All posts by Enric

Reviews

Free escape games to play at home during Coronavirus social distancing

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Please stay home. Without saying much more, we are here to give you a list of games to play from home for free, without having to wait until they deliver. We will give some good boardgame and puzzle book alternatives that need to be purchased further down. Order them so you get them asap!

Last updated: 24th May 2020@10pm CET. We’ll keep adding new ones we find.

Free games from home

  • Unlock, tutorial + 5 free scenarios. Awesome game series, you can print&play the first 5 demo scenarios: The Elite, 5th Avenue, The Doo-Arann Dungeon, In Pursuit of Cabrakan, The temple of RA (Also in German)
  • 50 clues “The Home temple” (demo) great print&play start for the three full games.
  • Puzzled Pint – archives have sets of puzzles for many years. Pick a month (recommend starting with the recent ones) and go on. Hints provided.
  • KeyEnigma demo game (running Kickstarter) Use e-mails, investigate audio and video. Well integrated, even includes acting. Easy, short (30-60m), but highly recommended! (English+Spanish)
  • Braingle puzzle hunts The Hypatia + Svalbard. Not played yet.
  • Wish you were here 1, Enigma emporium offers the first one for free. Each postcard hides multiple riddles. Hints provided. (difficult)
  • Cryptex Hunt 2020 Hints provided. (very difficult)
  • Free print&play games from BGG (meta-list: many long lists!)
  • MIT Mystery Hunt (hardcore, difficult and puzzles are long and tedious) We solved some spare puzzles but never finished a full year. With solutions (no progressive hints).
  • Cryptogram Puzzlepost (3 free issues, corresponding to 3 months). Beautiful art, puzzles that give you an answer that is the input to the next puzzle. We found it hard to start, we’ll give it another try.
  • Galactic Puzzle Hunt web-based hunt. looks veeery long. Not tried. Difficult.
  • Escape This Podcast, an audio based adventure. We haven’t tried it yet.
  • Escape Room Frequency, another audio based adventure. Not tried yet.
  • Hogwarts Digital Escape Room, starting as a Google Forms. Given its forms nature allows for trial and error, but try to solve it! Another very hand-made Harry Potter based game: Caesar’s Cave. This second one has no clear way to submit answers. We have not tried either.
  • Trap door escape stream offers two free streams (check schedule on their website), and typically you can pay to play. US-friendly times.
  • Squonkland offers custom run escape games through VC, depends on his availability. Pay-what-you-want. US times.
  • Escape team, a print&play game, offers the first out of 5 scenarios for free: “Central Station”. (English and German)
  • Potter’s escape a free puzzle inspired by Harry Potter. They claim more puzzles to come on the next days.
  • The Escape Game has 7 free escape rooms (Monthly Mystery). Solved 1/7. They are the same people behind “Chasing Hahn”.
  • Search of Sasquatch – an online escape game of searching webpages and social media.
  • Down the rabbit hole, a PDF with a few easter themed riddles by Cryptic Events.
  • Mr X. Escape Durham online and requires some online tools (Google, Twitter, Maps…)

Paid experiences

  • YouEscape, paid $30 per game. If you can only play one game, play game #3! Otherwise, games #1, #2, #3 are highly recommended.
  • The case of Uncle Herbert (German or English) by Inside Breakout. 30 CHF, 60-80min sent by post to CH, DE, AT, UK.
  • The insiders by Deadlocked Escape rooms. You’ll join a secret agency and hunt for clues through the internet. Three parts, 1 hour each. Printed recommended but not mandatory. Best money-value of all paid experiences we played. (ÂŁ10, buying a voucher on the provided link) (played 1/3 parts so far)
  • Paruzal live-hosted online escape rooms to be joined by video. (Eastern US)
  • ReadyMayorOne.com live-hosted online escape-room, needs booking and installing Android/iOS apps (US timezone)
  • Reality Break Escape – Mystery of the Missing Mare run through the app Cluekeeper ($30, discounted to $20. 30-60min)
  • CSI: Grounded a web based escape game experience, 60 minutes of gameplay including video, audio and visual content. ( ÂŁ15-20) releasing April 3rd.
  • Wndrbox (US) online bookable games for $25/hr. The Briefcase and The Picnic Basket
  • OuterSpace An adventure in a spaceship that will have you play a videogame in your browser. $2.50
  • Stolen IQ Cluequest cut-print-escape 12 GBP. Requires printer (a lot to print).
  • Das Aurora VermĂ€chtnis at Lockedroom.de. 12.99 EUR. Only in German. App needed.

Free games in other languages

Puzzle books (and physical)

  • Journal 29 and Journal 29 Revelation, both very good, very tricky puzzle books.
  • Codex Enigmatum Well done puzzle book
  • Trip 1907 and Trip 1907 Forbidden Mine Beautifully illustrated and tough puzzles
  • Vice-Versa Books and others they offer. The Vice Versas come with two books, one for each player, and have different information that cannot be seen by the other player. It is all about communication and puzzle solving.
  • The Enigma Emporium (30% discount with code “StaySafeStayCurious”) They have riddle packs that come in the form of various postcards. We really enjoyed those and the artwork is beautiful!
  • TOP Escape Adventures: They are in German but there is a ton of them. Also available in Amazon.
  • Panda magazine. Technically a subscription (paid) magazine, but they offer a free issue. Newspaper-style games.
  • Escape the crate, a subscription shipping an escape box for $30/2months.
  • [DE] AdventureMail.ch a subscription postcard + box escape game (3 weeks for 35 CHF)

Videogames

Mobile games (Android)

  • The Room and all the following games
  • The Witness
  • Device 6 (apple only)
  • The Cube Escape Rusty Lake series. I just have all of them downloaded on my phone and whenever I don’t have internet connectivity play for a bit.
  • Agent A
  • Cluekeeper, although it’s a platform that requires you to buy (rather expensive) individual puzzle hunts.

Escape Boardgames

Please try to buy these from local businesses that need it the most during the Covid-19 times. Some escape room companies are selling games such as EXIT and Adventure Games.

  • Every game in the EXIT series. Just buy them and thank us later. If you are only buying one thing, buy these. They can only be played once, last 60-90min each but do things with physical components you would never expect. ALL are available in German (original language), most in English and almost all in Spanish.
  • Every game in the UNLOCK series. Also top tier escape games, we prefer Exit a bit better but they have some insane mind-bend things that you could only do with an app (not app-driven).
  • Escape Room: The Game and all expansions. It’s not cheap since you have to buy the plastic-toy decoder the first time but then the expansions are cheaper.
  • Every game in the Deckscape series. This always took us more than 60min, recommended.
  • Every game in the Adventure games. Less puzzly, more story driven.
  • Every game in the UNDO series. Those are not on top of our favorites list but they are fine. Also mostly story driven and no puzzles.
  • 50 clues There are three games that you must play in order. Beware, the topic is very heavy and not for the faint of heart. The atmosphere created is amazing and there are many “ooooh sh*t” moments. Definitely worth it.
  • Escape room in a Box: “The werewolf experiment” and “Flashback”. When we played them we had to buy them in the US but worth if you can get them!
  • Doctor Esker’s Notebook There are two of these. Both equally recommended. Easier to get in the US.
  • [ES] La Casa de Papel Escape Game (only in Spanish) easy puzzles, get it only if you like the show.
  • The Escape Game: Unlocked A nice standalone puzzle adventure. They now have a digital version for $10.

