I got tickets for Time Run through Love Pop Ups London ( www.lovepopupslondon.com ) to try out their new game, The Celestial Chain. I was really excited when i heard that Time Run had a new game, being a fan of the first one, The Lance of Longinus. On a practical note, they don't let you in early, and there's no waiting area, so try to arrive just a few minutes before your time slot. From the beginning, the entrance with the cool door, and the in-character staff welcoming us straight into the story with his old timey accent, it was very promising. I love the interior of their space and that the staff is dressed as if they've just stepped out of Victorian times. The game also uses a really fun and well-done video with Victorian character Luna Fox to further introduce you to your mission across space and time, as well as Babbage the robot whose voice will give you hints through the games if you need help. There are 5 rooms and you have 12 minutes in each.The moment when the video is over and the "portal" opens for you to enter is pure magic! They have definitely kept up their production values, with great props and room designs but overall the game was not as fun as the first one. I think the main reason for this is with the way the new game is set up, you don't get a sense of achievement. In fact, most of the time we thought we were doing really bad, and my entire team was really surprised to find that we had scored a decent mark. If you can't even tell if you're doing well or not, it takes away from the satisfaction of the game. I guess players should keep in mind, that even if they haven't reached the goal for most rooms, they can still make up for it in the last room. On top of that, the game is set up so that the final room is not really pass or fail, it has levels of success. The first room was the most fun for us, with the most intuitive set up, reminiscent of the Crystal Maze type games and a crane was involved. The second room is where it all started to fall apart, with our team split up for 3 tasks and not a single team getting anywhere with it in the allotted time. It was a bit frustrating to get nowhere and I think the puzzles in that room could use some redesign, as trial and error isn't really a fun strategy in the short time you're given. The third room was an improvement, and also reminiscent of the Crystal Maze's physical challenges. The fourth was not bad, but set up in two rooms so that if you don't have the correct number of players in each place, you will lose a lot of time, which is annoying. I found the challenges unnecessarily detailed in that room and difficult to finish in the allotted time due to quantity not quality. The fifth room is where the game story reached a climax and storywise it was fine, however there is actually that much for one to do in there. They gave us a score card in the end of how we did, which is interesting to see. Overall it was a well-done game but I would have preferred that some of the puzzles were more intuitive like the ones in their previous game, although I did appreciate the physical ones in the first and third rooms. read more

I won't forget this night out in a LONG TIME. And that time can be very long when you end up travelling in TIME AND SPACE! Sadly, there is not much I want to say about the experience itself, as I really don't want to spoil the adventure and the surprises for you - but you can take my word for it: this escape room is worth every single penny you will spend. You will have fun, you may freak out a bit, you will be impressed, your brain will be challenged, and finally... you will save the world as we know it. Like our group did. With 30s to spare. A few things mentioning however: - They let in 2 groups at the same time, but you don't run together. - Ring the doorbell EXACTLY on time. - It says you can run as of 3 people, but I would recommend 5. - Don't overcomplicate your thought process, some puzzles are simpler than they look. All in all, JUST DO IT! read more

Time Run - Beware, only ring when it is exactly your time slot :) - Party & Event Planning Near Me - London, XGL

What a fantastic experience! These people really have the immersive part of this business down. From the moment you arrive, they play their roles and get you into the mood. The actors were fantastic and the steampunky time travel theme is really well done. Without giving anything away about the actual riddles and rooms, I can say that all rooms and props were really well done. Everything worked perfectly and the riddles were very straight forward with a good storyline. Solving everything in time is difficult, but doable with an experienced team. We went with two teams, one team struggled with some of the puzzles and couldn't finish the last few tasks in time. The other team made it out with 13 minutes to spare. We had an amazingly fun time here, definitely one of the best escape rooms in London, would definitely recommend this for a more experienced team though at it is quite tricky. read more

Coming from the USA, I was skeptical of doing an escape room in another country. Based on reviews, we tried it. We have done escape rooms in LA, San Diego and everywhere in between and there have been good and bad ones. This one is definitely at the top of the good list. The production value of this one is off the charts. They have a way of setting up the story, and keeping you moving along that I have never seen before. Such a great theme and the puzzles, etc were well thought out. As a bonus, they make you feel like a winner even if you could have used an extra 5 minutes to get out, so didn't quite make it. As a note, we did it with kids (12 and 15) who have done a few escape rooms before. There wasn't anything that was restricted to just adults, so they too were happy with the experience. The only downside is the location, but if you are willing to make the trek out there, it is definitely worth it. read more

Time Run - Even the door to the place is well thought out. Such detail was appreciated !! - Party & Event Planning Near Me - London, XGL

We went in with no idea of what our expectations should be and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the experience. Funny and interesting. Loved the challenge. read more

