Escape Reality is Cardiff’s fourth escape rooms to open this year but is the newest and biggest of them all. The premium escape experience is for teams of 2-6 players who have an hour to solve puzzles and challenges which enable them to escape the room. The game is perfect for birthday parties, getting together with friends, as a team building exercise and family fun.
The Escape Reality Rooms
With a choice of six rooms there is plenty of variety in which story you take – or if you want to come back again and again. With Halloween coming up I really wanted to do the Enigmista room – which is the most gruesome of the games and is based on the thriller Saw. Unfortunately, there was no way I was attempting it without my husband and he thought it sounded a bit much. Have a read of the description and see what you think:
“You’re ushered through a doorway and immediately chained and handcuffed at opposite sides of the room before the door slams behind you. The room is dark and eerie. There’s blood smeared across the walls and as you look towards your partner, you can vaguely make out a lifeless figure between you. A voice echoes a warning of torture ahead of you. Your captor is a serial killer who has devised a series of tests to see how far you can push yourself in order to escape…and you have just 60 minutes to survive.”
PLUS if you visit during the Halloween Weekend and enter the discount code HALLOW20 you will receive 20% off and if you arrive in a Halloween Costume you will receive a free drink after you arrive. Other rooms include being locked up in Alcatraz Prison Cell; Captive in Stephen King’s Misery; trapped in a jungle board game; an art thief or solving a cryptic murder in an art gallery.
Our Escape Reality Experience in The Jungala Room
We decided to make it a family event and so took the three of our youngest children ages 7, 9 and 13 years old. This meant that really the only room that was felt was totally suitable was the Jungala Room (which also has the easiest difficulty rating):
You have discovered an old board game in your attic and once opened you are engulfed by a vortex and transported into an alternative realm. After only seeing a glimpse of the terrible world inside you are thrown back into reality. Vowing never to approach the game again you attempt to leave but the door has been locked trapping you in. Glancing over to the game you see the words “The dice have been rolled.” You have no choice but to complete the game or be trapped inside the other realm for eternity. You only have sixty minutes to complete the game!
The venue has no parking but there are plenty of places to park nearby. We arrived as requested 15 minutes before our game was booked to start and were able to enjoy a drink and use the bathroom facilities (which I couldn’t seem to find anywhere to dry my hands and ended up using tissue!). However, it was still a good ten minutes after the game should have begun before we were taken in and this was particularly hard for The Sensory Seeker. There were free lockers to leave our valuables and coats, etc before heading upstairs to the rooms (I am not sure if they have wheelchair access). Everything was well explained before we went in, including whether we wanted any help, how to get out if we didn’t like it/an emergency and how to use the iPad. There were no spoilers before going into the room whatsoever, apart from having the option as to whether we wanted a first free clue.
We all absolutely loved the game and so proud of ourselves that we got out in plenty of time. The iPad had a countdown so you knew exactly how long you had left. It was good to see all our different strengths as a family and how we could come together as a whole well – explaining things to one another, and helping each other. We definitely wanted to try another room by the end of it. The atmosphere was really well built up with a good mix of lighting, props and noise. I don’t want to give anything away but will say it was okay for my 7-year-old and he wasn’t frightened at all BUT that there were some things that could potentially have upset a small child. I felt there was plenty of space even as a group of five and at no point did I feel claustrophobic. What is also great is that at the end you can get a photo taken and there is a leader board with the top times for each room!
Prices are from £15.00 to £22.00 per person
Mon-Thurs 12-22:30; Fri-Sun 10:30-22:30
2nd & 3rd Floor, 6-7 St John Street, Cardiff, CF10 1GJ
Website: http://www.escapereality.com/
Oh this sounds brilliant, I’d love to do it! My children are much too young but it would be a fun thing to do with friends.
Nat.x