Cave Escape Nottingham - "Carfax"

Updated: Mar 21

LOCATION:  Nottingham, England, United Kingdom

Photos above are property of Cave Escape Nottingham

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers (Lobby area)

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Carfax
📅 DATE PLAYED: August 29, 2021
🎬 GENRE: Sci-Fi, Vampires
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 3 ppl): 6/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-5 ppl (Ages 8+)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: £20-25/PP (pending on the group size)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

No, this game is nothing to do with Cars, Fax Machines or Halifax :) It refers to Carfax Abbey, the fictional home of the legendary Count Dracula! You have been summoned by Dr Van Helsing, who tells you of a patient who is showing bizarre symptoms that have consumed her recently - seeming some unknown force is zapping her strength and causing visions and strange behaviours. Can you inspect the locations and find out what is going on?

Video above is property of Cave Escape Nottingham

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

I was honestly blown away by this first room - the decor, the attention to detail - the props, even sound effects and lighting… It was like being on board the real thing.
The puzzles here are incredibly well tied to the theme, of varying difficulty and a couple of more task-based progressions that seems bizarre but were great fun! For one, I was glad to have a taller person in the room :)
As you progress the locations change, the puzzles adapt to fit the scene and there is again some very cleverly thought up tasks.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

This room felt pretty solid to me. I have nothing to report in this section.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

When we arrived at Cave Escape, we had to buzz to enter, which gives you the feeling of arriving at a secret headquarters where you are there to accept your mission :)

The lady in the lobby, Becky - was absolutely lovely, super friendly and happy to chat. The lobby itself is spectacular. A beautifully decorated large room adorned with the most amazing treasures and trinkets, you could spend a few hours just exploring up here, and we even relaxed here in between games! All this as well as the fact that their games are built into an actual cave system under the city makes this a very special venue indeed.

Our GM, Chris, was in character and gave us our briefing upstairs, and then we descended some steep steps into the incredible cave rooms where our challenge lay waiting. We entered, and I was immediately blown away by the authentic feel and vintage paraphernalia in the room. We were given a few more instructions and then left alone to get cracking!

Gothic, spooky theme and adventure fans will love this room especially - but it is not a scary room. The dim environment - especially near the end - is atmospheric but more creepy than terrifying! Definitely suitable for older children and teens. The effort gone to in both rooms at this venue by the team is top-notch. Highly recommended.

We only received one hint and it was suitably delivered, and we completed our mission in 33:33! We were very pleased with that time not only because of our speed but due to it’s palindromic nature!

🔎 HINT

My top tip for this room is to not to think too far outside the box - everything you have to do is clearly outlined or indicated. There’s not much reading to be done and things that are hidden aren’t THAT hidden so spend time working on the things you do find and not too much time hunting.

Additional Info

Lounge Area
Parking lot within 2 min walk
"The Dice Cup" (Board Game Cafe) is right across the road
The Rooms are located below street level (not suitable for disabled people with mobility issues)

Photos above are property of Cave Escape Nottingham

BOOK NOW

We don't want to go into detail and ruin any surprises for you, but if you'd like more information on the room, feel free to email us.

(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

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