I've had good experiences at a few of these 'escape room' type places in Toronto, but my time at Lost Canada was strange and not very enjoyable. I had friends in town from Europe, and this was a disappointing last outing before they returned home. When we arrived, we were 'greeted' by three employees behind the front desk. Only one of the employees acknowledged our presence, however; the other two were busy eating very loudly and talking with their mouths full (at the front desk, directly in front of their customers). We were made to feel more like a burden then valued customers. When checking in, we were told that the room we had reserved (Return of Nemesis) was damaged and not available. I would have been happy with this explanation and not questioned it except for the fact that we were initially given two other reasons why we couldn't use the 'Nemesis' room. We had first been told that Nemisis would be too difficult, then we were told that the room was only for returning guests, and finally we were informed that Nemesis was not available because it needed repair. This seemed very shifty and made us skeptical as to what the real reason might have been for changing the room from the one we had reserved. We were told that we should instead try another "prison escape type room". The employee didn't tell us the name of the room, but in retrospect, it appears to have been the "Aching Time of Pi" room. We were led to the Pi room without any explanation of the story regarding the room. We were only informed that the goal of the room was to open the door; this was explained only after we asked the staff member to describe our objective. The room itself was interesting looking. It was however quite dirty (I almost mistook a large dust/hair ball in one corner as a prop). There were some fun and high tech aspects to the game, though these did not seem relevant to the story line of, 'Pi' as it's described on their website. Towards the end of the challenge there were aspects that had no logical consistency, and would require pure luck to overcome. When the staff was asked for a clue, we were instructed to look for ''the differences between the clocks" when in fact we should have been told to look for similarities. This contributed to what had already been a very frustrating experience. When our time had expired, the employee, who was not busy eating at the main desk, rode into the room on a mini-segway and demonstrated how to complete one of the completely irrational tasks. He did so while implying that the answer should be obvious, when it was very clearly not logical. To his credit and despite his aloofness, the employee did admit that the music in the room was too loud and that "maybe [they] should lower the volume. We left Lost Canada feeling belittled, confused, disappointed, and a little grossed out. Treat your customers with respect, get some objective outside input on the logic behind your challenges, clean up your act and get some manners ! read more

Very cool concept! The puzzles were odd and not very logical and the rooms were a little cheap as far as decor and technology, but all in all we had a really good time. The staff was very friendly and helpful. There was a cute puppy hanging out too. If you go, don't expect to solve the puzzles using any sort of real logic. Be prepared to think like a creative and brilliant 9-year old haha. read more

Bought a Groupon for Lost Canada for six people. I ended up showing up with 8 people and they gave us the Groupon price for the additional 2 people, which was nice. Called the night before to find out what the most popular/challenging room was and a girl told me that "Return of the Nemesis", so we reserved this room. When we got there and spoke with the people who worked there, we found out that it wasn't actually the best room that they had. I had done 3 previous escape games so I had some expectations going in. When we got there, there were small games and a hoverboard for people to use while they waited. These were very entertaining, and would turn out to be the most fun part of our experience. Only 1 of the 3 staff working that night were friendly and chatted us up. Return of the Nemesis review: The rooms were small and bare, and the decor was quite low-budget. Because the rooms were so small, 8 people was way too many people (and was probably a fire hazard). It constituted of one puzzle per room, each of which required you to find a numeric code to enter into a keypad to unlock the door to the next room. The puzzles weren't very fun and the final door was broken which took away from the whole "escape" concept, because we had to come out where we came in from. Afterwards, all my friends were underwhelmed, even the first-timers. But we had a Groupon so I guess you get what you pay for. I still feel like it was a waste of time and money. if you're looking for a real escape game with multiple rooms, sophisticated decor/technology, and fun, varied. and challenging puzzles, I would recommend Omescape or Escape Games Canada. read more

Cannot book a room using a groupon via the phone due to the fact that our voice mails were never returned, no response to emails and no one picked up the phone after calling all day to attempt to book off the room. The room ended up being taken by others (probably who showed up directly at the establishment). Figured if they were selling us on the Groupon, and the instructions were to call into the phone number provided, we would be able to get someone to help us process our transaction after paying out the money for it. Would also be awesome if the Groupon voucher would be accepted online. Pros: Cheaper price through groupon Cons: Could not book after purchasing groupon Edit: After arriving at the establishment things looked perfectly fine and functional, but we were rudely turned away due to technical issues (we were not warned of this after our numerous attempts to contact this business on the phone or email) after re-booking for the following week we looked around and observed the guy at the desk neglect to pick up the phone that was ringing many times. 3 days later we get a notification saying our reservation has been cancelled again, so we requested a refund through groupon and swore to ourselves we would never go back. Sorry :/ read more

