Welcome to the August 2016 edition of the escape rumours post. Note that this is about London (and a little further afield). I do a separate (terse!) weekly post about UK news or you can read more in depth (although not quite so up-to-date) news on exitgames.co.uk.

Competitions and special offers

Do Stuff Escape Games, Mind the Game, Omescape, Sherlock Unlock and Quest Room are all running Groupon offers.

Plans

At the start of August I didn’t have a single escape room booked and even when last month’s update was published I’d only got one into the diary. Things spiralled out of control though and by the end of the month I’d played eleven plus an immersive theatre murder mystery game. Check out the front page for reviews which will start to arrive over the next few days (and then continue on for quite some time!).

If you’re more interested in what the future brings, here’s my current list of bookings:

• September
  • 1: Cliffhanger Rooms
    • The Pharaoh’s Curse
    • Bank Vault Heist
  • 3: Ultimate Escape (Llandudno)
    • Escape from the Future
    • CSI Murder Mystery
  • 23-26: Budapest
    • Yes, I’m dragging a bunch of fellow escapers off to the European capital of escaping for a long weekend of being locked in rooms. We’re still deciding what we’ll play, but currently it looks like:
      • Scavenger Escape (Mozart Mystery, Secret Surgery and Egyptian Adventure)
      • Gozsdu Mission (White Mission and Mafia Mission)
      • E-exit (Circus, 1984 and Heaven & Hell)
      • TRAP (Armageddon and Medieval)
      • Key Quest: Roaming Room
      • Magic Room (Atlantis)
      • The Pirate Cave Room
      • Napuche
      • Kiralyok Kings
• October
  • 1: Escape
    • Area 51
    • Casino Escape
    • Da Vinci

Yes – I’m going to be busy writing reviews in October…

News and Rumours

After a busy August edition, things have calmed down somewhat here so nothing truly new to report but a few small updates

Inside Out Escape are due to open up in Islington, North London with a single game, Finding Sherlock Holmes. London’s been in need of a good Sherlock Holmes story, so fingers crossed that this fits the bill!

Clue Adventures announced the name of their new game and confirmed that they intend to launch in September.

Clue Trace must be about to open, although I’ve not had official word of exactly when that will occur. I did find out some interesting information, though, while researching my trip to Hungary. This game is imported from Budapest where it’s been receiving very positive reviews both because it’s an enjoyable game to review but even more interestingly because it’s apparently quite different from other games. Intriguing!

Enigma Quests announced that they’ll be taking bookings for their new game Million Pound Heist from 21st October. Definitely a game I’m looking forward to (as is Mrs Logic, who backed the crowdfunding campaign separately and is taking her own team…)

Locked In A Room are due to open this month although still no word on an exact date.

No update on Escape Rooms plan to open in Aldgate or from Claustrophobia, City Mazes or Escape Zone London. I’ll let you know if I hear more.

On the borders

I’m London focused, but the M25 doesn’t actually have passport control, so occasionally I look a little further afield. This month I’ve chosen Guildford:

Containment have been around for a while quietly running their escape room from Worplesdon, just outside Guildford. More precisely from a couple of containers – their model is to convert shipping containers into escape rooms which means that as well as providing games in Guildford they can also transport them to remote sites to allow for corporate team building events. They currently have two games: Bomb Disposal and Bank Vault, both priced at £120 per team.

They’re about to get a new neighbour: Guildford Escape Rooms who launch later this year with The Case of the Missing Gun with plans to open an additional room in the new year. They’re based right in the heart of Guildford in Jeffries Passage.  Perhaps less mobile than Containment, but probably more accessible for the majority of Londoners.

That’s all folks

That’s all I’m aware of. If any of the above is incorrect then let me know via email or in the comments below, or equally if you’re aware of other news, discounts or competitions, and I’ll include updates in the next edition.

Thanks for reading!