Boardgames

We play and own a lot of boardgames too, but there are many great sources to find great boardgames. We list titles that we would recommend if you like solving mysteries and puzzles. Note they are not “escape room” games at all, but some may include riddles or immersive stories.

  • Chronicles of Crime (+Noir +Redview expansions): Put on the detective hat and solve a crime by talking to various witnesses and drawing your own conclusions.
  • Time Stories (+so many expansions) Not so much of a puzzle but more like an exploration game. Travel in time, solve the mystery and save the world but don’t worry if you don’t: You can (and mostly have to) always repeat!
  • Time Stories Revolution: The new version of Time Stories. Very similar but not quite the same. It skips the tedious part where you have to redo the scenario over and over again and it has done so very well.
  • Mansions of Madness 2nd edition (+expansions). This game will fill a whole Sunday if you let it. Get yourself immersed in the Lovecraftian stories, fight evil monsters and let yourself be guided by a very well done app that enhances the playing experience a lot.
  • Sherlock Holmes: Consulting detective (we only tried the first box). Can you solve a case faster than the famous Sherlock Holmes? You get newspaper extracts, people to talk to and all the time that you need. Very text heavy but not easy at all!
  • Mythos Tales This is Dominiques favourite game ever. Do we need to say more? Ah yes, it is basically Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective but in a Lovecraftian setting.
  • Pandemic Legacy season 1 (recommended 4 players but also possible with 2) Pandemic is a great game in and of its own. But Legacy takes it to a whole new level. What better time to start than now? Fully narrative + boardgame, don’t expect puzzles here.
  • Detective: A modern crime board game (Portal Games) with access to the Antares database, you will unveil five different cases of chained mysteries. We only played the first one.
  • Detective Stories (standalone). First (Adlerstein) in English, boxes 2 and 3 only in German.

Other lists like this

If you get stuck in any of these games, we have played most of them (and working on the rest) and we’ll be happy to offer hints! Please leave a comment or reach us out on instagram.com/blackrose_escape

If you liked this list, we’d appreciate you follow us on our socials:

Please leave a comment with anything that we missed (English, German, Spanish) and we’ll add it!

Authors: Dominique & Enric

Reviews

El Diamante de almas – Inmortal room

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The Diamond of souls. The famous carver Alon FĂŒrst, a disciple of the great master Gabriel Tolkowsky, arrives in our country in an unprecedented exhibition. He is known for creating the best diamonds in the world. No carver has ever managed to match the purity and brightness of his works. Enjoy the unique diamonds and jewels of this unique artist. Can you discover his great secret?

el diamante de almas
El Diamante de Almas Inmortal

First of all, let me say that I can’t really see what people like so much about this room. #37 on TERPECA 2019. I was hyped by the reviews and even more because they claim to be enthusiasts who build a room. I discussed it with other people who played it and it seems the GM can make it or break it. Ours was someone who admitted to being quite new. It was fine, but it felt staged and perhaps it will get better after a few more games. I started handcuffed and he made them so tight I was about to ask for an emergency stop – it hurt.

You start in a beautiful jewelry exposition full of some riddles that are on the easier side, which is great! Other rooms should learn from this. Easy riddles at the beginning to get everyone kickstarted and motivated. The middle part unfortunately I can’t discuss without giving away too much. But overall highlight how important good communication and cooperation will be in this room. An ending that is full of energy, with a bit of a rush feeling that makes you leave on a high yelling “yeah we did it!”

El Diamante de Almas Inmortal

As a fun note, there’s a highlight of the game, the apex of what makes the game special, and the GM told us about a couple of fun very contrasting stories: First, a girl was so nervous she peed herself; and the other story is that a girl was into some sort of kink and enjoyed one of the parts… way too much.

On top of adding their custom border on the photo, they will write a customized text full of emojis and post it on their facebook page. See ours for example. The downside, they must have a long queue because it took them more than a month to post ours.

  • Website: https://www.inmortalroom.com/
  • Duration: 80min
  • Escape time: 78/80 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Players: 2-6
  • Price: 60-108 Euros
  • Location: Carrer Can Castells, 43, Montcada i Reixac
  • Rating: 7.5/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

Inmortum

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Mii… Mii Miiiiiii! Mii is looking for a way to be famous at all costs since he was the creator of the hostel but nobody remembers him. He’s waiting for you to become his biggest fans but there’s a little problem in his home.

Inmortum Mii
Inmortum Mii
inmortum escape room

What a fun game! I had never laughed so much in an escape room. It’s not jokes that may or not make you laugh. It’s just the hilarity of some of the things you have to do.

The pre-game is already fun. A few days in advance you’ll receive a Whatsapp message with a recording.

You are competing to be fans of Mii, a peculiar gas-wearing character that loves sweets. If you pay him a visit, bring him a Kinder egg! I don’t think this game is offered in English, but as long as you have at least one Spanish speaker in the group you’ll be able to do it. I feel I have to mention that he opened a custom slot on the night of Christmas (25th of December at night) knowing that we were visiting from abroad and wouldn’t be able to attend otherwise. He will offer a customized welcome and introduce you to his two greatest fans (ask him who they are at the end of the game) and warn you that his best fans are very obsessive and protective and will make your life hell.

Inmortum cleaning
Credit this + featured photo: The Foodinis.

This is also the room where I stumbled upon the actor the most times, and it was never enough. All sort of interactions, from more spooky to extremely playful. Such a black-and-white contrast between humor and fear, a scary room but not truly a very horrific one. Good execution, clever hand-crafted puzzles with some simple electronics that felt very robust and some very manual technology – that works! The last 10 minutes of the game were full of adrenaline and non-stop horror and laughter. The game can be compared with rapidly alternating between a hot and a freezing bath, a strong contrast in rapid succession that absolutely gets your blood pumping.

The GM was very kind even on such a date, walked us through the rooms and told us his favorite horror rooms. It was crazy to see such a comedic Mii character be such a humble a good-humored GM, speaking to us in Catalan. The escape room a bit out of the way in Gironella but you can combine it with a trip to Manresa and also play Until Dawn.

