Could an Escape Room be the perfect family outing? Nicola Spencer tries out Wimbledon’s Mystery Cube…
It was an inauspicious start to our escape room experience when we couldn’t find our way to the room. Dumped by an uber in an industrial wasteland in SW19 and surrounded by disappointingly faceless office buildings and warehouses, we rather shamefully seemed to have failed in our first challenge.
Re-checking the email from Miss Terry (do you see what they’ve done there?), we finally identified the buzzer we needed. From then on, and after a pre-emptive, tactical bathroom visit, it took no time for us to be sucked into the virtual vortex of Professor QB’s Mystery Cube world. Part stand-up comedian, part nutty professor, he soon mesmerised us with his infectious enthusiasm for the task ahead.
Our group of six was a mixture of escape room rookies and veterans. I was one of the rookies and had no idea what to expect; I was none the wiser as I donned my lab coat and stepped over the threshold into the abyss. You are deliberately given no guidelines (except the usual health and safety talk, and it is worth noting that it is perfectly safe) – simply a mission to accomplish within 60 minutes. Professor QB leads you to the Mystery Cube, the clock starts ticking and you’re on your own.
Obviously, I cannot comment on the details of the mission at hand. Suffice to say, it is puzzling, ingenious, frustrating, gloriously satisfying, comedic and challenging. There is nothing more rewarding than when you suddenly have that light bulb moment and realise what a clue means. There is nothing more frustrating than finding out you have spent twenty minutes working out the same puzzle that a team member has already solved. There is nothing funnier than watching a teenager crack every cyber code going but not know how to work a cassette recorder.
A great deal of thought has gone into the whole experience and it is a triumph. Professor QB stays in touch throughout and for those who fear they will feel claustrophobic, there is so much to do and distract you within the time that you forget you are in an enclosed space, or, indeed as Professor QB would suggest, hurtling through space. This mission needs teamwork, communication, dexterity and, as it turns out, Oreos.
Whether you accomplish your mission or not within the 60 minutes, Professor QB provides you with a summary of your attempt, depresses or encourages you with the stats of how similar teams have done, and reads back a selection of humorous quotes which you have inadvertently blurted out during the experience. Perfect for all ages, family groups, friends or work colleagues, it was a fantastic 61 minutes and 20 seconds of fun, challenging the grey matter, our lateral thinking and problem-solving, and I would highly recommend it.
Now to work out how to find our way to the tube station.
London Escape Room, 19 Deer Park Road, Wimbledon, SW19 3UX