Had a great time here! We tried Return of Nemesis which was quite difficult, even with the 2 free clues you can request, and 6 brains working overtime! Service was great. Will definitely be returning to try out their other (easier) rooms! We purchased a Groupon for this and had to call to make a reservation. I tried calling but was unable to reach anyone so I sent the company an email stating the date, time, and room that we would like to book, and also mentioned the Groupon. Received a reservation confirmation shortly after. No problem! read more

My team came to Lost Canada because of a Groupon and we did the Aching Time of Pi. Our first impression upon entering wasn't great. As you walk up the stairs you activate sensors that play a sound every time you take a step. It was quite annoying. The lobby was grim, poorly lit, and the only game to play was one that administered an electric shock to the loser. The men's restroom smelled disgusting. The only redeeming quality were the free chips being offered as a snack. When we entered the room, is was quite dark, which ultimately frustrated us because it made it more difficult to solve the puzzles. The puzzles weren't enjoyable, and the room was falling apart. Even worse, this company uses an RFID system to unlock the door but the RFID card had broken and so we could not use it to escape. The staff had to let us out. But it took them a couple minutes to notice we had completed the room. So we stood around in confusion. Moreover, it's not like he RFID system contributed to the room in any way - it could easily be replaced with a regular (functioning) lock and key. Overall, not a great experience. Would not go back. Do your research and find a better company, the Groupon is not worth it. read more

I called for two days left voicemail, and emails.. No response ever. I kid you not I must've called like 15+ times.... Walked there in person and the representatives said he's been listening to voicemail and emails all day... On our way out he didn't even bother to pick up the incoming phone call. All we could hear was the phone ringing. You're more likely to win the jackpot of a lottery than for them to pick up your call, or give you a call back. Good luck trying to make a reservation if you want to use a Groupon, or if you just don't want to book online. Useless... We purchased a Groupon and really had no other option to reserve anything. After getting a booking in from walking in. (Calling in 2 days and not getting a response, and e-mailing), and getting an e-mail response after the fact. We ended up booking for March 23rd. 2 days later, (today) earlier our booking was cancelled without any reason or explanation. I of course insisted that we re-booked for March 23rd, since they have no reason or prediction that they will continue to have said "power outages". I replied back, and received the same BS that I need to understand that they are busy because it's March Break. They didn't respond back. Had to deal with Groupon to get everything sorted. Thankfully Groupon had amazing support, and helped me with this, unlike Lost Canada. Completely unreliable. I will not recommend this place to anyone again. I'm very disappointed because the first time I came here doing the hidden den, I actually really enjoyed it even though we never escaped, and since I enjoyed it the first time I started to recommend it to everyone!!... Which is why this time around, I decided to go for a groupon thinking I couldn't go wrong here. read more

Like any other escape game place, it was fun and also difficult but the pricing was not comparable to the experience I had in the place. Overall, I would go here for a one time thing with friends but not multiple times as the price is pretty steep. read more

Walked in on a Sunday evening to try out luck with any escape room. Caught the staff just before closing. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, the location on Queen had a spacious and clean sitting area. You put your belongings in plastic bins and they keep it behind the desk. We tried the cemetery themed room and it pretty fun. The production value was not as great as some of the other escape rooms, the puzzles were mediocre to slightly hard. We managed to get out with using our two hints, and maybe 5 extra minutes or so. May return for other rooms if there isn't anything better to do. read more

They are terrible, never picked up my calls. Replied back to my e-mail 2 days later. Save yourself the money, and go to a company that actually cares about your business. read more

Located on Queen Street, you enter through the stairs and there is a pretty big waiting area with XL jenga and some other games. I had bought a groupon for 6 people, and I'm so glad I did because I would never pay regular price for this place. The customer service was good, but I've been to quite a few escape places now, and there are a few indicators of a low quality escape room. 1) they didn't blind fold us when going into the room which is not a deal breaker, but it adds mystery and intrigue to what you're doing. 2) the employee did not tell us the story or what the objective was (obviously to escape, but why are we escaping, how to escape, etc) 3) the props were lacking and did not correlate with what we were doing. Loved the hardwood floors, but in the prison escape room we did, it detracts from the experience and just brings you to reality that you paid money to be shoved into a room and solve mediocre puzzles to get out. For the room and the puzzles, that is why this rating is so low. The only good thing about our room was that it had a little bit of technology and sensors. This place is similar to Esc-it in terms of puzzles and quality. Our biggest issue is that the puzzles didn't make sense and/or didn't relate to the theme. There was no indication of what was the next step or what we were doing. There was no storytelling involved in this room. On the last puzzle we had to do, it didn't make sense to us and when it was explained, it was like "how the heck were we supposed to know that?" Because the answer was illogical and was an "unwritten rule." Escape rooms are supposed to be fun, but it became just stressful. At the end, we asked what the success percentage was, which was 5-10% roughly. That just goes to show that people had the exact same problems as us where puzzles had no connections with their answers. If you are a beginner escapist, buy the groupon and try it out, but know there are better ones out there. If you are an experienced player, save your money and go to Omescape or trapped or other escape rooms. read more