Is it playable in English? No, you’ll need at least one Spanish speaker in the group. But it will still be fun, and scary. And both. Or none. Or whatever. You’ll just have a great time. 😂

  • Website: https://inmortum.wixsite.com/inmortum/
  • Duration: 70min (90min according to the website)
  • Escape time: 59/70 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Players: 3-6
  • Price: 50-90 Euros
  • Location: Avinguda de Catalunya, 83, Gironella
  • Rating: 9.3/10!

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

Alien: The Origin – escape Barcelona

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Be part of the crew of the USCSS Escape and travels to the planet Thedus.

alien the origin escape barcelona
Alien the origin escape barcelona

I did not have a lot of fun here. The intro felt rushed, I wasn’t barely allowed any time to use the toilet and then, we were split in two groups: engineers and security. I liked the opening riddle, and loved the transitions, the way you are physically split is outstanding.

Great decoration, but I can’t understand how it made it to #18 terpeca in 2018. I played security, so my review is from that point of view. Why? Because for 90% of the game we were separated. We had some choices, and that was very cool! Based on your choices, you will get one of over 10 (I think) possible endings.

An overuse of arithmetic, and a specific pointless games that – either we were very bad at – or it was just meant to kept you busy while the other half played games. We spent at least 5 minutes waiting for the other half of the team to complete their part with us being unable to do anything. Check the time below, we played 54 out of 90 min and it was mostly adventurous – we couldn’t be fast or slow. I really feel like we missed a big part of the game.

I asked people who played this game during their golden time and they confirmed there was some acting that involved a thousands-of-euros costume that, after it broke, it was removed. The ending was made to be epic and interesting but our GM and the games that felt more like tasks than riddles made it feel not-so-good. As much as I disliked this game, I’d encourage you to check other reviews because I’m clearly in the minority here.

Pros: great decoration, solid construction.

Cons: we literally had three riddles, and some entertainments/games. Never saw the other two players for most of the game. The underwhelming games at the end of the session.

  • Website: https://www.escapebarcelona.com/
  • Duration: 90min
  • Escape time: 54/90 min.
  • Difficulty: Very low
  • Players: 4-10
  • Price: 85-120 Euros
  • Location: Calle BarĂł 17 local SANTA COLOMA
  • Rating: 6.5/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

El circo de los extraños – Prisma

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An old circus company with more than 100 years of history, has been provisionally installed in MatarĂł so that all circus lovers can visit and enjoy the best magic tricks, be amazed by the most spectacular stunts and discover the most strange and peculiar people.

El circo de los extraños
El circo de los extraños

The most classical room of the ones I played on the trip. A fun light-hearted room with an abundance of classical puzzles and games and quite a lot to do for two players, including some intense searching. Approaching the end, there’s some hard searching that needs to be done in a too dark environment.

There’s a dash of spookiness that contrasts with the lightheartedness early on. If you are the kind of player who likes to be kept busy, it is a room for you. Further into the game, you’ll encounter a very original room that could be the product of someone’s nightmare (although not scary at all!). A lot of different spaces and a paced progressions. Recommended for 4+ players unless you already have quite some rooms behind your back.

  • Website: https://prismaroomescape.com/
  • Duration: 80min
  • Escape time: 68/80 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium-Hard
  • Players: 2-7
  • Price: 60-105 Euros
  • Location: Carrer de Sant Benet, 68, Mataro
  • Rating: 7/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

Caza Fantasmas – The mysterious room

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Very strange things are happening, paranormal phenomena and spectral apparitions. The desperate owners called the Ghostbusters but since they entered the hotel, no one heard about them.

Caza fantasmas the mysterious room - Secret Box
Caza fantasmas the mysterious room – Secret Box

The guns we are holding shoot lasers. Need I say more? Scroll down for the video.

A good introduction, into an okay hotel reception that will have you do a lot of searching. Prepare to search. And search again. And then check where your friends checked because probably they forgot something. Not all the searching is strictly necessary, but you will want to do it if you are a completionist like me.

Caza Fantasmas Ghostbusters

Fortunately, the game transitions into a better-looking area and it breaks the mold when you realize you have to be going back and forth non-stop.

I witnessed a special effect that is short-lived but one could consider it a signature trick, and I had never seen it before. It fit the ghostbuster theme very well. The ending is fast-paced, full of action and the GM does an excellent job at accentuating those traits. Remember, also part of the Movie Route.

A cool ghostbusting boomerang they did of us!
  • Website: https://escaperoommataro.com/
  • Duration: 60min
  • Escape time: 50/60 min.
  • Difficulty: Low-Medium
  • Players: 3-5. We played 2 players, which worked perfectly fine.
  • Price: 80-100 Euros
  • Location: Ronda Mossen Jacint Verdaguer, 69 , Mataro
  • Rating: 8/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

Until Dawn

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After the gruesome events in the Freeman family’s home, the building drags the haunted legend. Now, an eccentric millionaire has just purchased it and will be rewarding players with a financial reward by staying up one night in the building.

Until Dawn
Until Dawn

This was my favorite room of our 15 room trip in December 2019. If you go play and you are greeted by a long-haired house keeper you are in for a treat. This specific GM outdid himself, to the point where I was worried about whether he’d ever break out of character even at the end! Such a fitting character for the actor, and what a way to carry out a live face-to-face performance. All this making for my favorite escape room intro ever.

The use of the light is cinematographic in this escape room. Beginning with an early warning of how important it will be, to seeing how the light smoothly serves as a horror dial and as the main controller of the flow of the game. One of the highlights is a horror effect that, although some could consider a horror trope, I found it to be perfectly executed, absolutely unexpected and masterfully timed. And it’s not a one-trick pony room, just my personal highlight.

Until Dawn La Clau Manresa

If you are a fan of the eponymous videogame, do not expect a replica nor any encounter with a Wendigo. The only similarity, is that you are meant to survive in the house
 until dawn. Enjoy it for what it is.

Additional to the escape room, there are 7 extremely well hidden medallions that you can optionally find to unlock an additional riddle that, if solved, will grant you access to an accumulated booty of 100Eur. For reference, we found 0/7 medallions :). If you want to find all of them, you will need to start searching from the very start. 1% of groups have been able to find it, and the GM mentioned that includes people who openly re-played the room exclusively looking for the medallions.

  • Website: https://www.laclauroomescape.com/
  • Duration: 70min
  • Escape time: 69/70 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Players: 2-6
  • Price: 64-95 Euros
  • Location: Passatge vilaseca i garriga, K-J, Manresa
  • Rating: 9.5/10!

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

Catacumbas – Golden pop

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The alchemists claimed to be able to achieve the transformation of metals into gold, although their goal was focused on a greater challenge, obtaining the alchemical stone. This object is attributed magical properties, including immortality.

