I'd heard about these rooms in overseas locations and on an episode of The Big Bang Theory so when my friend invited me along to have a crack at Adelaide's Adventure Rooms, I was most excited to be part of the group.
There is precious little detail to be found online about what to expect; just that it's not claustrophobic, dark or too restrictive and there are no horror elements. There is an emergency exit that you can bounce through at any time if you're not feeling it.
Entry into the building is through a lift in Rundle Mall that I have passed a million times and never ever noticed.
You are given a quick briefing before entering and then off you go. You can keep all your personal belongings in a tub in the room too, so no need to worry about what's going on with your bag or phone - just focus on the puzzles!
The mystery surrounding the adventure means you get into the room with no ideas or expectations and that is perfect for what lies ahead. We had a large group so entered under dual mode where we were divided into teams of two to tackle the Black Queen. OMG SO GOOD. The puzzles are clever, well thought-out and give opportunity for everyone to participate. No physical strength is required, just a whole lot of mental muscle. Ambient music and the pressure to either catch our opponents or get out of the room before they caught us added to the heightened atmosphere.
Currently there is only a 30% success rate for teams to escape the rooms . . . well, I don't like to brag but we SMASHED IT so felt pretty jolly pleased with ourselves afterwards.
Speaking to the staff afterwards, we were told there is a new room opening within a matter of weeks, so if you've already tackled The Black Queen and the Mad Scientist, then prepare yourself for Jailbreak! We were also told that rooms will be turned over and puzzles changed up every few months or so - allowing previous visitors to come back and try their luck.
This would make a great team building event or just a fun activity to do with mates. Price varies depending how many people you have - we had 11 and paid $30 each for dual mode which I thought was reasonable for the level of fun I had. read more