Their cozy lobby with a fire place was perfect for a cold rainy day (in June might I add). From their site:

"Dodge City
Dodge City in 2127 remains a stronghold of the wild west. The constant tussle between the Sheriff and local gunslingers means there’s opportunity abound for some creative bank robbery for those with wits and courage.

As a member of the Notorious ‘Barn Door’ Gang you’ve been caught by the local sheriff breaking into the bank. Locked away with little hope, hired by an unnamed outlaw and facing the ruthless justice of the old west you’re left with only one option.

As the sun sets the race is on to break out, reclaim your supplies, pull off the bank job of the century and get out of Dodge City.

Nethercott Manor
The old manor house is entwined with local legend, the living don’t remember the Nethercott’s, the family’s hay day was long ago. Local folk talked, whispers were heard, rumours began, lights were seen within.

The Nethercott’s are long gone but something remains, an essence, a smell, a feeling, it’s in the fabric, in the walls, under the floor boards … it ticks, it creeks … take a trip into the past, uncover the family’s many secrets and glimpse their fleeting souls?

Mutiny
It's the year of our Lord 1672, and you be right in the height o' the golden age o' piracy…After years of sailin' the high seas, you and your crew have succeeded in your fair share of ambushes, and as a result – your ship is teamin' with bounty.

Yet you're still suffering beneath the cruel wrath o' Captain Starling - a notoriously bloodthirsty buccaneer, and your shipmates have decided you all shall take matters into your own hands. After all… you fought for the gold, so the gold is yours for the taking, aye?

Once the old seadog has retreated to his berth for the night, you make your move. Get in, get the treasure and get out. You won't have long before he starts to stir – and Starling shows no mercy to ANY soul…

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles 

Dodge City
One thing you'll notice is that all Tulleys escape rooms have huge and sprawling set designs. Dodge City was their newest release that took place in a western themed world. Although the story was set in the future (year 2127), the environment was predominantly based on a western world of the past and thematically, mostly void of any futuristic elements. The game started off with split groups in a normal setting and then ramped up to a larger world where a splendid space awaited our arrival. The rush of discovering new areas did not disappoint one bit in this game. Just watch your head as you go back and forth between some areas!

As for the puzzles, there were a lot of things to do. We rarely ever recommend more than four people but extra bodies would definitely help with the amount of parallel puzzle solving needed. There was a lot of searching and careful observation required throughout the game and the more eyes, the better. One of the styles that I enjoy the most fit in perfectly with this room: a ton of "aha" puzzles that kept it a fast paced game with a lot of quick wins. The puzzles were on the easier side so the challenge was the sheer amount of things that we needed to solve.

The theme was also light hearted and the set was bright, in contrast with the darker and creepy Nethercroft Manor game.  Dodge City was Tulleys most robust escape room and you can see the the improvement over their previous efforts in both design and game flow.

Nethercott Manor
The style of this game was similar to Dodge City in that the environment took place in a very polished and large space and the game play was centered around an abundant amount of relatively quick-to-solve puzzles. Nethercott Manor seemed to have have even more things to do than Dodge City which was already an action packed game. The game has enough content for a 90 minute session so we highly recommend bringing as many people as you can to complete it within the allotted 60 minute time slot.

An additional unique aspect about this room was that when we thought we were close to the end, another secret room popped open. This constantly occurred which kept us in the dark of how much we had left to complete. We admired how the game and set unwinded as we progressed and combined with a magnificent recreation of a house made for a really fun experience. The setting was on the dim side (not too dark) and there were some jump scares but the vibe was more creepy and never scary.

Mutiny
This was one of the first rooms that Tulleys opened in 2016 and it was pretty impressive with some large physical custom contraptions. While not as grand as their newer rooms, it was definitely larger than almost anything you could find in London. There were a few cases when we weren't sure if we had solved a puzzle but overall it was an excellent entry level game. Expect to see some nice effects rarely seen in other escape rooms.