Catacumbas Golden Pop
Catacumbas Golden Pop – En Busca de la piedra AlquĂ­mica

I heard this room is not what it used to be. Some maintenance and props replacements give some parts an uncomfortable cheap feel. The torch I was holding flopped like a molten ice cream or a flaccid phallus in such a comedic way. And this may be the most overproduced room in the whole trip. If I had to guess, it was also likely the most expensive to create. Some enthusiasts rate it one of the top 3 rooms they played, among 1500 rooms.

The two friends in the picture played 8 rooms during the Barcelona December 2019 escape trip and thought it was on positions 7 and 5 out of 8. I liked it much more.

In the venue you can take all-you-can-eat popcorn while you wait for the cinema usher to come pick you up. You are brought into a humble 3-rows cinema and the movie begins. But before you know it, you are inside the movie.

They adapted the room so it’s playable with 3, and added a very visible hack so it’s even playable with 2 players – but really this is a 4-player room. 3 works fine, except for two specific riddles where you feel like cheating the system a little bit.

I loved the decoration. I loved the special effects. I loved the lighting. I loved the music and sound effects. I loved the riddles. And I loved both the beginning and the ending.

  • Website: http://goldenpop.es/
  • Duration: 90min
  • Escape time: 83/90 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Players: 2-10 (not recommended 2p, “ok” 3p)
  • Price: 100-250 Euros (2: 50€/p, 3: 35€/p, 4-10: 25€/p)
  • Location: Carrer de Girona, 7, Barcelona
  • Rating: 9/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

Katharsis – La hora de las bestias

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In the next few days, the first Purge experiment will take place in our city. In order to study the benefit of violent behavior without fear of consequences and to release the lowest instincts through this social Katharsis. For an hour the laws will be abolished and everything will be allowed.

Katharsis la hora de las bestias
Katharsis la hora de las bestias

Having played most of my rooms outside of Barcelona, I always wondered what in hell do they always mean by “Tensión”. It’s a term that I see more and more in room descriptions in the area. Sure, there’s always tension in a room. Katharsis – La Hora de las bestias taught me what this new meta is all about by executing tension flawlessly.

The tension you will feel is not the tension of having a digit wrong in a padlock. It is the constant feeling of being chased by a group of ravenous killers that want to slash you for entertainment. It’s the tension of “we messed up, what do we do now!?” followed by some Hollywood scenes that will make you feel like the movie hero. If you are worried about this being scary: You may be mildly jump-scared but rather due to a strong narrative execution than flat horrific fear of a monster. Remember, the GM and designers want you to have a great experience.

This room is a must, but strongly falters when it comes to riddles. Looking for numbers on the walls to input on way-to-many padlocks both at the beginning and half-way through the game is a mood-killer.

Is it playable in English? It’s not bookable in English. But technically it’d be playable. The game has an intro video in Spanish but has no language dependency, except a bit of actor interaction where you, as a player, are totally passive – so worst case you don’t understand it and just move along.

  • Website: https://katharsisroomescape.es/
  • Duration: 80min
  • Escape time: 65/80 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Players: 2-6
  • Price: 70-154 Euros
  • Location: Av. America, 14, Mataro
  • Rating: 8.5/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

La Cerveceria Estrella Damm – Enigmik

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In the escape room of the ‘Cerveseria’ (Brewery) you will discover, learn and enjoy with the tasting of Estrella Damm beers. Ingredients, flavors, textures, smells 


La Cerveceria
La Cerveseria Estrella Damm

This room is one of those games that just recently launched and I could not wait to play. How can it have risen in rankings so fast? Well, we played it the day after the terpeca results had been announced and
 did it deliver?

Pre-game: You start by being able to choose the language: Catalan, Spanish or English. Before the game, each of the players is given a NFC bracelet, which you will register before entering the room. The registering process is a bit tedious, since it needs to be done one by one. On the other hand, it makes you feel special, since each of you is given one (or more) specialist roles. Will you be the boiling expert, the fermentation adept, the hops connoisseur
?

You start in a bar, and the start fits the theme so well that for the first seconds I couldn’t see any way to move forward. You’ll start being shown the story of an old man, Josep Damm, master brewer, who left some hints for you to discover and help him brew the 5-pointed star beer. No locks, no codes, no inputs. For a second the following thought crossed my mind: Maybe they.. forgot to give us something? I embraced it, and just chilled and enjoyed it. Beautiful.

Mild spoiler incoming: You’ll see more than that. Without saying too much, you’ll end up performing fictitious steps on a very real looking brewery. The expertise assigned to each of the players will play a key role.

I can imagine people liking this room way more than a 9/10 (although I think it’s really high). But an overloaded way-too-loud ending combined with the headache I had, had me leaving with mixed feelings. That is, until we drank the result of our hard work: A freezing-cold Estrella. (see picture).

Is it playable in English? Yes, absolutely. 100%. You can book in English. It even made it to #33 on Terpeca 2019.

  • Website: https://www.enigmik.com/lacerveceria/
  • Duration: 80min
  • Escape time: 71/80 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium-Hard
  • Players: 4-6
  • Price: 80-120 Euros
  • Location: Rossello, 508, Barcelona
  • Rating: 9/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

NW6 Bunker – Enigmik

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Mission: NW6 Bunker: Dr. Betsy Smith has been researching unlimited energy sources within her secret and impenetrable Bunker for years. Your mission will be to recover the NW6 before it is too late. You will let yourself be captured. Once inside, you will need to work as a team using your ingenuity to get out.

NW6 Bunker
NW6 Bunker

It is unfortunate that I played this room at the end of 2019. Was I to play this room 2 years ago, it would have blown my mind. It’s not that it’s old, nor broken, but it just feels like it’s not up to par with the latest innovations. If you are playing La Cerveceria and have some spare time, sure, play the Bunker because it’s in the same location; but don’t go out of your way or stop playing another game for it.

You’ll start split in two teams – which I used to love. And still, if done well it can work. It’s fine in this case, because it’s short and a start that quickly forces you to cooperate. There will be enough puzzles for your group to split and one of those I particularly liked. It was about communicating directions while still being split through the mirrored version of what the other person sees. If you struggle with lefts and rights, this will be a nightmare. To me, it gave me a feeling of accomplishment. Overall, a solid classic-style game.

Is it playable in English? Yea, 100% playable. You can book in English.

  • Website: https://www.enigmik.com/en/
  • Duration: 60min
  • Escape time: 45/60 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium-Hard
  • Players: 2-6
  • Price: 60-96 Euros
  • Location: Carrer del RossellĂł, 508, 08026 Barcelona
  • Rating: 7/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

Seven: The game – Quimera Escape

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A young woman has appeared at the police facilities in Granollers pleading guilty to several crimes. To prove the truth of her words, she has detailed to the police one of the murders and the place where the body is located.

Seven the game
Seven the game

The GM for this game was outstanding. What otherwise would have been an ok game with old furniture and a few surprises became amazing. Was it the perfect high budget modern room? I don’t know. I don’t care. It stamped a memory on us that I won’t easily be forgotten. One of the players jokingly complained about it being too scary, and the GM prepared a funny (really, not a scare) surprise for him. For all the scared ones out there, take one of these đŸ§».

