Locked In Edinburgh - "The Secret Lab"

Updated: Mar 20

LOCATION:  Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Photo above is property of Locked In Edinburgh

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: The Secret Lab
📅 DATE PLAYED: May 6, 2023
🎬 GENRE: Mystery
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 7.5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 4-10 ppl (Ages 18+)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: £90-225 (pending on the group size)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

It is the year 1972. You have been assigned a mission to infiltrate a secret lab called Kensie Research Lab in Summerhall. Dr. Lyall Kensie is the genius in charge of this lab. He's been working on some groundbreaking experiments involving viruses and diseases. But what else has he been up to?

Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

This room utilized teamwork to the fullest. We started off with a communication puzzle that required us to work together and later, it was all about divide and conquer. There were so many puzzles in this room, it's literally a puzzle lover's heaven.
The room was designed with minimal tech (which was fitting for the era of the storyline) but the spotlight was easily taken over by the creativity of using various tools to either reveal clues or solutions. Some we haven't even seen before!
The "time check" was replaced by check-off points where we would get a confirmed green light on things we've solved.
Instead of putting labels on locks and clues to indicate which goes with which, the puzzle and solution always had a connection with what we had to do next. This created a smooth flow throughout the entire game.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

We had a love-and-hate relationship with the clue system. We do like how it suited the theme of the room, but it was also quite "wasteful" and slow due to the nature of the machine. However, the gamemaster was amazing at their response time and clearly knew what we were asking for.
The final sector of the game felt a bit dragged out since it does take some time for the display to respond.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

If you love that feeling of endless puzzles and opening locks, this room will give you that satisfaction. We felt like true champions after the completion of this game. If you have a larger group, everyone will be able to work on something. If you have a group with fewer people (we played with just the two of us), I would advise you to know your strength and don't be stuck on one puzzle for too long. Also, be very organized and try to work on things as you discover them (don't wait till the end!). Hopefully, these tips will help you unveil the secret behind Dr. Lyall Kensie on your next visit!

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

No street parking
Lobby with seating and lockers
Will need to walk up a flight of stairs (elevator available)
Dog friendly

Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of the game:

Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

BOOK NOW

(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 Locked In Edinburgh for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion of the review whatsoever.