Mission: Escape - "Nightmare Hotel"

Updated: Apr 23

LOCATION:  Rümlang, Switzerland

Photo above is property of Mission: Escape

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Nightmare Hotel
📅 DATE PLAYED: December 31, 2023
🎬 GENRE: Spooky
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 8/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-6 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $32.50 - $50.00 CHF
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes (49:50)

📖 THE STORY

You set off on a trip but a wrong turn leaves you wandering the wilderness. Darkness has fallen when you spot a light. As you get closer, you see an impressive building and a large sign above the entrance: DREAMS HOTEL You enter but when the doors slam behind you, you already know that the dream is about to turn into a nightmare!

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

Stepping inside, you immediately sense that this is not a hotel you want to spend any extended period of time in. The atmosphere is dark and creepy and you are never quite sure what might be lurking around the corner! There are numerous rooms to explore and a novel elevator gimmick that has players creatively 'moving' between the hotel's floors.
The rooms are thematic, but not overly produced; the use of props to layer on immersion is minimal, but the overall design and construction is to a high and professional standard.
There is some story development, which although is not prominent throughout the game, does create an interesting arc that provides some conclusions at the game's end... Plus it allows for more jump scares!
Talking of scares… The room will definitely have you jump from time to time with some well-placed and timed special effects, however the scare level is light (there are no actors inside) so it shouldn’t detract people from giving it a go.
This is a linear room that has some very interesting and challenging puzzles to complete. A strong attention to detail is required regarding your surroundings, and how the puzzles, themselves, look is important to achieving success.
Players will find a lot of objects to interact with which are relatable to either the hotel or the ghost themes and we enjoyed how they worked with the story.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

The rooms do look a little too polished and manufactured, there is a lack of authentic props and at times that ‘realism factor’ which allows for optimum immersion.
More variety with the puzzles, including team-based challenges would have been welcome.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

Although a step up in terms of its scare factor over the Horror Circus, another game at this location, Nightmare Hotel still doesn’t cross the line into the genre of Horror for me, therefore this is still a game we recommend for people wanting an adrenaline rush or an opportunity to try something spooky!

If you have an eye for detail then this is the room for you. Much of the game’s difficulty comes from paying close attention to the details, rather than your ability to break codes or solve logic puzzles, etc. So this is an ideal adventure for those seeking a mental challenge.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Free Parking onsite
There is a lobby with lockers for you to store your belongings
This game is probably ok for people in wheelchairs since the rooms are so spacious
Although not owned by the game company, this escape room is situated in a mall with several other activities such as trampolining and puzzle rooms.

Photos above are property of Mission: Escape

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 Mission: Escape for offering us a media discount for our tickets to this game. Although a media discount was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.