Escapologic provides a number of different themed rooms in their two locations of Leicester and Nottingham and we’d heard some good things about them. So one unseasonably sunny Saturday afternoon in September, myself and one other decided to brave a couple of their scarier, horror-themed rooms.
The Nottingham location is pretty central with plenty of parking nearby. When we arrived a member of staff opened the front door for us, explained the additional COVID rules in operation (masks on throughout, hand sanitizer, temp check on entry, social distancing). We had a short wait in the carnival circus themed reception before being taken to our first room Howitz. Later on, we’d be waiting here for our second room, 13utcher, which is located across the road from the main venue. In all cases, we’ll try and keep spoilers to an absolute minimum
Howitz
Theming and Effects
Really Superb throughout. Howitz is a haunted Toy Shop and it sells that so well. Given the nature of the room, some of the effects that we experienced throughout the room really got us jumping. It was never anything horrific, but some very well-timed and placed jump scares. Of particular note is the method with which clues are communicated to you. This worked really well in the room and fit the theme. There’s also one particular element that is brilliant to experience.
Puzzles
We found the puzzles to be pretty decent, nothing really too taxing, a good amount over the various spaces and not massively lock heavy. We escaped with a couple of clues after just under 40 minutes and we aren’t the sharpest tools in the box.
Host
Our host was great, good explanation before and after the game and interacted well remotely during the clues and other various effects.
Summary
Thoroughly loved this room. The jumps were fun and light, theming and puzzles were great and one particular element in the last third was jaw-dropping. Highly recommend Howitz, one of the most fun scary rooms we’ve done.
13utcher
Theming and Effects
Again, this really fits the story and concept of the room, that of a serial killer’s twisted lair. Some of the effects really made us jump, but my friend seemed to get the brunt of them. Until that is the Butcher made an appearance, part of the room’s experience means you have to avoid him when he comes back, and some of the effects here may put off some. The method in which clues are given to you is grimly fitting for the room.
Puzzles
More enjoyable puzzles in 13utcher, but sadly we felt a bit let down with the last puzzle of the room. Given the lighting and some of the props, we couldn’t physically see the solution to the problem, despite knowing what we needed to do. We had a similar issue when we finally got the final code as it was impossible to see the numbers on the lock without our phones. That said we did manage to escape with over 5 minutes left, despite spending at least 15 minutes on the final puzzle.
Host
Excellent, both as the host and as the chilling 13utcher. I wish I could describe his appearance a bit better, but every time he appeared, I was hiding somewhere in the pitch black, cowering.
Summary
Another great room that would be suitable for those that are happy with actor-led scares in a very confined space. I suspect that this would be a lot more intense if social distancing wasn’t a problem. Sadly, it was just marred by the execution of the final puzzle, which felt a shame after everything else.
Overall
Really enjoyed Escapologic’s games and we’d happily try their other non-horror themed rooms. Was great to see the COVID precautions being taken seriously and adhered to throughout our visit. Finally, while we don’t write about non-scary experiences, we also did Curio, which was one of the best escape games we’ve done and has such an amazing feature unlike any we’ve seen before and really has to be experienced, despite its difficulty.
