Breakout Chester - "Dead End"

Updated: Apr 23

LOCATION:  Chester, United Kingdom

Photo above is property of Breakout Chester

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Dead End
📅 DATE PLAYED: July 14, 2022
🎬 GENRE: Horror, Zombie
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 9/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-5 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: £15-20/PP (Weekdays), £17-22/PP (Weekends)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes (55Min, 2-3 Hints)

📖 THE STORY

Your team is among the survivors of the apocalypse and has spent years scraping by

in zombie-infested London. When one of the generators powering a public safehouse goes down, you are tasked with venturing into the darkness of the Underground to get it back online, hopefully without being ripped to pieces by a horde of undead in the process.

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

The team at Breakout Chester has clearly put a lot of care into building this room, as its detailed and lifelike décor creates the perfect atmosphere for a zombie horror room. Add in the fact that most of the room is completed in the dark with flashlights, and you get a space that looks and feels like a rundown part of the London Underground and which believably immerses the players in the game’s world.
This room is very well paced, which lends the gameplay a lot of drama. Access to new areas and tools is carefully controlled, giving it a desperate, race-against-the-clock feeling. The ending is especially cinematic and is easily one of the most exciting moments I’ve experienced in an escape room.
Without resorting to cheap scare tactics or unfair puzzles, this room feels tense from start to finish, a feeling that perfectly matches its theme. It is free of jump scares, making it an excellent pick for those who want something creepy, but with the assurance that nothing will spring out at them.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

While wonderfully immersive, the room layout was just a tad too tight and maze-like. Breakout Chester pushed the limits of what they could fit in this space; they’ve mostly pulled it off, though searching the place for clues or communicating with teammates in other areas could be difficult and stressful at times, and larger groups might find themselves running into each other.
At least one lock was (intentionally) difficult to access. I had to lay down and reach into a small space at an odd angle to reach it. This built tension nicely but would be difficult to manage for some people.
One puzzle was a little punishing to people not already familiar with London’s tube maps. It can reliably be solved by anyone with the tools provided, but it was a little tedious and stressful for a foreigner!

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

I normally keep my cool in escape rooms, but the tension in this one had my heart racing from start to finish. It’s a top contender for the hardest room at Breakout Chester, and on top of that it manages to blend the imagined fear of zombies with the real fear of solving difficult puzzles in the dark (and the even more real fear of deciphering a tube map on a time limit) to create a uniquely potent sense of pressure. For that reason, I’d advise groups that are new to escape rooms to save this one for later, and to make sure that when they choose to tackle it, they’re well and truly prepared for an experience that will put them on edge and keep them there.

That said, when I think of the rooms that have made the strongest impressions on me, this is one of the first that comes to mind. The atmosphere is deeply immersive, selling its concept immediately and beautifully matching the feeling of a tense apocalyptic survival story. The puzzles match that tension by placing the players in the roles of battered but resourceful survivors, keeping them scrounging for the tools they need to get past each obstacle. Each puzzle pairs well with the story, feeling grounded in the game world rather than in the loose abstraction escape rooms often resort to. With an absolutely killer ending as the cherry on top of this thrilling sundae, it’s a masterful exploration of escape rooms’ ability to transport players to another world.

“Dead End” is the perfect escape room for a group of seasoned players looking to test their mettle in a challenging and lovingly crafted environment. Of the many great rooms available at Breakout Chester, it stands out as one of their top experiences, a memorable must-play for enthusiasts who find themselves in the area.

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Because it is in a historic building, Breakout Chester is not handicap accessible. Players need to climb multiple staircases before they reach any of the rooms.
This is in a car-free part of the city, so you will probably have to walk a couple blocks from the nearest parking lot or bus station.
Employees on an intercom need to buzz you into the front door and want you to arrive five to ten minutes ahead of your game (but not earlier) so they can spread out guests for health reasons. Plan accordingly!

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