Seven will have you go through the seven cardinal sins:

  • Lust
  • Gluttony
  • Greed
  • Sloth
  • Wrath
  • Envy
  • Pride

You will have to solve different riddles, or cases, for each one. There is an easy way to visualize your progress but do not panic if half-way through the game you have solved only a couple of sins. Progressions quickly ramps up at the end. The plot does a good job at tying the 7 sins to a single case where you will keep discovering new hidden sub-plots that try to make you feel the negative side of each corresponding sin. I particularly liked the execution of Gluttony (gula) and Pride (soberbia), and thought they could have done a better job with Lust (lujuria).

Is it playable in English? It is not bookable in English. You need to understand the 7 capital sins, but it may be playable with some GM help, worth asking them. Worst case, you could play it if at least one player understands Spanish at moderate level.

  • Website: https://www.quimeraescape.com/
  • Duration: 70min
  • Escape time: 60/70 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Players: 2-6
  • Price: 58-96 Euros
  • Location: Carrer Arago, 40, Les Franqueses del Valles
  • Rating: 8/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

Whitechapel Barcelona

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In 1888, in a famous London neighborhood called Whitechapel, a series of murders committed by Jack the Ripper took place. Now, 130 years later, a murderer is paying tribute and causing chaos following the footsteps of Jack himself. In this escape room we will challenge you to decipher a series of enigmas that will challenge your intelligence, imagination and cooperation in addition to testing your fears. Wit, collaboration, perspective 
 All the senses must be alert, any small detail can be essential to overcome the challenge.

Whitechapel
Whitechapel

So far, I had played very few scary rooms due to the theme not being a big hit on our group. I had not played any of the tension or horror rooms that involve actors, apart from the Catacombs in Amsterdam. When I told some veterans that I’d like to get started with Whitechapel, and that we’d be just two players, they said: Well, that’s going all in. Either you’ll love it or hate it! They were right.

Whitechapel is a piece of art. The introduction is a 10/10 and may very well be the best intro I have ever experienced. You are greeted by an in-character GM from the first moment while a blind character Sam with a very specific speech signature warns you of how dangerous the neighbors of Whitechapel are. His blindness is an excellent tie-in to why it is no problem that it’s so dark in this first room. It is so dangerous in fact, that Sam will give you a safe phrase. A safe phrase you will not want to use, trust me.

All in all, it’s a very hands-on experience. You’ll need to react to what is happening around you and the room will throw the best bravery test I have ever seen at you. It’s a very clever idea, and it is even better executed. It is important to notice thought that despite all the horror and fright, the room always uses safe scares, and they respect the time the players need to solve riddles.

Horror analysis (mild spoilers): Some great horror tricks include: Perfect timing with lights on and off. Something approaching, and nothing you can do about it. Fear of the unknown. Retreating back to where you had to escape from at an earlier stage. On the downside, a few of the core riddles are on the easier and weaker side in retrospect – but perfectly understandable given players won’t be able to give their 100% while scared.

Another genius use of horror tricks that shows that the creators of the room are masters of horror: Tension cannot be held indefinitely, so a pinch of hilarity provides a respite while giving horror a chance to sneak up on you and catch you off guard. Finally, fully surrounding effects that not even 7.1 audio systems achieve made me feel like there were not two but 15 actors.

What some may consider spoiler but I believe to not reveal a lot of the room, but rather a warning for the scared: There will be physical contact. You’ll need to save your friends. Or perhaps they’ll need to save you. Do not worry: It’s gentle non-painful contact. If you are worried about all this, the game also offers a Mystery mode, a lighter version of the game.

Is it playable in English? Not really, unfortunately. They mentioned they could run a customized session if you request in advance. Some international enthusiasts managed to reach out to some well-known local enthusiasts that re-played the game with them and acted as translators. It’s key for the intro, one scene that requires role playing interaction and necessary for two of the riddles.

  • Website: http://www.roomwhitechapel.com/
  • Duration: 75min
  • Escape time: 55/75 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium-High depends how much horror affects you
  • Players: 2-6
  • Price: 75-120 Euros
  • Location: Carrer de les Acacies, 23-25, Barcelona
  • Rating: 9.2/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

La fortuna de los Addams

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The Addams Family are possessors of a great fortune and to put it safe, they have decided to install a high security system. To test this system, they are looking for groups of experts that are capable of solving all kinds of tests and riddles, and thus check if their system is completely safe. Do you dare to enter the Addams Mansion and go in search of that fortune?

La Fortuna de los Addams
La Fortuna de los Addams

This was the first room I played during this trip with Santiago. We met thanks to a common friend, Heiner, from escaperoomers.de, who put us in contact when he learned that I was going to Barcelona. And this was our first room together.

I also had the good fortune of meeting Lara and Tomas from Tu Mejor Room Escape (spanish). The three of us went to the same university, and it’s Lara’s fault that we got hooked when we travelled to Barcelona in June 2018. We had only played 14 rooms by then! Additionally, at the time of this 2019 trip I had never played with any of the other 3 players before and was worried about not having chemistry or flow – but it was never a problem. Now, back to the room:

Addams House starts with an average intro set in an old house (see photo). Fortunately, that’s not what you will remember, it quickly ramps up once you get in front of their main gate, right by their front door entrance – with excellent decoration. The things that stand out are the props and lighting, the flow was great, it has both logical, hands-on and even one dexterity puzzle.

The room requires a bit of outside knowledge, although I hope you all have at least once heard of the theme. The ending felt a bit forced and artificial making you solve a riddle that is more tedious than fun under artificial high pressure. Otherwise, a highly enjoyable room. With a more polished intro and ending, it has great potential.

At the end the GM mentioned that there was a Movie Route, and we could collect a bracelet from them.

Is it playable in English? It’s only bookable in Spanish, and apart from an initial intro that is not relevant for the puzzles, you won’t need to be able to speak Spanish.

  • Website: http://www.addamshouseescape.com/
  • Duration: 80min
  • Escape time: 55/80 min.
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Players: 2-6
  • Price: 60-108 Euros
  • Location: Castellbell, 24-32 Local 6 08030 Barcelona
  • Rating: 7/10

Read about the other 15 rooms we played on this Barcelona trip on “BARCELONA ESCAPE TRIP – DECEMBER 2019“. (published in the next few days)

Reviews

Boda Borg in ZĂŒrich Switzerland

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We were one of the first people to play Boda Borg in ZĂŒrich as part of a testing on November 2019. And we went back a couple of weeks later, to play more.

What is Boda Borg?

Questing: the “DIY” version of movies, books, and video games! Gather your team of 3-5 people and move through the real-life experience we call Questing. You will face a variety of mental and physical challenges at Boda Borg locations, where success in the first challenge means entry into the next. If you fail you have to start all over again or choose another Quest.