Got a Groupon for 8 people for this place and it was a lot of fun! You get 45 minutes to solve puzzles that open doors so that you move from room to room until you get out. My first impression about the place was a little hesitant because when I called the phone number for the reservation, the guy just answered "hello". It almost sounded like he had just woken up. I made the reservation, he told me that taxes still have to be paid once we get there and we can pick the room when we get there. After I hung up the phone, I realized that he never asked for my name and number. I could have called back, but I thought what the hell, let's see what happens. I got there a little early and the guy at the desk said that there was no reservation made, but that was okay because availability was open. I guess since they are so new it wasn't that busy. Because there were 8 of us, he recommended that we do either The Return of Nemesis or The Lost Den. My friend had done an escape room before and said that we should do the easier one because it's actually quite difficult. The guy said The Return of Nemesis was easier, but it was still hard, so we chose that one. We enter a room and are told that we have to figure out the puzzles to open each door. We get 2 clues if we get stuck, and we can get them by pressing a white button on the wall. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but you have to really think outside of the box when figuring out the clues. There will be some stuff in the room that has nothing to do with finding the answer and are just distractions. And looking for the clues is not like looking for real life clues, you have to think of the whole thing like a puzzle. With 8 alpha personalities (plus getting one piece of the puzzle simply by manipulating a machine instead of solving the puzzle... Why not? Finish the game by all means possible!) we solved the game with just a few minutes to spare! This was a lot of fun! I purchased the Groupon for $116 and paid $15.08 in taxes which comes to $16.39 each which is a super good deal. It's $28 plus taxes if you book online. I guess for something to do, I might pay full price to go here. I would definitely pay full price if it were a two hour slot instead of only 45 minutes. The time really really flew by quickly! read more

This place is ALWAYS on groupon, so I've been here a few times. I wouldn't go if I had to pay full price because it's not really worth it. I've done many, many room escapes, and this one is on the lower quality side. Not horrible, but they could put more effort into props and design, especially to fit the theme. The Gallery Codex: The design of this room was decent, although a bit bare. This room was also pretty easy; I was playing with one person who had only been to a few room escapes and two other people who had never done a room escape before, and we still made it out with time to spare. I've also done a couple other rooms, one of which I think no longer exists. Honestly, they all kind of blur together, partially because the themes of the rooms are very poorly defined and the decorations don't entirely fit the themes. It's funny because The Gallery Codex is the first room I did but it's the only one I remember clearly, which I guess goes to show that that's one of the better designed/themed rooms. Another annoying thing is that The Haunted room has been "coming soon" for like the past 2 years, so don't hold your breath for that one lol. read more

Had a great time with a group of 6 people here! One of us got a Groupon so the cost per individual was a lot lower than most other Escape Rooms in the city. We did not successfully escape but definitely want to try and return (and potentially work on the same room)! Only downside seems to be that they are slightly under-staffed, the front desk guy, although very friendly and nice, was not reachable for clues at times because he was taking other groups around. Will return again! read more

Terrible customer service I've been to quite a few escape rooms but, beyond that this customer service was on another level, some of the worst I've experienced in any business. The staff seemed more occupied doing something else on their phone or computer and gave the vibe they just wanted to take our money, go in the room and then leave. The introduction into the room was non-existent at best, and when we asked for help we got none pretty much. I'd recommend my friends and family here if I wanted to show them how to treat customers terribly. read more

Came a few years ago with several young girls. Back yesterday with 4 more girls (age 11). Both times were a lot of fun, for me and for the girls. Lots of giddy, nervous energy, trying out ideas, hunting, thinking, problem-solving. The woman on staff was super nice and helpful, and we definitely needed the clues she gave us! When we solved the puzzle, the girls were ecstatic and immediately wanted to tackle another room. Couldn't afford that, but we might be back on another day. Only suggestion? Kids pricing, birthday party specials, and sales pricing. read more

We had a really great time at this place. The staff were kindly and patient, and the room was Hi-Tech and super fun.

