I assume most escape teams live in reasonably close vicinity to each other. Not so with The Animals. While Richard1 and Paul live in the same street in Liverpool, that’s 28 miles from my house. James lives somewhere in the middle in Widnes. And Richard2 lives all the way down…
A couple of weeks ago I was thinking to myself “why isn’t there an escape game operator that combines both luxurious set design and non-linear puzzles?” Then I remembered there was, and their name is Clue HQ. Detonation is the first game at their new site in Blackpool, or “near…
The focus for today’s Themed Thursday is war. When I initially suggested it I just wanted to see if someone could craft a decent story in a war-based setting. I still am interested in this, but that’s not the way I’m going. I want my war fought between two teams…
Breakout have opened a second venue, this time in the new escape game capital of the North, Liverpool. Like their Manchester location, they’re right in the city centre, in the basement of some council buildings. The facility is well decorated and spacious. At the time of visiting they had three…
Following my first ever escape game, and record-breaking time, our gamemaster said she’d never seen anyone see through or solve the puzzles faster than me. I don’t like to blow my own trumpet so waited at least 30 minutes before ‘announcing’ this on Facebook. Since then (and I’m sure in…
It’s fair to say that in the past I’ve been conflicted about The Escape Room Manchester. I like the facility, I like the people, but I’ve found the games a little, erm, brief for my taste. I’m pleased to announce that has now changed as The Secret Lab is a…
For the first time ever I think I’ve got a genuine Mechanics Monday (based on the original definition)! But I’ll let you be the judge. All escape games include both a clock and a hint system of some kind (sometimes one and the same). The way it is implemented varies…
Sticking to a regular timetable is hard! Let’s just ignore the fact that this post was due two weeks ago and carry on with Themed Thursday, okay? (Toronto Escape Rooms and ExitGames are much better at sticking to schedule). The theme for this week is betrayal. A bit of an…
I’m sure you’re all familiar with the ‘joke’ that goes something like: “Bad news, Captain, the fugitive got away.” “What?! I thought I told you to cover all the exits?” “We did, sir, but they got out through an entrance.” It’s not particularly funny but it touches on an interesting…
It’s a pretty common view amongst both players and experts that the future for escape games lies with better stories/narratives. What exactly that means and how it might be implemented isn’t quite as clear, but for me it’s simply about a more engaging experience. I’m already tired of “here’s a flimsy…
