A tragic loss. A happy family destroyed. A desperate man, irresistibly drawn to dark forces. As the door slams shut behind you, you're trapped in the world of Eli Howitz, an enigmatic figure whose gut-wrenching story pervades every millimetre of the room.
Just what happened in Eli's toy shop? You've heard the rumours. You know the horror stories off by heart. But how much truth is there in the police report? Can there really be ritualistic carvings on the walls? They say there were glowing symbols, and toys that whirred, clicked, and span on their own...
Our resident genius created Howitz after too little sleep and too many disturbing movies! There are scenes of a nature that might upset in here. Of all the escape rooms in Nottingham, this is the one that could cause sleepless nights. If that kind of thing messes with your head, we recommend leaving the door locked on this one.
With the clock inexorably marking off the seconds and minutes of your nightmare, you only have limited time to find out what really happened in Eli's shop. Hunt for clues. Track down the horrifying puzzles that will bring you one step closer to freedom. And get the hell out of there, before the room claims you as its own.
There aren't any escape rooms in Nottingham that are as intense as this! At the very heart of Howitz lies a truth too terrible to imagine. Dare you uncover it? Enter Eli's world, and discover the man behind the myth. But don't tarry too long, or you could become just another plaything for the black magic that holds this room in its grip...
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Played: 6 May 2022Team size: 2Time taken: 37Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulimmersiveintense
This sort of game is right up my street. You're completely immersed from the first second, loads of little jump scares and innuendos. Fun puzzles and tasks and a huge beautiful space. My favourite at Escapologic.
I am in two minds about this game. The decor is suitably creepy, the hint system is fantastic (to the extent that it is worth asking for a hint even if you don't need one), the jump scares are well done and they ramp up the low key horror with requiring one player to do something alone. There is one puzzle in particular that I think is one of my top ever ER puzzles to work on as a pair.
However - and this was a big but for me - the room is not advertised as having a "live actor" and I am not keen on having other people in the room when playing - especially when alone. I steer clear of horror games where I know this will happen as I genuinely dislike it. From seeing other reviews later, I know that this is a sometimes occurrence with the room, presumably related to the GM, but it really dampened my enjoyment of the room as a whole. Overall I'm glad I played it but at the time I could not have got out of there quick enough - worth knowing if you would feel the same!
A suitably creepy room with a couple of moments that made shriek out in surprise, also some clever usage of lighting and props elevate this room. I've heard that sometimes there is a live actor but we did not have one (it really didn't need it)
Theming is excellent and creepy, our GM was great and clue system is a brilliant. However felt the game flow wasn't excellent but the puzzles were quite good. Really enjoyed the toilet section and overall the game is great
Anonymous rated this:
Team size: 2Outcome: Successful escape!
originalimmersivegenius👻scary
Incredible mechanics, surprising twists and turns, great hosting with lots of scares! Escapologic rooms always go the extra mile and this was no different. Loved the immersion, genius creativity, physical puzzles and lack of padlocks.
Howitz is gritty, grimey, dimly lit, and full of jump scares and some really creepy toys, but if I were to give it a rating like a movie, it would receive a PG-13.
Despite it being a completely different game to the one I played nearly 2.5 years ago, it still has everything I loved about the original game. But Escapologic have also managed to improve it!
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