LOCATION: Epsom, United Kingdom
Photo above is property of Escape from the Room
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: Chambers of Champions
📅 DATE PLAYED: March 15, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Medieval
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 8/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-8 ppl (Recommend 3-6 ppl)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: £20-27.5/pp
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
📖 THE STORY
You’ve been selected as the Champions of your Realm! With the King’s recent passing, a new ruler of the 8 Realms of Kandala must be selected. Whichever Realm’s Champions are deemed the most clever will be awarded the Crown. Can you solve the challenges set before you before the other teams to claim the power for your homeland? Beware - more than just the crown is at stake, as the losers are executed! But, uh, don’t let that distract you…the clock is ticking!
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
This room has a very unique structure! It is quite a small space, with an 8x3 grid of puzzles and padlocks on one wall. To win the standard 60-minute game (and escape execution), you only need to solve 8 of those, though you must do at least one puzzle per column. However, if you manage to solve ALL of the puzzles, you not only win for your realm, but actually win the crown yourselves! While this can be played by a single group, as we did, there is a head-to-head option as well. There is an identical-looking space just on the other side of a wire mesh wall, allowing the groups to easily see and hear one another, which would only amp up the competitive spirit and tension!
This room is designed for puzzle-lovers, and there’s a really nice variety, with some nice a-ha’s along the way. While difficulty can be subjective, each one is rated from 1-3, which can be helpful in directing different players’ efforts. They’ve really packed a lot into such a small space, and gameplay is highly nonlinear. We largely divided and conquered at the start, then began to collaborate more towards the end with the remaining puzzles. There’s lots to do!
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
We encountered a few minor technical issues, whereby a few things didn’t work, and we had to call our lovely GM in for assistance. There was also one memorably fiddly puzzle, where we were unable to get the correct answer despite several attempts and properly understanding what we needed to do.
This game is highly puzzle centric. While the theming all works and there are some smaller satisfying discoveries, it won’t be ideal for those looking for incredible sets or big theatrical reveals.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
"Chambers of Champions" is a very clever game that can suit a wide variety of groups due to its flexible structure - whether that’s beginners just looking to survive, bigger groups wanting that competitive head-to-head experience, or enthusiasts angling to do it all and claim the crown! It is best-suited to those who love puzzles, and we encourage enthusiasts to go ahead and book the extra 30 minutes if your team is only 2-3. As a group of two who were given a few extra minutes before I had to book it to the airport for my flight out, we finished with a handful of puzzles remaining. Alas, I guess I was never meant to be King. But perhaps YOU are the future ruler of Kandala? It is a worthy challenge indeed!
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
The Epsom location is about an 8 minute walk from the Epsom train station. There is a small lobby and bathroom available. There is limited wheelchair access; it sounds like their Wallington location is more accessible.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
(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 Escape from the Room for providing a media discount on the tickets for this game. Although discounted admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion of the review whatsoever.
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