Time Run - Party & Event Planning Near Me - London, XGL

Time Run really does take escape games to the next level! It certainly isn't your usual escape room (i.e. solving puzzles to get out of 1 locked room) but, as described by themselves, is an immersive adventure game with great sets, fabulous actors and a well thought out story line. Their newest game, The Celestial Chain, is even more out of this world with at least 5 rooms set over different time periods and only 12 minutes in each to solve a range of puzzles to find the artefacts to complete the game. The pressure is on! It is designed for 3-5 players however is seriously tricky - with only 3 people you would definitely struggle to complete it. The rooms definitely range in terms of the different types of puzzles as well as the amount. Some only require 1 or 2 people and others need many more! To be honest at the end I came out not realllly knowing whether we had "escaped" and felt a little disheartened with the amount of puzzles we had solved, however we were taken through the scoring system (not overly clear and a little too subjective for my liking!) and I started to reflect on what we had actually achieved and cheered up! Overall a fantastic experience made so because of the immersive aspect as well as some very clever puzzles, a consistent story and a clear end goal. Honestly I think it is very pricey however would definitely recommend for a birthday or team building exercise. read more

How on earth am I going to review an escape room? I mean, it's not like I can actually tell you anything about it without ruining it. So I guess all I'll say is that it was a lot of fun! I was dubbed the second most responsible person in our group and got to be the keeper of the timer. Ooooooh. I don't know how it compares to other escape rooms, as it was my first. But it was great! Lots of thought went into the sets and it was really well done and played by the two people we encountered. (Yay, Aubrey and dude at the end!) Now to wait and see how we fared on the October leaderboard! read more

I am a fan of Escape Rooms. I am not a fan of trying to organize my life (and my friend's lives) months in advance to do them. That's probably why I haven't been to as many as I would like. But I did manage to organize lives together to come to Time Run and search for the Lance of Longinus. I'm not going to lie. It is kind of annoying that you have to arrive exactly on time. I'm always early, and it was annoying having to wait outside. I mean it's just silly. I can see why (as they are busy setting up the rooms and things when you finish), but still it would be nice to have a holding area with a toilet or something so we don't have to wait around. But I digress. I won't spoil anything. Time Run was a lot of fun. It's also a lot fancier than other places I've been. There was a lot of stuff around for visual appeal, and the story line is better than some of the other escape rooms around. However, each of the three segments is pretty much self-contained, so you won't be using that weird object you found right at the beginning for some obscure puzzle at the end. Nope, you'll be using everything you find in the room to work on the puzzles in that room. So that was a slight disappointment. (P.S. This isn't a spoiler as they specifically tell you before going into the room that you won't be taking items from one region to another). I suppose it makes it easier for them to fix up the room for the next set of Time Runners before the actual game is over. But really, these are all nitpicky things. The whole event was fun and amazing, and we actually were quite good at getting the clues (apparently we didn't need many, or so they told us when we left). They also sent us humorous hints when I swore that something was possible (Turns out it was). We even got out with over six minutes to spare. So go us! I'm pretty sure we beat the other team that was doing it. I think they're booking until the end of January. So try to get in and do it before then if you want to go. Given the theme, I can definitely see how they could come up with other stories to tell, so maybe they will just continue to do different stories as time goes on. read more

A great event if you love trying to solve hands on puzzles with visual and audible clues, you get one hour within 3 zones to escape, are you up to the challenge? read more

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My second escape room adventure and a firm new favourite! From the moment we arrived, the staff were in full character which got us in the right frame of mind to prepare for time travel! The rooms were extremely well designed with lots of tech elements that made for a fantastically interactive experience. Definitely tougher puzzles and games than in my previous escape room, so one for those seeking a challenge! A good Friday evening out, and didn't hurt that our team were successful in our mission!! read more

probably one of the best escape rooms in London. great setting, awesome story, great actor - just brilliant! I don't want to go into detail since you need to find out by yourself (; give it a GO and book your spot, our two teams had a lot of fun! read more

Wow what can I say this Time Run escape experience is an amazing one. You go through 3 different very different rooms during your puzzling journey. The decor in the rooms are amazing and the rooms are professionally done. The puzzles are great some easy and some hard but don't worry Babbage will be on hand to help assist you with clues if you get stuck on any particular puzzle. Me and my team managed (Life Begins) to complete in 62 minutes and we used approx. 20 clues which is average. You also only play with your friends and not strangers. However you will need 3 or more players to play. Only downside about this escape room type experience is that it is located in a odd location but saying this it would not put me and my friends off in going along to another ones of theres if they made a new adventure up. Is a must to do. read more

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This is a real hidden gem in London's room escape family. The whole experience more look like a good movie where our team were the actors. The creators/owners payed so much attention to any tiny detail that I've started to believe in a story before the game was started. The quality of production is amazing and puzzles are good and logically ordered. Game Masters were super fun and helpful. We were laughing during intro, we were grateful during our game for small on-time hints. They are opening a second room soon. I can't wait to come back. Thank you, guys, it was great game! read more

Flat out one of the best escape rooms we have ever done! The puzzles were very good, challenging, and well executed. We have done more than 80 rooms and this one was among the absolute best we have ever done. The stage setting by the staff was impeccable and spot on. The rooms absolutely had the "wow" factor you love to see a good room. The attention to detail, and fit and finish of the rooms was top notch. We don't typically find the back stories for most escape rooms to be hugely compelling, but Time Run's were very well done and really brought you into the game. And to top it all off, the staff was incredibly helpful -above and beyond- by helping us get a taxi after the game when we ran into an international travel-related problem. Just top notch! Cannot recommend them more highly! read more

The very best escape room in London. I've done 29 rooms in total (mostly in London) and this is head and shoulders above the rest. Only reason not to do it is that it will spoil the rest for you... read more