Memorable Moments 

Dodge City/Nethercott Manor
The overall experience of traversing the sets while solving so many things was incredible! It's an amazing adventure with splendid custom contraptions and a lot of fun moments.

Mutiny
The really big physical puzzles are impressive and amazing to see for the first escape room creation by Tulleys.

Room For Improvement

For all the games, there was good amount of tech but also quite a lot of padlocks/keys, which was fine given there were so many things to solve, but there's always that extra magic when a room is void of padlocks.

Overall Thoughts

Dodge City was quite the treat for us and a definite highlight in the greater London area. Nethercott Manor was a close second, perhaps due to the theme as we typically prefer light hearted games. We are happy to award Dodge City our highest rating of 5 gold stars! It's rare to see an escape room with so many things to accomplish in such an immense and wonderful environment!

• Set design: Excellent! Expansive and polished
• Difficulty: Easy puzzles but twice the norm for 60 minutes
• Price:  18£ - 30£ person 
• Number of players: 2-8, (we recommend 4-8 and frr Nethercott, as many people as possible!), private
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: Dodge City ★★★★★, Nethercott Manor ★★★★★, Mutiny ★★★★

See their website here: https://www.tulleysescape.com

Disclosure: Tulleys Escape Rooms & Games comped the tickets for these games

Magic Escape Room: Fuga da Azkaban / "Escape from Azkaban" (Rome, Italy)

Magic Escape Room's "Escape From Azkaban" was touted as one of the best escape rooms in Rome. It seemed like all their games were available in English so it was easy for us to book without having any language concerns. Note that in Rome, most escape rooms take payment in full in cash, a stark contrast to what we see in North America

"As you are returning from a party with your friends, in the middle of the night, you become distracted and lose control of your car. The car swerves, breaks a fence and you find yourself facing what appears to be an old abandoned country house. Under an incessant storm, decide to seek shelter ...Will it be a good idea?

Game Play, Set Design, Puzzles

There was a good mix of puzzles ranging from riddles, search and correlations. The story took place in the Harry Potter world with significant references throughout the game. The game succeeds in creating a fun atmosphere without having to resort to high tech elements. There were more padlocks than the latest rooms we've played in America but the group still ran around as if they were students in Hogwarts. The hint mechanism was pretty creative and also had a strong nod to the Harry Potter movies.

Memorable Moments 

For Harry Potter fans, being in the universe is quite the delight. For me, as a muggle, I would say the GM interaction was fun and thematic.

Room For Improvement

There was more than one puzzle that used some of your senses other than sight and touch. One puzzle would have taken me, and it seems many others, forever to do because not everyone has an ear for certain things. Other than that, experienced players may fly through this room.

Overall Thoughts

This family friendly room was fun for our entire group and even if you aren't a Harry Potter fan, you will still have a great time.

• Set design: Great
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 30€-110€ ($34-$126) for 1-6 people
• Number of players: 1-6, private (we recommend 2-4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

See their website here: https://www.magicescape.it/en

Escape Room Roma: The Ring (Rome, Italy)

This Ring girl shrieked like the real deal

Escape Room Roma has something called a "Real Movie Experience" and these games, on their site, are separated from their regular escape room games. There is no clock as the goal is for you to experience the complete session and teams typically take between 50-85mins to get through it all. We requested if we could play the room in English and they obliged which we are extremely grateful for. We were also the first non-Italian players to play the game so once again not a simple task for their staff and actors. The translation was pretty much spot on. There were no issues except for one minor detail with a book that was not translatable but we were able to work it out.

I played with two other people who jumped at everything and we had one person who decided not to play a few minutes before the start time because of the theme. Special thanks to Sarah for being a good sport and playing even though you jumped at everything. The scariest parts for me were my teammates literally jumping across the entire room when something spooked us. From their site:

"As you are returning from a party with your friends, in the middle of the night, you become distracted and lose control of your car. The car swerves, breaks a fence and you find yourself facing what appears to be an old abandoned country house. Under an incessant storm, decide to seek shelter ...Will it be a good idea?

