As the Titanic pulled into Nottingham (and, more specifically, the back corner of Tenpin near Showcase), we decided to hop on board and see if we could jump ship before it sank to the bottom of the ocean. Or, in other words, we tried out Houdini’s ‘Escape From R.M.S. Titanic’ escape room. Here’s how we got on…
George White (Editor): Locked inside a room. Live-action role-play going on around me. No chance for my usual post-magazine deadline nap. It’s safe to say the odds of me enjoying Houdini’s Escape From R.M.S. Titanic experience were unfavourable at best. Yet, as immersion-breaking as it is to be welcomed aboard the Titanic, only to be led through the ground floor of a bowling venue before once again being welcomed aboard the Titanic, I had a hell of a time checking out one of Nottingham’s newest escape rooms.
With creative puzzles, impressive set designs and an inventively laid-out sequence of rooms to escape from - which included a ventilation shaft that the entire team had to crawl through - I had a blast at Houdini’s from start to finish. Sure, I wasn’t much help. Of course, other, smarter people took the lead while I dithered around in the background. But it was great to just be there, enjoying the atmosphere and marvelling at how intelligent the whole thing was. Whether you’re a newbie to the escape room scene, or you’re a seasoned pro, I’d fully recommend checking this out.
Struck mostly by the immaculate set design and sound effects, it wasn’t hard to get lost in the storyline
Lizzy O’Riordan (Assistant Editor): Very much falling into the newbie category, I think it’s fair to say I was nervous when first entering the escape room on Tuesday afternoon, having never attempted anything even similar, and generally being someone who gives up on puzzles pretty quickly. But my jitters soon dissipated, and were replaced with intrigue as we entered the first room and were met with an initial set of clues and the heavy thud of the door closing behind us, marking that the game had begun.
Alone, would I have gotten out of this escape room? No. But with a group around me, including one seasoned escape room participant, I actually found myself having a lot of fun. And to my own surprise, I managed to solve a few clues myself! Struck most by the immaculate set design and sound effects, it wasn’t hard to get lost in the storyline either and though I could appreciate that the clues were clever, it was really the storytelling that kept my interest piqued and I found myself constantly eager to see what would happen next.
Without giving much away, if you have never experienced an escape room before then you are in for a treat
Natalie Owen (Designer): As a James Cameron film fanatic, Titanic is by far one of my favourite films to watch. After finding out the theme of the escape room was based on the Titanic, I was thrilled! Houdini's absolutely nailed the decor of each room and it was surprisingly bigger inside than I expected.
Without giving much away, if you have never experienced an escape room before then you are in for a treat. From the sound effects to the fun hosts it really does give you a sense of being on board a ship, rather than inside a building with bowling taking place downstairs. I would certainly give the experience another go again to see if we could beat our time score - and I would certainly give the other themed rooms a go as well!
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