Clue HQ Swindon: Bunker 38

By | March 20, 2019

by Clue HQ Swindon (website)

Shaw Ridge Leisure Park, Whitehill Way, SN5 7DN

Swindon

2-6 players

Languages: EN

60 minutes

You’ve been living in an underground bunker for years due to a radiation leak. Now you’ve been given the all clear, but you’re locked in and oxygen levels are running low! With only 60 minutes of breathable air left, will you be able to escape in time?
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Overall rating

Rated between 2 and 2.5 out of 5

based on ratings from 28 users
combined with 5 pro reviews

Your review

Player reviews

Sam Carr experienced rated this:Rated between 25 and 25 out of 5
Team size: 6 Outcome: Successful escape!

Not for big groups

TheCLAMS expert rated this:Rated between 25 and 25 out of 5
Team size: 5 Outcome: Successful escape!
poor hosting
Kates rated this:Rated between 25 and 25 out of 5
Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
family friendlyplainunoriginalvery easy

I think our main gripe with this one is it never felt particularly immersive and we zipped through it really quickly despite being only a pair having done 4/5 rooms each.  Whilst all elements worked just fine, the hosting wasn't memorable and puzzles weren't particularly varied. I imagine it might be a good "first room" for some folks, but having been treated to some excellent escape rooms in the local area it pales in comparison!

The Kate Escapes rated this:Rated between 35 and 35 out of 5
Played: 29 Dec 2023 Team size: 2 Time taken: 45:35
originalpoor hosting

Quite padlock heavy, I counted around 18/19, some basic ideas the introduce the concept of escape rooms, seemed a little tired too.

Ben Bailey experienced rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 14/8/19 Team size: 3 Time taken: 45:59 Outcome: Successful escape!
Brian experienced rated this:Rated between 25 and 25 out of 5
Team size: 3 Outcome: Successful escape!
Aine Morgan rated this:Rated between 35 and 35 out of 5
Scotus0 expert rated this:Rated between 20 and 20 out of 5
Played: 30/10/2019 Team size: 4 Time taken: ~50:00 Outcome: Successful escape!

How Many Hints?!

I took advantage of another Groupon to get this room at a good price.

Story

A radiation leak forced you into this bunker, where you've been living for years. It's safe to return up top, but now you're locked in and oxygen levels are critically low. Escape before the last sixty minutes of breathable air runs out.

Puzzles

Far too samey; almost all of them involved finding combinations of numbers, which doesn't strike as being creative enough given the storyline. There was an incredibly misleading red herring that can only be described as stupid. One puzzle and its solution were far too tenuously linked for you to know what to do. My biggest gripe, though, was the amount of hints that were being thrown left, right and centre at us. Despite our team being engaged in trying to solve puzzles, the giveaway messages came through thick and fast.

Mise-en-scène

It did feel like a bunker, but I suppose giving compact underground shelter vibes isn't too demanding a task. The damp smell was probably the most realistic part. There was a pointless, unwarranted crawling part that didn't contribute anything to the experience.

Final Comments

At least it was cheap.

πŸ”James Bloodworth expert rated this:Rated between 30 and 30 out of 5
Played: 11/01/2020 Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
Billed as their beginner room, this is a padlock fest (I think I counted 18/19?) and has some interesting puzzles that introduces a lot of basic concepts of escape rooms (even if the story makes no sense in context).
Anonymous rated this:Rated between 30 and 30 out of 5
Played: 2016 Team size: 6 Outcome: Successful escape!

We had a blast escaping Bunker 38 with our crew of 6 members in February 2016. The Bunker was not particularly atmospheric but had some really fun puzzles from what I can remember. We escaped in 54.50 minutes.

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Reviews by escape room review sites

Outside the room I've been well aware of Clue HQ for a long time, partly because of their reputation of providing hard rooms, and partly because they first opened in Warrington, where I grew up. In fact, were it not for that reputation of providing tough rooms, I'd almost certainly have visited on a previous family
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We visited this Clue HQ franchise at the Secret Nuclear Bunker in Brentwood. What a great place for a Nuclear Bunker themed escape room! The staff were friendly and there was the usual health and safety briefings.

This was the first room we did at Clue HQ Brentwood, and it left me feeling a little flat, was it a bad room? No, but it didn't fill me with joy either. The look of the room was OK, not spectacular, but it fit the bill, there were a couple of puzzles or hiding spots that I did not enjoy, one of which goes against what you are told in every other escape room, and therefore went unnoticed for some time. There were some positives, the theming was pretty good, and there were a few good puzzles, so, not too bad and still worth a visit at the right price, and if you are going to complete multiple rooms. 

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