Hidden Games Zürich - "The Secret Hideout"

LOCATION:  Zürich, Switzerland

Photo above is property of Hidden Games Zurich

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: The Secret Hideout
📅 DATE PLAYED: November 3, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Mystery 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 3 ppl): 5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-7 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE: 30 CHF/ pp
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes [37:48]

📖 THE STORY

Dr. Danger is on a ruthless spree in Zurich, leaving chaos in his wake. Your undercover colleague has infiltrated his gang, risking everything to find the villain's hideout and leave clues for you to follow. Now, you’ve got just one shot: break in, gather enough evidence, and slip out before Dr. Danger returns.

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

Atmosphere & Design: Stepping into the first half of the room was an immersive experience. The use of vintage props – sacks of goods, wooden crates, and assorted items - effectively created a convincing Prohibition-era warehouse vibe. Dim lighting enhanced the ambiance, although it occasionally made reading clues a bit tricky. Overall, they maximized the small space with thoughtful decorations and a well-executed theme.
Puzzle Variety & Difficulty: The room offered a solid mix of puzzle types, including searching, decoding, bomb defusal, logic, and elimination tasks. The puzzles were accessible for newcomers; my two teammates, both playing their first escape room, were able to engage with each element fully. Their excitement and enthusiasm were infectious, and by the end, they were eager to try the other rooms at this location.
Story & Theme Cohesion: While there weren’t many story developments throughout, an audio clip helped maintain the theme and played a role in one of the tasks. The story arc led to a satisfying conclusion, giving a nice sense of closure by the end of the game.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

Immersion for Experienced Players: As a seasoned escape room player, I felt that some puzzles didn’t fully align with the theme, which occasionally disrupted my immersion. However, this didn’t seem to affect my teammates, who were thoroughly entertained and engaged.
Decor Consistency: The second part of the room didn’t quite match the high level of decoration in the first. Maintaining the same attention to detail throughout would have helped sustain the immersive feel.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

This room is an excellent choice for beginners, judging by my teammates’ enjoyment. As an enthusiast, I still found it rewarding and well worth the experience. I’d recommend this room for groups of two or three due to its cozy spaces and the lack of team-based puzzles.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Parking is available on site.
The escape room is found within a bowling alley. The bowling, is however, owned by another company that follows different opening hours. During our first game the bowling was not yet open, nor was the restaurant. So, snacks and drinks may not always be available during your visit, if the bowling is closed. The escape room company do not have any food or drink for sale.
There is a dedicated seating area for people attending the escape room.

Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

BOOK NOW

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Disclosure: We thank Hidden Games Zurich 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.