by Sherlocked (website)
Damrak 247, 1012ZJ
4-6 players
Languages: EN, NL
90 minsOverall rating
based on ratings from 6 users
combined with 3 pro reviews
Your review
Player reviews
I like Escape Rooms to give a sense of story, wonder, exploration and this delivers in spades. If I was nit picking then I could say that there aren’t many puzzles but the ones that are there are multi-layered in their approach and solution. Sign posting and flow was excellent and I don’t think there were any points where we stood around looking confused. Hints were delivered by a device you take in with you. Any trip to Amsterdam should include this fabulous experience. The finale is very well done although (nit picking again) it’s primarily a viewing experience but nothing I’ve seen before in an Escape Room.This game ranked at only 31 at least years TERPECA which means the games above it should be something else as this was amazing.
Countless never-before-seen moments, only let down by some of the puzzles being given away by dirty finger contact meaning you know what's what quicker (however, finding what is what on a chart is not usually that fun so maybe it did us a favour?).
Puzzles with enjoyable steps that can be done by a big team, and the game ends with one of the best finales I have epxerienced.
We were absolutely blown away by The Alchemist.
The experience starts with a contextual introduction, and a great example of how well thought out every element of the game is; a smart twist on locking your possessions away. Magical moments follow magical moments and every puzzle feels logical, unique and realistically integrated into the story. The Alchemist doesn’t shove its story down your throat, but gently pushes you towards understanding what has happened in the space, to a point where understanding the context of a puzzle and the story is necessary and a wonderful moment when you finally figure it out. Plenty of non linear sections will benefit larger teams, but with moments that bring everyone together in combined objectives.
It’s really a masterpiece and an absolute must play. We’ve played all the big hitters on things like the TERPECA lists, and this is absolutely my favourite escape game experience. It takes the immersive route that many games are leading towards and brings that to a purer puzzle-centric experience.
Horror escape games tend to have higher rankings than non horror, like this game, because it’s a lot easier to make someone feel scared and immersed with a feeling of fear. This game manages to make you feel something with a feeling of wonder. A ridiculous production quality at every level, a tonne of wow moments, and a finale that left our experienced team with our jaws wide open.
Reviews by escape room review sites
Back then when I started playing escape rooms regularly and people would ask which were the best ones, a game regularly mentioned was The Vault. It’s therefore not surprising that in the first Terpeca awards that game made it into the Top 10.
Many years passed until Sherlocked announced a new room was coming and given the groundbreaking nature of The Vault, expectations were of course high. It was quite a wait but as the saying goes: “Good things take time, great things take a little longer”. I am glad it took longer, as this game is certainly a great thing.
A fundamental component of every great game is the start, and when you start a game like this you can be certain that you are up for a ride. The game takes place in a beautiful setting, in which it’s enjoyable just to be there.
This is one of those games where you will play and then want to play again just to go back and see what you missed. Every single item in this game has been hand-crafted for the world they have created and the attention to detail is incredible
