We did The Alchemist. What an amazing adventure! The setting was magical and mysterious. The…read morepuzzles were varied and interesting, but not impossible to solve. There were some jaw dropping moments when things were unlocked. The execution was top notch. The theme was consistent through the game and we felt like we were part of a story. I've never been in an escape room that is more than 60minutes but 1.5 hrs flew by. So grateful we got in to do this on our trip!

I am Matt, aka ESCAPE MATTSTER! ＼(^-^)／ LOVE all things…read moreescape room & puzzle game related! OFFICIAL SPEC - Game: The Vault Online (Avatar-led Remote) - Difficulty: Not specified, recommended for age 12 and up. - Time duration: 80 minutes limit. - Capacity: Accommodates 2-6 players. Private booking. TL;DR... THE QUICK VERSION - Premise: Infiltrate a well guarded vault building complex and steal "The Source" from a heavily protected safe. - The original in-person "The Vault" is an immersion-heavy heist quest featuring a genuine basement play area. - "The Vault Online" virtual play requires Whatsapp, telephone, email, but surprisingly, not Zoom. - Best described as an avatar-led, half immersive experience, half escape game, hybrid entertainment. - The first half of the experience is tech and communication heavy, focusing on infiltration and bypassing security. - The second half is more in tune with a traditional escape room play, with actual puzzles to solve. - At its current state, it's lighter on mental or thought-based puzzles, and highly suitable for beginner crowds. - My subjective thoughts: 2 to 3/10 difficulty (team of 4), ideal team size of 3 to 4. THE TAKEAWAY It was never an easy feat to convert a well-received albeit meant-for-in-person adventure to a livestream remote equivalent; and "The Vault Online" will probably continue to fine tune and improve its operation due to this brand new web-based modality. Nevertheless, for those who have no immediate plans to visit Amsterdam in the near future, this limited engagement of virtual play offers a rare chance to experience something fascinating without leaving home. And for a homebody like me, that's always a plus. Signing off, ESCAPE MATTSTER ＼(^-^)／ P.S. Should you have any questions about this specific escape room, or about anything escape room or puzzle game related, feel free to message me! ...I've previously written review(s) for this business before, so if you have the time, why not take a look at what I've discussed in the past to gain an even fuller picture of this establishment? (See below.)

Claustrophobia's Arcade room has been so far, the best escape room I've ever completed, hands down,…read moreno competition. Since my first experience of the Arcade room almost one year ago, I have completed escape rooms around the world that try to hold a light to the Arcade room. Nothing has come close. After every other hour long puzzle, I ALWAYS think back to this experience, and I ALWAYS say to myself "The one in Amsterdam was better." Immersion: The Arcade room nails this. It mixes the perfect amount of ambiance and downright creepiness. I was on edge the entire time. Something just didn't seem right about the room, and I say that in the absolute best possible way. The room's mostly dark, lit only by ambient lights, which strategically turn on to guide players towards what's important and navigating them away from what's not, while still allowing a good degree of freedom. Automation: After completing escape rooms across Europe and America, I can say HANDS DOWN that the Arcade room has the most ambitious, creative, nuanced implementation of automation that I've ever seen. Whereas other escape rooms have cracks around their hidden doors, exposing what would have otherwise been a fun surprise, secret doors open out of nowhere in the Arcade room, triggered by completely unexpected events. Creativity: The puzzles are by far the most clever that I've ever experienced, ranging from completing a homebrew arcade game that is seamlessly embedded into the experience, to fiddling with seemingly vintage, analog devices that connect intricately with each other through the use of sensors and hidden wires. Locks and keys were only used once, if my memory serves correctly, and that is the way it should be. I cannot give enough praise to the set designer. Joy: Completing each puzzle felt like an accomplishment. They were hard, they always required us to think outside of the box. I can actually say that only ONE puzzle within the arcade room has been seen in my experience outside of the arcade room. Every other puzzle is completely unique to the room and has not been replicated by any other escape room that I've experienced. The puzzles are entirely unexpected, challenging, and simultaneously evoke memories of childhood times spent at the arcade, chipping in coins hoping to beat a high score. Ambition: The experience starts off small, but each room is more ambitious than the next. The puzzles become larger, the stakes grow higher, and you ask yourself just how the hell did they accomplish that?? The Arcade room puzzles don't solely exist as something laying on a table or floor, but also as entire walls and ceilings. It is an experience like no other. If it were up to me, I would say it is entirely reasonable to travel to Amsterdam just to experience this again. The Arcade room deserves a 5/5. If you are an escape room enthusiast, then you owe it to yourself to give this room a try. If you have never tried an escape room before and find yourself in Amsterdam on any given evening wondering what to do, go here. You won't regret it. For those who come from the Bay Area, it's at least twice as good as the rooms at Palace Games, which rank as one of the top three escape rooms in all of America.

Let me start out by saying that this is my first escape the room experience. I have never played it…read moreonline, or in person. With that said, I did not have any set expectations for this, but -- oh boy, am I hooked! I absolutely loved my experience here at Claustrophobia! Our host was very pleasant and informative. The game itself was amazing, fun and challenging. I'm pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had --- after overcoming my fear of the creepy room, LOL. Overall, I would totally do this again!

I'm a huge fan of both escape rooms and Boom Chicago so I had been eagerly anticipating the arrival…read moreof this new creation by Boom Chicago which they had announced months before it actually opened. And they sure delivered! Although there was not much of a comedy aspect beside the humorous introduction by one of the Boom Chicago actors, this escape room is well thought through, pretty challenging and not your average puzzles to get a code to open a padlock, and it has a fun back story and a bit of a twist. I can't say much more than that without any spoilers but whether you are an avid escape room visitor or a first timer, you will definitely have a great time here!

We are a two person team and we love escape rooms. We're still pretty new though, and we've done 5…read moreso far from The Hague to Amsterdam. We feel that a true escape room is not just a room with puzzles, it's an experience - a piece of theater - that makes you feel like what you're doing is having a real impact on the world. THIS PLACE GETS IT! If you want a fun ride that keeps you challenged but not frustrated, and never makes you feel like you're just a rat in a maze with a big clock on the wall, this is the one. This escape room is funny, clever, novel, surprising, and run by people who simply love seeing you have a great time. We had a smile on our face for at least an hour afterwards. Other escape rooms, pay attention, this is how you do it!

From the owner: Escape World is an exhilarating, escape-the-room adventure for groups of 2-5 people. You and your…read moreteam will be sent on an action-packed, 60-minute quest across history/future or a fantasy world in pursuit of solving a murder case, destroying a virus or finding an mysterious artefact. You will love but our missions are difficult too. Along your voyage, you will encounter puzzles, challenges and mysteries & fiendish obstacles designed to test your ingenuity and teamwork. But, don't forget, you're against the clock: race through different worlds, complete your mission and get out & before time runs out.