The Padlock - "Cemetery"

LOCATION:  Prague, Czech Republic

Photo above is property of The Padlock

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Cemetery
📅 DATE PLAYED: May 7, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Spooky
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 3 ppl): 3/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 1-4 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 66 Mins.
💰 PRICE: 1599 CZK (1 person), 1699 CZK (2 ppl), 1799 CZK (3 ppl), 1899 CZK (4 ppl)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes [17:54]

📖 THE STORY

The small and private cemetery of the Böhm family is now almost forgotten. Mr. Böhm was not born a wealthy person, but he managed to acquire a vast amount of wealth during his lifetime; not that anyone could figure out how. He disappeared as a young man, returning a completely different person, with power, wealth and extraordinary charisma. He had many women in his life, but despite his charm, none of them lasted. In the end, he died alone and without children. No one knows what happened to his money and to be honest, most people probably forgot about him a long time ago. After taking an interest in the legend, you begin to investigate his life, uncovering clues that indicate that his wealth may still exist; the path to finding it begins at the Böhm family cemetery.

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

Like all the games at The Padlock, our adventure begins after watching a dark and thematic video which was well produced and helped set the scene for what lay ahead.
This may be a small room, but that’s not to say it hasn’t been expertly crafted. The petit cemetery looks authentic, with a genuine metal gate and railings, as well as a deep layer of dirt that covers the floor. Prior to my trip to Prague, I had played three ‘bought’ rooms which each had a plastic tiled floor that was meant to imitate concrete and stone, I remember looking at it and feeling so disappointed by this cheap imitation and wishing they’d carried the immersion further. However, at The Padlock I was able to look at the floor, in each of their three rooms, and smile; natural and genuine materials were always used, such as wood, stone, and dirt.
In addition to a wonderful set design, numerous props were also installed to enhance the experience; a giant skeleton that provided a brief scare moment was perhaps our favourite.
Although we breezed through the puzzles without any problem, escaping in a mere 17 minutes (and setting a new room record), we all agreed, coming out the other side, that the game was still entirely enjoyable. One reason for the fast escape time is that the room plays non-linear and we seem to always be split into two groups and tackling something different. Overall, the puzzles were interesting, requiring teamwork to complete and utilizing some cool props; for instance, this is the only room I’ve played where we lit real candles and not electronic ones. So, whilst pro teams may escape in 30 minutes or less, newer teams should feel confident in escaping with little help also.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

The puzzles were all logical and really thematic, we just wished there were MORE of them. However, for newer teams or groups which choose not to split up, this might be a good number.
Although the story was imaginative and held an interesting beginning, it fell flat for us, resulting in an anticlimactic and somewhat confusing ending. We wished more was done to tie the story up, like they have done so well in their other two games.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

Despite the dark theme, we didn’t find the room to be scary, except the one jump moment. So hopefully, the dark nature of the game doesn’t deter anyone playing what is otherwise a really fun ‘little’ escape room! For us, the highlight was the set design and the authenticity of all the materials used, which also included a real (and sharp) knife!

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Parking is not available on site. It is probably best to arrive with Uber or public transport. There are other escape venues within walking distance, so if you are in town for a few you may likely find yourself just walking between venues.
There is a lobby area comfortable seating and a bathroom

Photos above are 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 The Padlock for providing a media discount on the tickets for this game. Although discounted admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.