Escape Reading: Age of Magic

By | January 28, 2020

by Escape Reading (website)

92B Audley Street, RG301BS

Reading

3-6 players

60 minutes

Can You find the way to the potion of life.
Restore the source of Magic to the sacred cave and free humanity from dark times.
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Overall rating

Rated between 4 and 5 out of 5

based on ratings from 39 users
combined with 2 pro reviews

Your review

Player reviews

StaceyF expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 9 Mar 2024 Team size: 3 Time taken: 56:28 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautiful
MightyMidds experienced rated this:Rated between 35 and 35 out of 5
Played: 6 Feb 2022 Team size: 2 Time taken: 48m 9s Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulstory-drivenmagical

Tackled as a team of 2, this was a bit more sedate than Ram Raid, which we did just before. The set is beautiful, the story well crafted and the puzzles fit the theme. The puzzles weren't too tricky once you got the idea. GM Matt did well on when to deliver hints, keeping us moving when needed. Nice original end puzzle too πŸ™‚ 

ratsontour expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 8 Oct 2022 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulhi-techimmersive
PurpleB expert rated this:Rated between 35 and 35 out of 5
beautifulfamily friendlymagicalquite easy

A fabulous set but as a team of enthusiasts we found it quite easy.  Would be a fantastic room to do with kids.

imrahil experienced rated this:Rated between 35 and 35 out of 5
Team size: 6 Outcome: Successful escape!
originalimmersivestory-drivenquite easy
🌡Juliette B expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 6 Aug 2022 Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulimmersivegreat hosting

Lovely set design - a lot of  thought has gone into this room. Our GM was absolutely lovely and hosted excellently - I thought the clue system was excellent in the way it was hidden. Good number of puzzles and a couple of surprises and original takes. Had one puzzle where we had worked out the answer but had a missing piece which led to a little confusion on our part. Thought the soundtrack was great for the immersion and ending was excellent. Both this and Ram Raid are excellent games. 

Spanishfleas experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 10 Jul 2022 Team size: 4 Time taken: 54 mins Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulhi-techmagical

What a beautiful room. From the very beginning to the very end, it was such an immersive experience. The GM Tom was very entertaining and engaging. Made the experience even better! This was our favourite room out of them all. We had one snag on a puzzle, but didn't take away from the enjoyment. Highly recommend. 

c2creviewer experienced rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
Tom Alcock expert rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Team size: 3
beautifulhi-techmagical

All round, magical experience. This is an absolute must play.

abunai expert rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5

A contender for one of the most beautifully themed games in the whole country. Totally enchanting and magical with stunning attention to detail. This is an absolute must play.

jakea256 expert rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
beautifulfamily friendlymagical

I felt like I was in the middle of a Disney film - superb theming and puzzles all linked to the theme. The room also had a brilliant soundtrack to immerse even further in the world they have created.

Some really unique physical elements to this game that enhanced play and an ending that was incredibly memorable. 

A must play for this company and possibly my favourite game currently in Reading!

Roory experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 14 Nov 2021 Team size: 4 Time taken: 44.09 Outcome: Successful escape!
value for moneygreat hostingmagical

Having played a numerous Escape Reading games, it is fantastic to see their growth as a company with each new room. Tom was a great host as always.

This time around there's an increased use of technology with the puzzles/props, and a big focus on immersion, both of which work very well. The clue system was fantastic - some small details made that fit into the flow of the room rather than being a tagged on afterthought.

I am always going to have a soft spot for Ram Raid (which will forever be one of my favourite experiences), however Age of Magic also holds up really well - the immersion led to just us having a really good time. It was really exciting to go through Ram Raid, it was a joy to go through Age of Magic.

TeamHawley experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulimmersivefamily friendly

Absolutely amazing. What a great room, cannot recommend highly enough.

Mark Jackson experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulhi-techepicquite difficult

One of the most beautiful rooms I’ve ever played! Clever puzzles throughout

Anonymous rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 24.08.21 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulfamily friendlymagicalquite easy

Feast for the eyes family-friendly adventure game. Visually stunning Dark Crystal meets Avatar in Disneyworld with varied, average difficulty puzzles that flowed well, a fab soundtrack and a few surprises that should definitely leave you dancing at the end - we were anyway! πŸ˜‰

Welcoming gamesmaster, fun briefing video, nicely integrated hint system and you even get a souvenir fridge magnet each at the end. It's clear these guys have put a lot of time and effort into crafting this room, but thankfully some of the puzzles are adaptable for younger ones, and there's plenty of time to both escape and spend time taking in the magical scenery and enjoying the journey. 

julianohare rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 26 Jun 2020
beautifulfamily friendlymagical

Did this room with my wife and 14 year old.

I had a splitting headache, which marred my enjoyment but I appreciated that it was a really good room. There is plenty of variety and some really cool puzzles. Also some suprises.

My wife and son LOVED it and rated it one of their faves

Anonymous rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Kelly Archer expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5

A really beautiful room with lots of styling details and a great theme. There are a few bottle necks which means our experienced team of 4 were sometimes a little restless while only two of us solved a puzzle. The last section is great fun but with some technical challenges that the GM had to work round (without giving too much away, some of the switches don't always work right). 

Probably better for two or four family groups as it's a little short of puzzles but still a lovely experience.