They mention you can master 1-3 quests in your first 2h. I think that’s probably right for a family setting or a group who wants a light experience. For reference, we did pretty average (many repetitions!) and got 5 greens and 1 red stamp on our first 2h session.

  • Web: https://www.bodaborg.ch/
  • Time: 2hr (or more!) recommended. A successful run = 10min.
  • Players: 3-5, but if you are more you can split, and merge.
  • Ages: 7-70
  • Languages: English or German. We tested in English.
  • Price: 30chf/person for 2 hours. 42chf/p for a full day.
  • Opening: Monday-Thursday until 10pm. Friday-Sat until 11pm Sunday until 6pm.
  • Location: Oberglatterstrasse 35, 8153 RĂŒmlang

How it works

A successful run lasts about 10min. You are expected to get it wrong, and try again. After a mistake you have to leave the quest and restart from the beginning. Even if you know how it works, all riddles are parameterized so the solution will be different each time, but the method the same. You’ll know what to do, but you’ll need to do it again.

All rooms auto-reset in a matter of seconds once you are out. If it’s crowded and another group wants to try, then you’ll have to wait. We always went during the week on the evening and it was mostly empty and never had to wait. Once you succeed, in the end, you get a stamp (green, red, black). If you get all of them in 4 hours you become a Quest Master. I doubt anyone can do it in their first 4h, but once you know how they work you could come back another day and replay it. Some are still challenging (physical ones mostly).


Modes

  • Green (6 quests): mostly puzzles and mental challenges. Technically one quest (quiz) can be played 3 times.
  • Red (7 quests): a mix of puzzles and physical challenges.
  • Black (5 quests): which are dexterity/physical challenges. In general, if it was compared to an “escape room” it would be on the easier side. But the physical ones make you tired. Especially because after a small mistake… you have to try again!

Final thoughts

The decoration is very good. Puzzles are easy but you need to understand them. In the context of an escape room they’d be frustrating because sometimes you don’t know what to do next, but in this keep-replaying context it works very well. Overall, I would strongly recommend it. Going with the right mindset is key. Do not expect escape rooms, go with an open mind and enjoy what they offer.

Secret tips

  • Come in comfortable clothes: Gym clothes, or at least gym pants are highly recommended. Unless you intend to stick to exclusively green quests, you’ll need sports shoes too. Like in other countries’ Boda Borg, the ones in Zurich also rent knee-pads. May sound like a joke, but kneeling and crawling is quite their signature. If you have knee problems, don’t be ashamed to bring knee-pads.
  • Drink often: It’s very easy to play non-stop for 2hr, especially when you “almost got it”. And it’s also very easy to forget to hydrate. Take breaks, go for a drink and come back. You are not competing, the heroes who solved everything needed to re-play all rooms multiple times. Especially important if you are focusing on reds and blacks.
  • Don’t get frustrated: Repeatedly dying in a videogame can get annoying (unless you are a Dark Souls veteran). Questing is similar: be patient and enjoy the game. It’s more worth to have fun with your group and get fewer stamps than to get one more stamp and end in bad humor. If something gets tricky, is hard to perfect or keeps getting you… change! There are 18 games, go play something else! Sometimes stopping for 5 minutes and discussing possible approaches is better than getting one more random fail.

Our progress so far…

We played (but not beat) all of their 18 games multiple times each. In total we succeeded in 12/18. Can’t wait to go back again, perhaps when they add new quests? An employee that helped build this location mentioned they were working on 4 new ones!

Every time you complete a quest, you get a stamp. Our progress 12/18
Rankings

TOP 50 escape rooms Switzerland

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Team Black Rose has played over 250 escape rooms and ranked the top 50 in Switzerland. Which ones have you played? Combined ranking of 4 players!

Want a shorter version? Check our top 5 best escape rooms in Switzerland.

A room may end up in the middle when some members liked a room a lot but some others disliked it. A room may be low due to not all 4 of us having played it. Looking for the best escape rooms in Switzerland?

Best escape rooms in Switzerland

  1. Aunt Hilda’s Room – Trip Trap Escape
  2. Beutezug 1847 (The Heist 1847) – Time Maze
  3. The Pirates of the Blacktrap (Les Pirates du Blacktrap) – Trapgame
  4. Die verbotene Stadt 1901 (The forbidden city 1901) – Time Maze
  5. Kontinuum – AdventureRooms Technroama
  6. Mr. Trippolyte’s Vestibule – Trip Trap Escape
  7. Das Geisterhaus (House of Ghosts) – ROOM Escape Room
  8. Auf Houdini’s Spuren – Houdini’s Quest
  9. Da Vinci Code – ROOM Escape Room
  10. The Ticking Heart – Inside Breakout
  11. Spektrum – AdventureRooms Technorama
  12. Operation: Delta Starfire – Room Escape Basel
  13. Jurassic Jones – Trapgame
  14. Nightmare – Escape Challenge Luzern
  15. Narcos – Operation Safehouse – Next Level Escape
  16. Der Fluch des Yama (The Curse of Yama) – Room Escape Basel
  17. Transylvania – AdventureRooms Solothurn
  18. Das Geheimnis der Mine (The Secret of the Mine) – Geheimgang 188
  19. BĂąlechemisten Illuminaturi – Breakout Basel
  20. Verlassener Zirkus (Abandoned circus) – Escape Quest
  21. BĂąlekenstein – Das Experiment (The Experiment) – Breakout Basel
  22. An evening with the Voodoo Queen – Trip Trap Escape
  23. Lady Thompson – Escape Quest
  24. Auf der Suche nach Gulliver (In search of Gulliver) – ROOM Escape Room
  25. Burg Drachenfels (Dragon’s Castle) – Room Escape Basel
  26. The Wreck – Panic Room Games
  27. Sondereinheit Meteor – Geheimgang 188
  28. Das Labor – Houdini’s Quest
  29. The Heist – Panic Room Games
  30. Sherlock Holmes – Steampunk – MYSTERY GAME
  31. Die geheimnisvolle Bibliothek – Houdini’s Quest
  32. Sherlock – Escape quest
  33. Top Secret – Escape Company
  34. Ring der Macht (Lord of the Rings) – MYSTERY GAME
  35. Stardust – escapestories
  36. Casino BĂąle Royale – das Spiel (the Game) – Breakout Basel
  37. Das Weisenhaus – Actionworld
  38. The Silent Chest – Trip Trap Escape
  39. Das GefĂ€ngnis – Houdini’s Quest
  40. Zelle Nr. 2 (Cell Nr. 2) – One Hour Escape
  41. Horizon – AdventureRooms Basel
  42. The Lotus Trap – Timescape
  43. Dr. Red – escapestories
  44. Jack The Ripper – Mission: Escape
  45. Escape Station – Escape Basel
  46. Jack Rackham’s treasure – Trip Trap Escape
  47. Auf Sherlocks Spuren (Sherlock Holmes) – Geheimgang 188
  48. The brotherhood of the Stone – Trip Trap Escape
  49. Game of Thrones – Der Winter naht! – Mission: Escape
  50. Der Kunstraub – Snary Mary Adventures

Awards

  • đŸ„‡Best escape room in Switzerland: Aunt Hilda’s Room, by Trip Trap Escape.
  • đŸ„‡Best escape room in German-speaking Switzerland: Beutezug 1847 / The Heist 1847 by Time Maze.
  • đŸ„‡Best escape room in French-speaking Switzerland: Aunt Hilda’s Room, already awarded “Best escape room in Switzerland”. Followed by The Pirates of the Blacktrap, by Trapgame.
  • đŸ„‡Best escape room in ZĂŒrich: House of Ghosts, by ROOM Escape Room.

