Doomsday Games: Pathogen

By | March 20, 2019

by Doomsday Games (website)

1st floor Global House, Moorside, CO1 2TJ

Colchester

2-8 players

Languages: EN

90 mins
The year is 2035. Humankind is on the brink of destruction from a deadly pathogen. The world as we know it was wiped out within a matter of months, leaving the global population at just under 20% of its pre-outbreak state, and the infection rate is increasing rapidly. Humanity is about to disappear... forever.
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Overall rating

Rated between 4 and 5 out of 5

based on ratings from 32 users
combined with 4 pro reviews

Your review

Player reviews

escapeartist1212 expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
cleverimmersivestory-driven
Simon (The Overthinkers) expert rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
Played: 2 Jan 2023 Team size: 2 Time taken: 68 Outcome: Successful escape!
cleverimmersivegreat hosting
Mike S expert rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
Anonymous rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
jakea256 expert rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Anonymous rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
🌡Juliette B expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 26 Jun 2021 Team size: 2 Time taken: 71:51
funnyimmersivegreat hosting

Very enjoyable with a particularly strong start and end. Excellent clue system and lovely GM from family run company. One particularly well designed puzzle towards the end of the game. Looking forward to their upcoming new game. 

Tim Cooper expert rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Team size: 2 Time taken: 75:14 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulimmersivestory-drivenquite difficult

Absolutely one of the best games I've played and cannot recommend it enough! This game doesn't get nearly enough credit for how awesome it is and I urge anyone to play it!

Mark Greenhalgh expert rated this:Rated between 30 and 30 out of 5
Played: 12/10/19
c2creviewer experienced rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
Danielle expert rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 15 Jul 2022 Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
immersivestory-drivenintensequite difficult😨creepy

I thought this was a great room. I loved how β€˜real world’ it was, the puzzles fitted so well.  We only just got out within the 90 minutes, there’s a lot to do, especially as a pair so go in with energy! I’d be super excited to play their next game, the owner clearly designed this with a lot of thought and love. 

Emma N experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 1 Aug 2022 Team size: 2 Time taken: 84 Outcome: Successful escape!
originalstory-drivengreat hostingquite difficult

Wow what a room. I really like the 90min room to get absorbed into the story. I really felt like I was in a lab and the equipment to use was brilliant. 

Such a fab and funny way for hints and they were perfectly pitched .

I love that things were not just padlocks and numbers. I really liked the realism of the room and some of the ways of finding your next clue.

Fab hosting and looking forward to their next room opening.

tmoitie rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 6 Feb 2024 Team size: 5 Time taken: 51:18 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techcleverimmersivequite difficult😨creepy
Sabrina (The Overthinkers) expert rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
Played: 2 Jan 2023 Team size: 2 Time taken: 68 Outcome: Successful escape!
cleverimmersivegreat hosting

We had a really great time, the props are very high quality and add to the immersion. The hint system was very original and immersive as well. All puzzles were well on theme and the storyline is evolving.

Team Tonks experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 7 Jan 2023 Team size: 2 Time taken: 75 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techstory-drivenepicquite difficult

This is one of the best games we've done recently. The clue system was really inventive and made the game humorous. The room itself looked amazing and made you feel immersed in the storyline. It was a really good use of space. The puzzles used a mix of tech and traditional padlocks. This is also a 90 minute room. This game is a must...just don't say pip-boy πŸ˜‰

matt_keds expert rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
Played: 11 Aug 2023 Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techoriginalstory-driven
A Blacksmith expert rated this:Rated between 35 and 35 out of 5
Outcome: Successful escape!
MissJP experienced rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
value for moneyhi-techoriginal
Andrew Gage rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 6 Jan 2024 Team size: 2 Time taken: 84 Outcome: Successful escape!
cleverimmersivestory-driven
Very well thought out game, some different concepts and novel puzzles. Will defo go back for there other room! 
Dan Taylor experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
hi-techoriginalintense
Dan Getliffe experienced rated this:Rated between 35 and 35 out of 5
Played: 28 Aug 2023 Team size: 2 Time taken: 65 Outcome: Successful escape!
great hostingquite easy

We were a little disappointed in this one - I think unfortunately the lab theme is the one we've done most and this didn't stand out too much. The opening set is very striking but the rest is not that unique. 

Puzzles were also very instruction based - we prefer a little bit of ambiguity sometimes! Also, there is a distinct lack of music and sound effects that this room could really do with! Would really help with immersion. 

Anonymous rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Team size: 2 Time taken: 80 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techimmersiveepicquite difficult
Jess_keds expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techstory-drivenintense

Kept us on our toes for the full 90 minutes, definitely value for money. Great balance of puzzles. Unique clue system and a fabulous GM (shout out to Michelle!). 

SwampChickens expert rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 15 Apr 2023 Team size: 2 Time taken: 53 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techimmersivegreat hosting

Absolutely superb room. Above all else, I cannot emphasise enough how smoothly the puzzles in this room flowed and how well designed the difficulty curve and narrative arc came together. It was also beautifully designed and fitted out, with a very high level of quality and attention to detail. Puzzles were both low and high-tech, and the hint system was novel (and a superb GM added heaps of humour). It all came together to provide an exceptionally immersive experience - I would very highly recommend this room to anybody.