Fancy Chickens rated this:Rated between 35 and 35 out of 5
Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
cleverfamily friendly
Spartabantam experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 30 Dec 2022 Team size: 4 Time taken: 44:46 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulimmersivemagical

Just a beautiful room.  From beginning to end, you are transported into an Age of Magic.  There were squeals of delight throughout.  We've done 30+ rooms and this is definitely near the top.

puzzlepalooza experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
beautiful
A very magical atmosphere and some genuine surprises make this a lovely game. Nice to see a magical room that isn't just Harry Potter style, too. 
JoeRaymond experienced rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
great hostingepic

Very well-built set. Good puzzles.

stairs expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 22 Feb 2024 Team size: 5 Time taken: 00:40
beautifulfamily friendlymagicalquite easy
We played Age Of Magic immediately after playing Ram Raid at the same Escape Reading venue, and the two games could not be more of a contrast of yin and yang! AoM could nearly be considered more of an experience or interactive art installation than a traditional escape room game. It is an ethereal, calm, mystical, fairytale journey. Yes, there are still puzzles, beautiful lighting effects, and a storyline to follow, but there is little tension or urgency - it is more of a voyage of sensory discovery.
Whether this style of game is to your tastes or not is a personal matter - of our family, half preferred Age of Magic, whereas half preferred Ram Raid. They both have exceptional build quality, attention to detail, a good variety of puzzles, some surprises, and excellent hosting. My one criticism is that some areas of the room were a little dimly-lit, which could cause issues for players. We let the kids solve those puzzles - I don't know if there was another workaround available.
escapeartist1212 expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
beautifuloriginalimmersive
Billa Babybel experienced rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 8 Feb 2024 Team size: 2 Time taken: 54.00 Outcome: Successful escape!
Steph Norchi experienced rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 20 Jan 2024 Team size: 4 Time taken: 43:13 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulimmersivestory-driven
This room has such beautiful theming! You can tell a lot of time was put into making this room very immersive, it's potentially the most visually pleasing room I've seen in the UK. As for the puzzles, there were a lot of practical puzzles and a great variety to make you think in different ways. However, we were a little disappointed by the final room/puzzle, although it was super immersive and beautiful to walk into, it didn't require any teamwork at all so we spent far too much time overcomplicating it, trying to work together when we didn't need to at all. Overall a great room, very story-driven and very pretty πŸ™‚
pipityk rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Played: 14 Jan 2024 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techclevergreat hosting
Really fun room with a surprise at the end! The GM had to come in a couple of times due to some technical issues but he stayed in character so it didn't spoil the immersion too much!
Anonymous rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
Team size: 4 Time taken: 50 Outcome: Successful escape!
story-drivenmagical
the scenery and design of the room was so good it really felt immersive and very story driven, the themes and puzzles in the room really suited our play style and made it a very fun roomthe only problem with the room was that at parts it was slightly too dark for us to see we’re all young (18-25) so our eyesight is pretty good just slightly too dark in my opinion
Peter Hoare experienced rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
Played: 17 Dec 2023 Team size: 3 Time taken: 59 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulgreat hostingmagical

Really amazing design, and a lot of very clever technology that all worked properly. Hosting was great from an actual live magical wizard in very convincing beard and green cloak, who looked similar but not identical to the guy that showed us in when we arrived. 

Mike S expert rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5
Played: 3 Sep 2023 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulhi-techmagical
Escape Enthusiast expert rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
immersivefamily friendlymagical
TheCLAMS expert rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5
beautifulmagical

Their best game. The set is really beautiful and we found it so immersive! It was a shame about the poor performance of the tech in the last room as it was such an innovative puzzle but it really didn't spoil the magic of this room. I would say this is more suited for smaller teams as there are some linear areas where only one puzzle can be worked on but the space was quite small to work in and so half the team were stood about waiting. 

Anonymous expert rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Outcome: Successful escape!
immersivefamily friendlymagical
Team Tonks experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 2 Jul 2023 Team size: 2 Time taken: 45:44 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulhi-techmagical

There was so much tech in this room. The set was stunning and magical with lights everywhere. A lot of clever puzzles which flowed well. We especially liked the puzzle at the end that required both of us to work together to win. The story at the start was also very impressive. We played all of the rooms at Escape Reading and they were all worthy of a go but this was our favourite. We highly recommend a trip to this site! 

Mrs G expert rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 10 May 2023 Team size: 3 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulgreat hostingmagical

Perhaps one of the most visually pleasing escape rooms I have played. Beautiful set, unique puzzles and brilliant hosting. Excellent 

Byromodon experienced rated this:Rated between 45 and 45 out of 5

Fantastic game. Well themed. Last puzzle was a bit broken which was annoying but this was 6 months ago

2For1 experienced rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 27 Oct 2022 Team size: 4 Time taken: 53:56 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulhi-techmagical

Completed with two adults and two 12 year olds on the easier version. Sensory overload. Such a well built beautiful room and great hosting! 

GoodToKnow rated this:Rated between 50 and 50 out of 5
Played: 11 Mar 2023 Team size: 3 Time taken: 55:17 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulstory-drivenmagical

Absolutely beautiful room that elicited a lot of "wow"s from the team. We absolutely loved it! Very high spec and used technology instead of standard padlocks. Puzzles were logical and cohesive. By far one of the best rooms we've ever done and the reason we started an Escape the Review account to rave about it! And fantastic hosting by Thomas who bent over backwards to accommodate us. Thank you!!!

Anonymous rated this:Rated between 40 and 40 out of 5

Reviews by escape room review sites

The previous two games from Escape Reading are both, in different ways, tense and fast-paced games which need effective co-operation and teamwork. Age of Magic is a different beast altogether, a dreamy fantasy that leads you through a magical cave full of wonder (and puzzles).

As narrated before we began, the story is that long ago magic was taken from the world, leading to a dark age; but in this cave you have the chance to find the source of magic and restore it to humanity.

Sufficiently ad...

Age of Magic almost certainly wins the prize for most beautifully themed magic room I’ve played thus far. On top of that, the puzzles were solid, making the entire experience simply enchanting.

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. 

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