This was hands down the worst escape room experience my friends and I have ever had. Customer service is brutal - no one bothered to even crack a smile or provide any explanation or story behind the room we were in. Even worse, our calls for a clue went unanswered, and we were left to wait for 20 minutes after the time expired for someone to come and let us out. The props and décor seemed really cheap and the puzzles made no sense - some were ridiculously easy and obvious, while the final challenge at the end made no sense, even after one of the staff (after finally showing up) reluctantly explained the solution. I wish I could say just one good thing about this place but I can't. Needless to say we won't return. With so many escape room venues to choose from these days, we won't be hard pressed to find another location where the rooms and puzzles are executed way better and the staff care even a little bit about providing an enjoyable experience. (And as an aside, there are two "not recommended" reviews of Lost Canada on this site that do not appear on the main page. Not sure why they have been relegated to the "not recommended" section but, not surprisingly, they reflect very accurately the same type of experience that we had.) read more

The concept was really cool, and none of us had been to an escape room before... We did "Return of Nemesis" and expected that we would learn more about the story on site... Not so! Lethargic staff half-heartedly escorted us to a disappointing experience in a series of rooms with equipment (flashlight, laser pointer) that was in disrepair for reasons other than zombie ambience. It's too bad as they are located in downtown Toronto and it seemed like there were a lot of groups going through (ergo they could have afforded to pay for better upkeep and more attentive staff - perhaps even staff that would explain the story line). I'll definitely try another escape room, but probably not here. read more

Lazy staff, puzzles were either not well thought out, not challenging enough, or not in working order. Definitely would not recommend. Even with the Groupon it's still not worth the money in my opinion. read more

Really fun and enjoyable escape game. Conveniently located, easy to find. Place is clean and well maintained. Staff was easy going. We played one of the more challenging rooms (nemesis) in a group of 7. I thought the puzzles were pretty good. There were some clever surprises that required some out of the box thinking. We were pretty close but didn't solve the last step. The staff was nice enough to walk us through the remaining puzzle. Would definitely come back and try another room. read more

So I Book and pay for the room online for a 2PM room for My Son and myself during March break. Went very smooth. Today my Son and I wend out for lunch and took our time going over. Subway to Bloor/Bathurst. As we were early we decided to walk down to kill some time. He was really looking forward to the room. As we approach Queen I get a call from Lost canada telling me they had to Cancel and refunded me the money. Their reason was a power outage. Now seeing as we were there we continued the 2 min around the corner. Everywhere had power Including their building. Not sure whats up but I will NOT be returning for the 30% offered. Unprofessional. If you are not opening Put a message on the website and stop taking bookings. read more

Do not go without a groupon. It is almost NOT worth the money even with a groupon. The room Aching time of Pi is too flashy, and the puzzles were too random. There is no logic to the puzzles, and it was very incoherent. I would've liked it more if they spent more time on clever puzzles that made sense than a flashy room. I went to the Riddle Room before this, paid full price, and had an amazing time because their rooms were decorated well, and there was logic and a story to their puzzles. Lost Canada rides on the escape room hypes but puts very little effort into their puzzles, which kills the experience. The employees were not friendly either. read more

I've done a few escape rooms in the past and this one was by the worst. It started out with a non-existent explanation of the room by the staff and finished with a very frustrated, angry group of customers (us). There is no logic behind the answers and there was no way we would have figured out any of the answers without asking for clues because they just didn't make sense/were impossible to think of on your own. We also wasted a bunch of time waiting for our clues because the employee took forever to answer and was hardly speaking above a whisper, which when you only get 45 minutes, is extremely annoying. We were frustrated the entire time because you never know what you are looking for, you just have to hope you happen to try the right combination of numbers and at the end when we found out how to get out we were just plain angry. Thank goodness I used a groupon so it was only $10/person, but even that was a waste of money. Try any other escape room before you go here. AWFUL experience. read more

Very bad service!. I purchased a groupon for 4 ($43.50). The instructions required the reservation to be made by phone, however they did not answer for TWO days. All calls were made during regular business hours. This should have told me enough about their poor customer service. I went ahead and booked. The groupon did not cover tax, which was to be paid at the door. When I received the invoice they emailed, they were charging tax based on a higher price ($58.00). I called to rectify the issue and when I was able to get someone on the phone (6 tries later) he mentioned to me that it was policy to charge tax on full price. When asking for an explanation on why a customer would pay taxes on a subtotal they did not pay, and him arguing, he hung up the phone in my ear! While about to initiate the refund process he called back stating the "phone battery died" and that if i did not like their service I should request a refund and cancel my reservation. Reservation canceled. Refund requested. Lesson learned. It appears that several other reviews also mention their poor service, even in-person. read more