Join me as I go through the adventures of my Netherlands escape room trip!
I started as break down of the Netherlands escape room trip last week and I feel I should continue this one (and next, and maybe one more after that). Over the course of the first two days (and yes, we did land on day one), we did a total of 9 rooms. That was four on the first day and five on the second. I feel like this is a very typical speed for the group that I travel with if we have access to that many rooms. Which is why the next two days felt so weird.
For day three, we only did three escape rooms. Day four was only two. But We ramped up again on day five and fit six rooms into the schedule. A big kudos to our escape room planner, he put so much effort and planning into these trips that I cannot thank him enough.
Now saying we did three escape rooms for day three is a bit misleading. We did two escape rooms and something that was more of an experience: “Prison Escape”. But given its nature, and the fact that it took four hours, I felt the need to count it. “Prison Escape” was one of the main reasons for the timing of our trip.
Given the escape room history of the Netherlands, we were always going to go. But then the question became: when? “Prison Escape” is an experience run mainly in Dutch but they do hold English session. We also had advanced notice for this English session since there was an escape room tour going around the area at the same time. Needless to say, we are very good opportunists.
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But we did have some opportunities earlier in the third day. The first was “Expedition Bermuda” by One Hour Lock Up. This room was a little more out of the way but worth the time. It was one of the more light-hearted experiences in the region and made great use of settings and props. I do think the room made a great use of water.
Escape Cafe
Our next stop was at Escape Café for “Zoltar Speaks”. I was very excited and intrigued by this room.
There was something cozy, comforting, and curious about the vibe of the escape café from the moment we stepped in the door. Something that made you want to know more about what’s hidden. Going through the room was very interesting as it had very distinctive parts to it.
And it cast a wide net in terms of the experiences it offered. I later found out that this room does not have a uniform consensus of quality. Well… quality is not the right word. The room exudes quality. It’s more like there is a divide in feelings based on different sections of the room. This is the most difficult thing to talk about without spoiling anything. At the end of the day, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the dichotomy of the room.
prison escape utrecht
And, for the finale of the day, “Prison Escape”. This was a wild experience where you meet at a location, get loaded onto a bus, and are dropped off at a secondary location. Already terrifying.
The secondary location was, as you might expect, a prison. And yes, it was an actual prison facility in the Netherlands. We were “admitted” as prisoners and our goal was to escape. I think the name of the game sums up the experience quite nicely.
And we were reminded that this is called “Prison Escape” and not “Prison Break”. Most escape rooms have some sort of instruction on not breaking things, but this one really amused me.
We put our belongings into lockers and were given jumpsuits to wear for the experience. Then, in a single file line, we were led to the courtyard to meet the director of the facility.
It was quite the speech. Finally, we were led to our cells and the plan to escape begins. I feel like the experience varies drastically based on the person and the group of players you are with.
I am a more reserved person amongst strangers, so I was more in an “absorbing the situation” position. There were a lot of people.
It was at least forty players and actors were scattered among the guards, the doctors, and the prisoners. I felt I often questioned if a prisoner was a player or actor because it was hard to tell. For some of them.
But with so many people, there is bound to be some player interactions that don’t connect. Some people might be more jovial while others are more serious. Catering that experience to so many people is such a difficult job.
There were many enjoyable moments and interactions. I may or may not have been involved in some extortion.
mama bazookas
Then came day four. Which had even less rooms than day three! We started with “The Girls Room” which I immediately fell into calling by its Dutch name: “De Meisjeskamer” I have grown quite fond of the Dutch language since I tried to learn it when I first found out about the trip.
Anyway, “The girls room” was done by the company Mama Bazooka which also has the first room of the Netherlands. But we didn’t do that one on this day. The reason we chose to separate the room is because we were on our way to do the scariest game of the trip and one of members was opting out of that.
Full respect for knowing limits of where a room stops being fun. But we figured we might as well add another “scary” room on the way. The room was more atmospheric but had some very cleverly timed jump scares.
I did forget that there was an experience between “The Girls Room” and the final room of the day which was an Art Maze. This was a very physical experience. From the start, the group was separated and led into a mystical environment. Then we were just left to traverse the terrain. This involved crawling and climbing.
There were so many ladders. And I was able to find the slide which made me very happy. I always like a good slide.
entered
The final room of the day was a two-hour drive. And in a different country. On a previous trip, we did the room “Demise of the Gricers” by Entered. We couldn’t play their game “I Can Hear You” since the hospital it was set in has since been demolished.
However, they did come up with another location to set up “I Can Hear You” and there was no way we weren’t going to go play it.The name itself made me scared before the game even started. We arrived on site and were given flashlights. Never a good sign. Because yes, the game area was dark.
Surprisingly dark since we entered when it was still daytime. But man, they are good at creating an ambiance. And it felt so real but unreal at the same time. I knew I was safe and yet I was utterly terrified. There was a point when I climbed into a small cabinet and just decided to stay there for a while.
The game felt very open, going back and forth. Almost everything was accessible. And yet, there were some curated moments that significantly impacted the experience and brought it to that next level. Once again, I would play that game again in a heartbeat. Although I’m not convinced my heart didn’t stop during the game.
Untold Stories Experiences
With two somewhat light days, it was time to take on a bit more. Day five was a total of 6 games across four locations. The first room of the day was “Molly’s Game” and I have thoughts. This room has been in the top five rooms in the world (according to TERPECA) for the last 5 years. And I could see why.
There were some inventive puzzles and fun story flow. Some parts felt a bit clunky, but I do wonder if that is a translation issue. I really appreciated that the showy moments the room provided were also incorporated into the puzzles. The pieces had a reason to do the cool movement. It wasn’t impressive just for impressive sake. They were very secretive about how the room works but I guess that is understandable.
outer ground
We then headed to Outer Ground for a trilogy of games. We started with “Midnite” which is their newest room. The movie theater set was excellent. I felt like I was rocking out to some parts of the soundtrack. It was a vibe I was into. Especially if you made it less scary. The next room was “Jason’s Legacy” which I think would have been more intriguing if we had played the first Jason based room.
Not having some of the context did make some parts seem… sparse? I’m really sure how to describe. By no means did we need to play the first room. I just felt like I was missing some sort of story lore that could have added to the whole experience.
The last room at the venue was “The Execution”. We were processed one by one, and I was first. So, I ended up having a bit of a different experience than the rest of the group. And I got yelled at. It was a very amusing introduction into the room.
Escape from Wonderland
Then we walked down the street to “Escape from Wonderland”.
Our GM was absolutely delightful and welcomed us with a table full of candy. Automatic points. It was such a pleasant introduction to the room. And once we were inside, that feeling only continued. The spaces they were able to create were delightful. I really appreciate the attention to small details they accomplished.
Your Escape
The final room of the day was “The Non Believers” and we had some feelings. The whole experience had a mix of highs and lows. There were a lot of “wow” moments but when you do them so often, they become a little lackluster and almost expected. m
The room is technically impressive room. It just doesn’t always balance with gameplay the best.
It didn’t help that one puzzle didn’t function properly as well. Technically difficulties are always tough. It can be frustrating for the players and out of the GMs control. And mechanics have a mind of their own even with regular maintenance.
And that was the end of day five. Only four more days to go.
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