ZombieChick experienced rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 22 Oct 2022 Team size: 4 Time taken: 70mins Outcome: Successful escape!
Jose Adrian experienced rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: Team size: 2 Time taken: Outcome: Successful escape!
msilcox expert rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
Played: 2 Oct 2021 Team size: 3 Time taken: 95 minutes Outcome: Failed πŸ™
story-drivengreat hostingintensequite difficult😨creepy

Our interactions with the very pleasant host really made this experience.  There is a LOT to do, so make sure that you keep moving along in the game.  In particular, the last "act" had more to do than we expected, which is why we technically did not finish in time (the host very kindly less us finish up).  One nice aspect was that it was possible for team members to work independently on some of the puzzles, which is rare for a remote avatar game.  And it was very much necessary, or we would have been even more over time!  A good mix of puzzles, which made use of our group's various strengths.  Definitely recommended!!

Darren Miller expert rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
Played: 3 Jul 2021 Team size: 2
Fun 90 min game with good puzzles and a funny host (Dani).  One gripe is that progress required quite a bit of searching that didn't necessarily translate well over camera.  Also leaned heavily into Telescape which was fine, but made it hard to split attention with the camera for the searching part.  Despite this, we had a great time playing.
🦑cipherdelic virtuoso rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
value for moneycleverimmersive
Helen Cooper rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 1 Dec 2023 Team size: 4 Time taken: 85 Outcome: Successful escape!
immersivegreat hostingepicquite difficultπŸ‘»scary

Incredible activity. 

Danni was fantastic and the experience was completely immersive. 

Played as two couples in two separate locations and was fantastic fun with no childcare required!

Puzzles were genuinely challenging but doable. Story was well thought out and interfaces were great.

Have already recommended to others who have booked, played and also enjoyed!

A great hit!

πŸ”James Bloodworth expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 29/04/2021 Team size: 4 Outcome: Failed πŸ™
hi-techgreat hostingintensequite difficult
Even in the remote world, most Avatar led rooms are still 60 minutes so playing a 90 minute one was already an attraction.  The story/theme might not be overly original but the theming of the rooms was on point throughout and looked great.  Dani was out Avatar and handled the game superbly and was a lot of fun to play with.  The implementation of some of the puzzles in Telescape is one of the best I've seen in nearly 170 online games.  It's not an easy game though, certainly in the last section make notes!  We were a team of 4 experienced online players and we failed with seconds to go at the very last puzzle and yet I'm not sure which part slowed us down.  The Telescape interface is also the games biggest weakness, it's an incredibly co-operative tool but where it lets multiple people work on the same puzzle but this then means you have multiple people trying to make changes and I've seen near arguments sprout from this.  A common puzzle in Telescape is the jigsaw, but everyone wants to solve it, and realistically only 1 or 2 can.  There are some puzzles in this game that (IMHO) didn't need to be on Telescape and they could have been done by the remote hands of the Avatar and that would have been my preference, as I've said elsewhere, I want to play the room, not the interface.   That last paragraph may come across as overly negative but this game still has a lot of positive points going for it and is well worth your time but make plenty of notes!

Reviews by escape room review sites

The 60 minute time limit is near universal for escape rooms, with only a handful of longer or shorter games in the U.K. As it happens, every extended length game I’ve played has been at least very good - perhaps because longer games tend to be less profitable for venues, and therefore building one is a sign the owners are more focused on the experience they’re providing over the revenue they’re earning. Either way, Pathogen is a rare 90 minute game, and I’m pleased to say it fits the trend, in t...

A fantastically fun game with a beautiful opening scene, varied but good quality decoration throughout, a novel clue system, fun challenges and some cool theatre within the game. If you're vaguely in the area, then I'd recommend you drop by, because this is a gem of a game.
In a market filled with 60-minute games, Pathogen is one of the rarer 90-minute experiences, and it certainly sets the bar high. The game was highly immersive, with excellent theming, and clever puzzles
The room itself was incredibly well designed and put together, with plenty of little easter eggs if you’re geeks like us. Everything, including the clue system, was perfectly on theme the whole time.

Lists

This game is part of the following user-created game lists:
  • Best UK escape rooms 2022 by Escape the Review virtuoso
    These are the 100 highest rated escape rooms in the UK, as of 31st Dec 2022, based on combined ratings from enthusiasts, bloggers and experts - every game here comes highly recommended. 
  • Best UK escape rooms 2021 by Escape the Review virtuoso
    These are the 100 highest rated escape rooms (out of 1600) in the UK, as of 31st Dec 2021, based on combined ratings from enthusiasts, bloggers and experts - every game here comes highly recommended. 
  • Best UK escape rooms 2023 by Escape the Review virtuoso
    These are the 100 highest rated escape rooms in the UK, as of 31st Dec 2023, based on combined ratings from enthusiasts, bloggers and experts - every game here comes highly recommended. 

See also

Other versions of this game:(Different copies of the same game sometimes have significant differences.)