Last updated: 4th of February 2020. 134 Swiss rooms played. 250 worldwide.

More escape rooms

Find the complete ranking with 134 rooms (coming soon…)

Methodology

  1. Create the matrix A where A_i,j is how many times room i was rated above j.
  2. Find the largest real eigenvalue, λ.
  3. Find the corresponding eigenvector v so that Av = λv
  4. This vector is the “score”. The rooms are sorted.
  5. We did minor manual modifications when we thought the ranking was skewed due to fewer than 4 players having played a room, aka hidden gems.

This is a similar methodology to the one used for Top Escape Rooms Project

Reviews

The lab – Houdini’s Quest

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You’ll get to play with many actual scientific devices, but worry not: safety equipment will be provided. A lot to do, 4 players recommended. If you are fewer than that, make sure it’s a team of experienced players. A bit dry compared to their other rooms, but lots of things to solve. Can’t complain on immersiveness because it literally could be a lab.

I personally found this their hardest room due to its non-linearity. An example on how a harder room does not always make it better. I’d appreciate if a couple of the riddles were streamlined. In the end, for instance, you’ll need many bits of outside knowledge that – hopefully – is common knowledge. It’s quite common, but I could imagine a group being unfamiliar with it.

  • Website: www.houdinis.ch
  • Duration: 60min + extra with additional hidden tokens
  • Escape time: 66min.
  • Difficulty: Very very hard
  • Players: 2-5
  • Price: 98-150chf
  • Location: Frauenfeld, 40 minutes by car from ZĂŒrich
  • Rating: 8/10

Reviews for all their other rooms on: ESCAPE ROOM FRAUENFELD – HOUDINI’S QUEST (5 ROOMS)

Reviews

Houdini’s footsteps – Houdini’s Quest

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houdini footsteps spuren houdini's quest magician

Dominique already played this room before this day, how come she’s on the picture? The owners allowed her to watch us from within the room (and help us with translations) and were kind enough to only charge us the 2 players rate.

This room claims it is not only an escape room but also a museum, and it delivered. You’ll follow, as the name suggest, Houdini’s footsteps. It unfolds in two acts, first on Houdini’s wife’s bedroom, and the second one you’ll have to find out by yourself. Needless to say, the second one brings the reveal, the “wow moment” (which I love so much) and what makes this room stand out.

The hint system is one of the most originally integrated we ever encountered. From secret codes to real magical props used in magician’s stages, you’ll encounter way more than the photo reveals. Let yourself be amazed.

This is their signature room. If you can only play one room, play this one. The owner is a magician and you can see the amount of research and love to detail that went into this room. We were very fortunate to have the owner Dominic, a magician by trade, perform a couple of magic tricks for us and leave us even more astonished.

There’s really a lot to do with two players, and you’ll need to search well. The reason Houdini could unlock himself from water tanks while being almost naked was that he could hide the lockpicks very well.

  • Website: www.houdinis.ch
  • Duration: 60min to 72min (hidden tokens unlock extra time)
  • Escape time: 61 min.
  • Difficulty: Hard
  • Players: 2-5
  • Price: 98-150chf
  • Location: Frauenfeld, 40 minutes by car from ZĂŒrich
  • Rating: 8.5/10

Reviews for all their other rooms on: ESCAPE ROOM FRAUENFELD – HOUDINI’S QUEST (5 ROOMS)

Reviews

Escape Rooms Schwyz -Active Escape Schwyz (2 rooms)

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Who plays Escape Rooms on a Wednesday from 9pm to 11pm? In Switzerland? Well, it’s been long that I wanted to play a game with our great friend from Inside Breakout (check our review for his game The Ticking Heart) and spontaneity led us here. Unfortunately, the other petals of the Black Rose weren’t able to make it, but they’ll surely play these rooms! What a Mastermind our friend is though, and what a great player. It was my first time playing with an experienced GM and what I noticed is how clean he plays, after having seen groups both fail and succeed. He sees what we have, what we don’t have, what’s next. It made it so the rooms almost played themselves. But now, enough personal backstory, back to the review.

The break-in / Der Einbruch 6.5/10

This company is in the middle of nowhere, which means lower competition. Despite that, this game well exceeded my expectations. Generous space has been used and it’s a game that keeps on giving. The decoration is humble and, after playing both games, one can really see this was their first one. On the other hand, a game that truly makes you feel at home. The Riddles and tasks are very original and the progression is clear. An unexpected story twist at the very end took me by surprise though, not least if all since I did not understand it.

Funnily enough, last weekend we mentioned we had seen something for the first time in an escape room: Using the outside world (The Prison – Houdini’s Quest). And today I saw it again. Furthermore, the owner explained how they made some improvements to the room, to make it more durable.

Overall, not a room that will blow your mind, but one of those cozy escape rooms to play if you are in the area. It has good flow and a very home-made feel. Recommended for beginners.

  • Game: The break-in / Der Einbruch
  • Website: https://www.active-escape-schwyz.ch/
  • Duration: 60min
  • Escape time: 42min (first 2player group to escape with no hints!)
  • Players: 2-6
  • Languages: English, German
  • Rating: 6.5/10

The Psycho / Der Psycho 8/10

This room could be very scary with just a couple of adjustments. This is a room that calls for an acted intro instead of a 1 minute intro video. An actor could (and should!) be added at some key moments to accentuate horror but there’s none. It’s for 16+, and although it doesn’t involve jump scares it feels creepy, but not too much to distract you from the game. It’s dark but light sources are generously provided, and highly luminescent camping lamps. Tip: Carry the lamp with you at all times). You may or may not encounter bloody props (ehem.., what’s in the bag in the photo?).

