ROOM Escape Room - "The haunted house"

LOCATION:  Zürich, Switzerland

Photo above is property of ROOM Escape Room

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: The Haunted House
📅 DATE PLAYED: May 10, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Horror
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 3 ppl): 6/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-5 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 75 Mins.
💰 PRICE: 99 CHF - 159 CHF
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes [36:30]

📖 THE STORY

In a dark forest not far from Lake Zurich, a dead, dismembered woman was found in her house. The severed arms were found in the freezer, the legs on the roof, but her torso was nowhere to be seen. The animals of the forest were blamed for her death, since the police could never find any evidence to suggest otherwise. You now decided to sneak into the old abandoned house to see if the rumors of ghostly spirits haunting the place are true. Be careful, you might not like what you find.

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

The room is deceptively larger than we had expected and provides such a contrast to the stark plain white walls that surround it from the outside. Inside, is a rustic cabin that has been masterfully constructed and contains many authentic props and pieces of furniture. Surrounding the cabin is a short dimly lit garden which a menacing moon staring down on us.
The game has some impressive special effects that may appear subtle or understated, but actually achieve a lot to push the level of immersion further (sorry no spoilers).
We actually start the game in two teams, one inside the cabin and one outside. The first goal is for those on the outside to find a way in; and it might not be the way you initially expect! This style of beginning provided us with a couple of cooperative challenges, and although the following puzzles could be more or less solved solo, we did find we consistently collaborated in them.
The level of scariness is well balanced. For us, having played many horror-themed rooms, there was nothing too scary inside, however we still appreciated the dark undertones and disturbing atmosphere. For those newer to the genre, I am sure this experience will provide lots of jumpy and scary moments, which will hopefully, tempt them to play more in the future. Let’s say this is a ‘welcoming’ game to the horror genre!

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

For a non-actor, 60-minute horror game of this size, it is certainly one of the best we have played to date. Although we didn’t find any misses in the game itself, the outside of the room could have been better decorated… well it’s not decorated at all, the tall walls are just plain white. Painting the exterior and extending the garden beyond the door could be things to push the immersion further and help set the mood for what lies inside.
The game master’s scripted introduction was also a bit flat when it comes to setting the mood, an actor led video would definitely be an upgrade.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

I think this game is suitable and recommendable to experienced and new players alike, whether you’ve played horror before or not. You don’t need to worry about actors jumping out at you, but the special effects are an enhancing feature. The space can be quite tight at times, so I certainly wouldn’t recommend playing with five. Three is probably the ideal number due to puzzle style and room size.

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Parking is not available on site. However, there is a large parking garage directly next to the escape room which you have to pay for.
There is a small lobby with lockers and drinks for sale.

Photos above are property of ROOM Escape Room

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(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 ROOM Escape Room for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.