Join me as I go through the adventures of my Netherlands escape room trip!
Alright, I took a couple of detours, but I made it to part 4! All that’s left is the last two days of the trip. We managed to cover eleven games from six different companies. There were some very good moments and some low moments as well.
That might have been more attributable to fatigue. Nine days straight was a marathon, but I would gladly run it again. Sometimes, I do wish I could selectively erase memories so I can experience things for the first time again. But that’s why I try to savor the first time all the more. Anyway.
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We played two games at the first location – ‘Pray’ and ‘Here I Am’. ‘Pray’ was a room that I had been aware of. Mainly because of the large number of flyers, I would see advertising at other companies. It is also the moment I realized how desensitized I had become. As we played the game, the eerie sounds made me tense.
And then we were told that someone would have a solo moment. In previous rooms, there were a few times I would offer myself. There were solo experiences I got to have (I think mostly because the rest of the group would push me forward). But for ‘Pray’, I was ready. It was a fun moment, although I got stuck for a bit longer than the game intended.
‘Here I Am’ is a room inspired by a TV show whose name I have forgotten. The setting was an all-female prison. And some nefarious things were occurring. While the story’s implications might not be pleasant, the room itself was not scary. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t have some adrenaline-inducing moments.
As we were leaving the company, we ran into the owner in the parking lot. He was covered in paint since he was building their newest room. There have been many locations where you can see signs of construction. I really enjoyed our conversation as the owner showed a great enthusiasm for the hobby. And an escape room made by someone who loves escape rooms often can take a room to an even higher level.
Dark Park
We started our journey at a Dark Park on the first day, and it felt very apt to be playing in their rooms again at the end of the trip. This time, we were in a different location (even though it was the same company). The three rooms here were ‘The Dentist’, ‘Freakshow’, and ‘Into the Darkverse’.
‘The Dentist’ was more on the side of a classic escape room. I believe it was one of their old (if not the oldest) rooms that the company has to offer. There were some clunky moments, and some remnants of puzzles were removed. But it was an enjoyable experience.
Then we moved onto ‘Freakshow’. I was a little confused by the tone / theme of this room. From the small audio opening, it seemed like we were the next attraction, but also, we needed to run away from the other ‘Freaks’ in the show. But that lack of consistency did not stop me from enjoying a good circus-themed escape room. There were several components of the rooms that I thoroughly enjoyed.
One that I didn’t was the water feature… I did not see it and stepped straight in. Most people would avoid putting their other leg in, but my body was already in motion, and I was soon soaked in the water. Our GM was so sweet, he offered me socks after getting out of the room. It seems I am not the first person to do this.
The last room we played in at Dark Park was ‘Into the Darkverse’. This was a pop-up escape room that had a good reception, so they found a space to house it for a limited time. I think this was one of the more divergent experiences from the classic escape room. There’s no way to talk about it without giving too much detail, but it was definitely an interesting experience.
Timed Adventured (Previously Inferno)
Earlier in the trip, we played Inferno and had a great time. The company had recently opened their second game – ‘Geppetto’. It was not available to schedule when the trip was planned, but I really wanted to play it after playing in their first room. We were definitely riding on that first-day energy. But I was extremely excited to play ‘Geppetto’ since the storefront alone caught my attention.
While it was quite late at night, and our group was more on the tired side, we had a fun time exploring the story and the space. I was quite impressed with the company’s use of space. On the whole, the room has a relatively small footprint, but that didn’t make the room feel small in the least. Several very clever tricks really increased the room’s impact.
Hotel Veloria
And we made it to our last day in the Netherlands. We started at Hotel Veloria, which was all hotel – themed escape rooms. The first room we played in was ‘Kamer 237’ (or ‘Room 237’), which was clearly very inspired by ‘The Shining’. There were many fun nods and references scattered throughout the experience. They also made a mechanical illusion that was very impactful. Some moments just stick in your head, and ‘Kamer 237’ definitely created one of those moments for me.
The next room on the docket was ‘The Concierge’. This room caused a little schedule friction because it was a 2-player room, so we ended up alternating playing and lunch breaks, with the group split in half. I did use this as an opportunity to get some Bitterballen before leaving the country.
Once we were in the room, we had a pretty fun experience. Two-player rooms can really up the communication needs in order to finish the room. I also learned that having someone tell me to hurry up consistently will cause me to panic and increase the speed at which I am doing something. This wasn’t noticeable until the end, though. It was a 90-minute experience, which we finished around 25 minutes early. I guess we didn’t need to hurry as much as I was. Although I do still feel I got a full experience from the room, even in my panicked state.
The last room at the Hotel Veloria was ‘Lost and Found’. This was their newest room, and I could see the increased technology that was put in this room versus some of the others. Exploring the space really felt like a hotel set up. I was also amazed at how much story can be hidden throughout a room (implicitly or explicitly). There were a few too many screens for my liking, but I understood the need due to the story they were attempting to tell.
Next level Escaperoom
Then we were off to ‘Catch Me If You Can’, and yes, it is based on the movie. One of the major things that stuck with me from this room is the sets. Mainly because they were able to get a rather large object into a small space. Up a flight of narrow stairs. I would have loved to see how they were able to do that. It’s also the first room we failed to escape from. We were only one piece away from finishing, though. And, after finding out the successful ending, I think I liked the ending we got more anyway.
Epic Escape
The final room of the trip was ‘Illusion,’ and it was the perfect ending. Our GM was so sweet and friendly, it reminded me of just how impactful a GM could be. He was absolutely fantastic. The room itself had a great amount of attention to detail that really helped immerse you in the room. There were also some fun references to other escape rooms that helped in dear the room to me all the more. I do feel like this room ended up being one of my favorites of the trip.
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