Game Play, Set Design, Puzzles

The start is great as you are thrust into a very believable world of the Ring. The game is largely played in the dark and featured the creepy AF little girl from the Ring. There are a lot of jump scares and loud sounds that will scare anyone and I applaud the actress for being able to shriek like an actual demon girl. There was one room where a light would sometimes turn on and off but 80% of the game is in the dark where you have to use artificial candles to light the way.

If you enjoy horror, you will like this room. If you don't, you will be stressed out to the point of exhaustion. The actress played a huge role. She was great. The puzzles were mostly average but of course you're not going to play this game for the puzzles.

Memorable Moments 

You wanted a movie-like experience? You got a movie-like experience! The fantastic start and strong finish will forever be in our memories.

Room For Improvement

There was more reading than I would have liked for a room that takes place mostly in the dark. I prefer not having to read more than two sentences and could be just me. It's especially difficult to read multiple pages of text when your trying to brace yourself for when your teammates dig their nails into your arm every few minutes.

Flashlights might have made things a lot more convenient but that might also lower the immersion because it wouldn't have been so dark so not sure how well this would work out.

Overall Thoughts

We are not horror fans, we don't watch the movies and didn't even see the ring. Yet, because of my affinity for escape rooms, we've played Zoe and Murder Co in Los Angeles which are some of the most intense and scary games in the US so some great references to benchmark against. Zoe was perhaps a tad scarier whereas Murder Co. was more twisted than scary. For horror fans you will truly be delighted at this Real Movie Experience.

• Set design: Excellent
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 90€ ($103)/ for 4 people +18€-20€ ($21-$23) per additional person 
• Number of players: 4-10, private (we recommend more than 4 to make it less scary :D)
• Duration: 55-80 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½ (★★★★★ for horror fans)

See their website here: https://www.escaperoomroma.it

Unreal Room Escape: La Mina / "The Mine" (Barcelona, Spain)

Get ready to get dirty

A mine...how good could a game about a mine be? That was my first thought when I heard about the game and given it was one of the top recommendations from Spanish bloggers, we were happy with try it out. A lot of games in Barcelona also seem to be 90 minutes in duration and La Mina was one of them. From their site:

"For more than a hundred years, the St. Louis Mine was used as a source of mineral resources, until an unexpected explosion caused all its workers to be trapped inside. Since then many have speculated on all kinds of hypotheses about the event ... The Dunklerde company has managed to reopen the Mine and has expressed its commitment to take charge of the recovery of all the victims who were trapped in the place. However, its real purposes are not entirely clear, since according to expert voices, the mine no longer has as many mineral resources as before. This situation has revived the old rumors of the existence of a strange and valuable source of minerals in the mine, which is why some say that the real objective of this company is to find them. Will the rumors be true? What mysteries does the St. Louis Mine hide?"

Game Play, Set Design, Puzzles

First off, prepare to get dirty. Yes the set feels like a real mine so you will get dusty. Second, there are a LOT of things to do. The excitement of doing a million things was extremely fulfilling and oh so much fun. The set felt on the larger side and they really, really maximize the space that they have to an impressive level. You will not realize that you are in an office building once you start the game.

There were a few elements that required more than usual physical force (we were so gentle with props) and when we asked the GM for approval and she replied with "yes c'mon!". There was lot of gathering of items and everything was logical and fair. The flow and progression of the game was natural and each section had something unique and charming to do.

Also, if you stumble upon a door to the toilette during the game, rest assured it is just an ordinary toilette.

Memorable Moments 

The variety of effects, while not large in scale, perfectly immersived us in the environment. There were multiple  "wow that's really cool" moments when we solved a puzzle or saw a reveal that made the game come together and feel realistic. The ending was great and suspenseful and you will be in for a ride when you play this game. Two experienced players are enough for this game.