A room that keeps on giving. Puzzles that have you physically cooperate, a couple of harder riddles that will keep you thinking – but everything’s solvable and makes sense. There’s a lot to do both physically and mentally, and it gives you an all around cozy home-made feeling. On the flip side, some props/print-outs have a bit of a low-budget feel. I’d recommend 4 players minimum. Unfortunately, a physical part broke (shit happens) which made us physically unable to use a mechanical device, but the GM quickly gave us a useful workaround. Finally, there is a worthy ending, although the last door opens ridiculously slowly for the extra dramatic effect.

It’s hard. Very recommended experience for people who’ve already played 3+ escape rooms, and absolutely not recommended for first timers. A word of warning: ~10-20% escape rate and only 3% of groups have escaped without any hints in the year and a half that it’s been open.

  • The Psycho / Der Psycho
  • Website: https://www.active-escape-schwyz.ch/
  • Duration: 60min
  • Escape time: 53min (first 2player group to escape. Also no hints. Before us only 4+ player groups managed to escape.)
  • Players: 2-6
  • Languages: English, German
  • Rating: 8/10
Escape Trips, Reviews

Escape room Frauenfeld – Houdini’s Quest (5 rooms)

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The long awaited visited finally became reality. We booked Houdini’s Quest and it was as full of escapism as we expected. The great trick they pulled was to have us end up playing 5 rooms when we only initially booked 3!

WARNING: Only one room is fully playable in English (Lab), and one is playable with paste-ons (Houdini). The rest is playable if one of the players understands German.

CĂ©line and Kevin of Team Black Rose (who are we?) already had played 4 rooms, and Dominique played 2 with them. That meant that before their very recent release of Mafia there was no chance of us going all together. Well, we pulled in an extra brain, a good friend who went from having 4 played rooms to almost 13 in the last few months.

First of all, what do all (or most) of their rooms have in common? They hide some coins that grant you additional time, making 60min long rooms last almost +10min. No matter which rooms you book you’ll probably have a good time. But, in our opinion, some are better than others – keep reading for more.

  • Duration: 60min
  • Rooms: 5 open, 4 more incoming
  • Players: 2-5
  • Price: 98-150chf
  • Location: Frauenfeld, 40 minutes by car from ZĂŒrich
  • Site: www.houdinis.ch

The Prison – Das GefĂ€ngnis 7/10

“Let me out.” Literally what I said, for far too long.

Escape time: 50/60 min.

The prison starts off as you’d expect it from this environment: Handcuffed and in separate cells. Cooperation is key at this point of the game and also where we messed up quite a bit. I managed to do something during the first part that basically made it impossible for Enric, who was in the other cell, to escape. Unfortunately, this lead to him being stuck in his cell for the first 20 minutes of the game while our friend and me were starting to solve the rest of the room.

Eventually, the GM realized what was happening and managed to help us out in a subtle but very effective way, by providing a spare part. Enric freed himself and we were able to continue the room normally.

Naturally, this was a bit of a frustrating experience for him. Apart from that, the room was really nice. Well done small riddles that all fit together in the end. We also saw something that we had never seen in another escape room before: One riddle made use of the outside world of the Escape Room… beyond the walls… but let’s keep it at that.

So all in all, this was one of the nicer done and better prison rooms we’ve played – and not only because it literally kept one of our players locked in.

The lab – Das Labor 8/10

Escape time: 65min. (coins unlock extra time!)

You’ll get to play with many actual scientific devices, but worry not: safety equipment will be provided. A lot to do, 4 players recommended. If you are fewer than that, make sure it’s a team of experienced players. A bit dry compared to their other rooms, but lots of things to solve. Can’t complain on immersiveness because it literally could be a lab.

I personally found this their hardest room due to its non-linearity. An example on how a harder room does not always make it better. I’d appreciate if a couple of the riddles were streamlined. In the end, for instance, you’ll need many bits of outside knowledge that – hopefully – is common knowledge. It’s quite common, but I could imagine a group being unfamiliar with it.

Mafia on the North Sea – Mafia an der Nordsee 7/10

Escape time: 30/60 min.

This room is definitely one of the easiest room of this company – which is not a bad thing given that most players that visit an escape room company have never played ERs before. Therefore it’s usually a good sign when a company offers a variety of difficulties in rooms since it means they understand how to cater to beginners and enthusiasts alike.

This is well done in the Mafia room. The riddles are quite straight forward yet still very imaginative. It is definitely one of those rooms that give you a lot of “eureka”-moments. On top of that, it includes one classical logic problem that especially math enthusiasts will appreciate a lot and it will make people who randomly start trying things despair.

The only critique we could think of after the room is that the theme of Mafia really seems out of place. There is not much of a Mafia atmosphere going on inside except for one little part of the story. Apart from that, it’s a really nice room that’s well suited for beginners.

Houdini’s footsteps – Auf Houdini’s Spuren 8.5/10

Escape time: 61/67 min. (coins unlock extra time!)

Dominique already played this room before this day, how come she’s on the picture? The owners allowed her to watch us from within the room (and help us with translations) and were kind enough to only charge us the 2 players rate.

This room claims it is not only an escape room but also a museum, and it delivered. You’ll follow, as the name suggest, Houdini’s footsteps. It unfolds in two acts, first on Houdini’s wife’s bedroom, and the second one you’ll have to find out by yourself. Needless to say, the second one brings the reveal, the “wow moment” (which I love so much) and what makes this room stand out.

The hint system is one of the most originally integrated we ever encountered. From secret codes to real magical props used in magician’s stages, you’ll encounter way more than the photo reveals. Let yourself be amazed.

This is their signature room. If you can only play one room, play this one. The owner is a magician and you can see the amount of research and love to detail that went into this room. We were very fortunate to have the owner Dominic, a magician by trade, perform a couple of magic tricks for us and leave us even more astonished.

There’s really a lot to do with two players, and you’ll need to search well. The reason Houdini could unlock himself from water tanks while being almost naked was that he could hide the lockpicks very well.

The mysterious library – Die geheimnisvolle Bibliothek 6.5/10

Escape time: 36/60 min.

Same as before, Dominique joined us purely for translations and watched us play, although this time much closer to 30 than 60min.

“It was the first time I watched other people play a room I had previously played and it was a very interesting experience. On top of that, it had been quite a long time since I played the room ( about 1.5 years ago) and I did not remember all of the riddles perfectly or at all. If you ever get the chance to watch your friends play, I’d highly recommend it. I could clearly see strengths and weaknesses that I might not have noticed had I been a part of the group. Also, I realized that sitting quietly and watching the events unfold often led me to make connections and see things I probably would not have seen had I been actively trying to solve the riddles. What I take from this experience is that sometimes it might be worth to take a step back and look at what’s in front of you calmly, simply observing what your teammates are doing.”

-Dominique

Fun fact: At one point, Team Black Rose was #1 in the ranking (D+C+K) but that score was beaten by escaperoomers.de and later dethroned by Team Squared (S2+the guys). It’s great to see that more experienced international groups come to play in Switzerland!