by Houdini's Escape Room Experience Chester (website)
Old Seals Way, Chester CH1 4RY
2-6 players
Languages: EN
60 minutes
Will the spirits within be friendly or are they looking for a few more permanent residents?Escape before room 13 has you!
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Just enter code: PRICECUT when booking online.
Overall rating
![Rated between 2 and 3.5 out of 5 (estimated, based on ratings for other versions of this game) Rated between 2 and 3.5 out of 5 (estimated, based on ratings for other versions of this game)](https://escapethereview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/rating_20_35.png)
estimated score
not from direct reviews
Your review
Player reviews
![Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5](https://escapethereview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/rating_40_40.png)
The decor and atmosphere was great. Puzzles were fun. Not too taxing but gave us pause for thought.
The GM was attentive especially when we struggled with a lock, which they heard us saying the correct number for.
The room could do with a bit of TLC though. Some props were a bit tatty through use - not the theme.
Am looking forward to doing more in future.
The place seemed a bit
![Rated between 35 and 35 out of 5](https://escapethereview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/rating_35_35.png)
![Rated between 35 and 35 out of 5](https://escapethereview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/rating_35_35.png)
![Rated between 25 and 25 out of 5](https://escapethereview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/rating_25_25.png)
Great host, however lack of countdown clock in the room or method of sharing clues remotely is somewhat immersion breaking.
![Rated between 30 and 30 out of 5](https://escapethereview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/rating_30_30.png)
This was the best of the 3 rooms at Swindon Houdini's and in my opinion is the only one worth doing. I really loved the decor - it does feel like you're in a hotel and it's a multi room experience which is always a winner. There was (as with all games we have played here) some broken tech so the GM game in as we tried to open the directional padlock just in case it didn't work.
As I've described in my other reviews at Houdini's, the clue system for the games games (at least in the Swindon branch) is the GM just appearing in the room to give you hints. It's very disconcerting and completely ruins the immersion. We only had 1 hint for this room so only saw the GM twice during the room but if I'm honest, one time is too many!
I still wouldn't really recommend doing this room - although I enjoyed it, Houndini's seems to have a lot of broken tech which takes them a long time to fix so it may not be very good on another day of the week.
![Rated between 25 and 25 out of 5](https://escapethereview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/rating_25_25.png)
Advice: wait a few weeks/months for the tech to be in place properly!
It's a shame because the room and puzzles were actually really good and immersive but the whole experience was ruined by the gamesmaster loitering in the room.
I don't think it was the gamesmaster's fault as he was clearly told to do this by his managers so that he could give clues if a team is struggling; as they don't have their clue system set up yet.
Overall good, solid escape room and logical fun puzzles - but the hovering gamesmaster felt extremely off-putting and awkward
![Rated between 30 and 30 out of 5](https://escapethereview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/rating_30_30.png)
We visited Houdini’s in Thurrock to play a fairly new escape room today: Haunted Hotel. The room had the extra novelty of being situated within an actual hotel! We got out in 36 minutes 43 seconds. That’s not a brag - it just seemed to be missing an extra challenge / puzzle / room and so we felt a little disappointed when we completed it in quite a quick time (unusual for us!) There could have been more in the way of context / storyline.
It was spooky but not particularly terrifying - there was a lack of jump scares which to be fair is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, the theming and decor is brilliant and there was a general sense of unease throughout. Jake our Game Master played his role brilliantly and was suitably creepy.
Overall, this new escape room may need a bit more added to it to really hit Houdini’s high standards, but was still a good adrenaline rush.
See also
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Thurrock: Room 13 (Purfleet) (closed)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Walsall: Room 13 (Walsall)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Greenwich: Room 13 (East London)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience York: Room 13 (York)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Southampton: Room 13 (Southampton)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Doncaster: Room 13 (Doncaster)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Swindon: Room 13 (Swindon)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Milton Keynes: Room 13 (Milton Keynes)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Dundee: Room 13 (Dundee)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Worcester: Room 13 (Worcester)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Stafford: Room 13 (Stafford)
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience Sheffield: Room 13 (Sheffield)