Room For Improvement

We did see a couple of exposed screws that should probably be shaven down or covered. Those who are touchy feely may have an unpleasant surprise.

Translation:
There was one Spanish-only clue and one incorrectly translated English clue. Sarah knew basic Spanish so we were fine, otherwise we would've asked for a hint. The intro videos were also only in Spanish so I didn't get the storyline. [UPDATE] We were informed that English subtitles were added to the videos and that the other two clues will also be updated

Of course, we were in Spain so it's like saying a room in America only had English intro videos. We were grateful that the game was playable in English.

Overall Thoughts

The pace of the game and the look and feel was perfect. The props and the transitions were excellent and vast tasks to accomplish (when two players at least) made us happy. We loved this game and it is a must play in Barcelona!

• Set design: Perfect for a mine
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 16€-33€ ($18-$38)/person 
• Number of players: 2-7, private (we recommend 2-3)
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (The future of entertainment)

See their website here: https://unrealroomescape.es/hospitalet

See Room-Escaper's review (in Spanish but Google translated into English) here.

Escape Barcelona: Alien : El Origen (Barcelona, Spain)

"They're everywhere!"

Touted by a few Spanish bloggers as the "top escape room in Barcelona", we were ready to see this game for ourselves. We were the first players from outside of Spain to play this game and this should really help the accuracy of stack rankings for the TERPECA project. Two locals accompanied us for the game in case we needed translations but all essential portions were in English so we didn't need any help. We also learned that it took over a year to create this escape room with a full time building staff.

From their site:

"Forma parte de la tripulacion de la USCSS Escape y viaja al planeta Thedus./ Be part of the crew of the USCSS Escape and travel to the planet Thedus."

Also, special thanks to Victor from the Spanish blog Room-Escapers for all his recommendations in the city!

Game Play, Set Design, Puzzles

The immersion was great and the feeling of being in an "Alien" movie was pretty darn good. Those who have played the official Alien VR game in Anaheim will see some similarities in terms of the environment and the intro to the game. The start was stellar and there was a good variety of puzzles that required dexterity and some video games like elements. The puzzles were fun and on the easy-medium scale of difficulty and the overall experience was superb.

The game branches off with split teams and four players was the minimum needed as there were some puzzles which require at least two people per track to complete. Event though the teams are split, the tracks are 90% the same so that should alleviate FOMO concerns which some enthusiasts may experience.

Several independent decisions were made by both teams that not only affected the other team's gameplay, but also the ending of the game. Of course, the other team made a decision that made our tasks significantly more difficult, which often happens as Sarah is a little devil.

There were nine possible outcomes in "Alien : Origen" which goes to show how much thought went into the creative process. There are some frantic moments that recreated scenes from the movie and our performance had consequences in terms of the final outcome. One of the tasks was daunting with just two players but that's just part of the game play so there was no need to panic too much.

The ending was great with everyone scrambling to complete the final few tasks. If we were more than four it would have been overly crowded in some tight corridors so we recommend playing with exactly four players.

Memorable Moments 

You wanted a movie-like experience? You got a movie-like experience! The fantastic start and strong finish will forever be in our memories.

Room For Improvement

There was an instance where we completed a task but were not aware that this was the case. This is being very nitpicky, it wasn't a big deal at all. On a separate note, puzzle snobs may feel that the challenges may be a little straight forward for their tastes. It was so fun we wanted more!

Overall Thoughts

The adventure of playing this game was a real treat. We suggest playing with exactly four players in order to maximize the game play as it's not possible with two and would be crowded with more than four. While not the most puzzle heavy game, the thrill of running through a nicely sized alien spaceship and the overall experience was top of class.

• Set design: Awesome Alien spaceship!
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 17€-25€ ($20-$29)/person 
• Number of players: 4-10, private (we recommend exactly 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (The future of entertainment)

See their website here: https://www.escapebarcelona.com/en/

See Room-Escaper's review of Alien (in Spanish but Google translated into English) here.