Agent Brains Escape Games - "The Lab: Something In The Water"

LOCATION:  Letchworth, England, United Kingdom

Photo above is property of Agent Brains Escape Games

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: The Lab: Something In The Water
📅 DATE PLAYED: March 8, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Mad Scientist
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 3 ppl): 5/10
👥 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

Your nemesis, the evil genius - Dr. Nogood - is at it again! He’s created a system to release a poison directly into the town water supply, and you only have 60 minutes to figure out how to prevent it before it’s too late…

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

The theming here is on point. Think bright, minimalist, sterile environment with lots of authentic equipment that you would expect in a science lab, like beakers and test tubes galore - bringing me back to my college chemistry lab days. Then there are several large, noteworthy pieces that elevate the intrigue and fit with the story line - like the enormous water tank!
This is a relatively non-linear game with smooth flow, and there was typically plenty to keep all 3 of us busy. We got caught up at one point (leading this to be our 2nd slowest time of their 5 games) and needed a hint…resulting in that forehead-smacking “How did we miss that?!?!” moment (as opposed to the dreaded…”How would we possibly know that?!?!”). The puzzles were fair and entertaining!
The passion the owners have for the industry and their rooms is palpable. It came through in all their rooms and our interaction with one of them and their staff. It’s hard not to get excited when faced with their contagious energy and enthusiasm! They clearly want folks to have a blast, and pay close attention to the games to be ready to provide hints or feedback as needed.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

There are a LOT of padlocks in the room. I don’t necessarily object to that, but I would have loved a bit more signposting as to which lock went with which code when there were multiples of the same format.
The recurring character of Dr. Nogood is a cute tie-in between multiple of the games here at Agent Brains! However, as with many escape rooms, there isn’t a lot of story progression per se as you play through the game. It would have been great to have the storylines more concretely progress between the rooms featuring his nefarious plots, so you get a bit more of a sense of him, his backstory, and his history with the agency as you play!

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

The Lab is Agent Brains’ most traditional and simplest room in a lot of ways, with a classic mad scientist theme. But it works! It’s a great room for families (starting at 10+) or newbies but was still enjoyed by all 3 of us enthusiasts for the clean game design and set. It’s probably the ideal starter game out of their five (despite the fact it wasn’t one of our fastest escapes here). So, grab a lab coat and brush off those safety glasses…the city of Letchworth is counting on you!

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

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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.