Agent Brains Escape Games - "Mobbery"

Krista Jones

Jul 3, 20243 min read

LOCATION:  Letchworth, England, United Kingdom

Photo above is property of Agent Brains Escape Games

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Mobbery
📅 DATE PLAYED: March 8, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Mafia, Casino, Heist
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 3 ppl): 8/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: Up to 6 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: £18-30/ pp (based on # of ppl and peak vs. off-peak booking times)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

You’ve discovered that your nemesis, Dr. Nogood, has been running a secret gambling ring right here in Letchworth! You’ve figured out the location of the den and determined that it also contains a vault where he’s storing all of their illegally-obtained goods! Your mission is to infiltrate the den, get into the vault and recover as much of their treasure as possible. But, once you enter, a silent alarm will be triggered that releases poison gas in just 60 minutes…so you’d best be quick and grab as much as possible before then!

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

Unlike a typical escape room, this game doesn’t have a win/lose dichotomy. Instead, your goal is to get into the vault and recover as much of the goods as possible within the 60 minutes. Each lockbox that you manage to access (and the item inside) has a specific monetary value attached. More complex puzzles are associated with more expensive items. Therefore, your score at the end of the game is essentially the worth of the goods you’ve managed to recover. This is a very flexible set-up that can provide various levels of puzzles and avoids anyone feeling like they “lost” the room. It even cleverly opens the possibility of some groups coming back to play again, focusing on puzzles they didn’t solve the first time around. As 3 enthusiasts, we managed to solve all the puzzles (reclaiming all 100 million pounds worth of loot) and escape with 11 minutes to spare (though we were running around like mad until then), but we were evidently only the second team so far to do so. So completion is definitely a possibility for experienced groups, and that was super satisfying!
So. Many. Puzzles. For puzzle fiends like us, this was a fantastic way to push ourselves as we ran about madly trying to solve various conundrums. There were definitely some puzzles that encourage teamwork, communication, and use of different parts of the space. However, as a largely non-linear game with lots to do, we primarily divided and conquered. As mentioned, there was a nice variety of difficulties, as well as styles. This is an incredibly lock-heavy room (as you might expect in a vault), but which locks go with which puzzle is well sign-posted.
The set is really well-designed, containing several cool spaces with very distinct vibes. The puzzles in the gambling den are also very on-theme.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

While the backstory totally makes sense and sets the scene for the game, there is no real story development as you play.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

We were all on a bit of an adrenaline high when we finished this one; it definitely kept us running around like mad and operating on all cylinders. Mobbery is the most challenging game at Agent Brains; though, as mentioned, there definitely are some more accessible puzzles, and less experienced players could still have a great time just getting as much as they could. (However, for real beginners, I would suggest starting with The Lab.) It was one of my favorite games I played in London and highly recommended for anyone looking to channel their inner thief (for a just cause…)!

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Agent Brains Escape Games has two locations a few minutes walk apart. Their main one, where this game is located, is on a super cute little street in Letchworth Garden City, a short walk from the train station. There are lots of coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and other stores aplenty to check out and fuel up before or after your game. There’s a nice little reception area, bathroom (with some quirky branding), absolutely lovely staff, and hooks in the rooms for your things.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

BOOK NOW

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Disclosure: We thank Agent Brains Escape Games for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.