Escape rooms—sometimes known as prison rooms—are a relatively new form of entertainment, having risen to popularity in the last decade. The goal is exactly as the name implies: to get out of the room that you find yourself stuck in.
A vast majority of escape rooms centre on solving puzzles and using logic to ultimately find the key to the door and break out of your makeshift prison, sort of like being stuck in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Nancy Drew, or The Mummy. Escape rooms have only started popping up in Victoria within the last few years; we thought we’d try one out to see if it gets the Nexus seal of approval.
Victoria Escape Games is located downtown and has several different “missions” to choose from. I had the pleasure of attending a public group on a Saturday night, and I must say that it was an enjoyable experience. My group was made up of 10 students, but even with all that brainpower, we barely made it out.
We were given an hour to get out of our room, and we managed to get out with only two minutes and 52 seconds left on the clock (which, surprisingly, was a high score).
When I told my mom about the night I had had, she cringed at the thought of being locked in a room for an hour. And the reality of it is, yes, you are locked in a room for an hour; it’s not for everyone. The rooms aren’t that small, but as the time ticks away, being locked inside that space can start to get to you.
For example, when I was in Korea on vacation recently, my friends and I took a trip to one of the many escape rooms in Seoul. The room we picked there was a secret-experiment-themed horror room, and, yes, it was as terrifying as you would imagine it being (Victoria Escape Games stresses that their rooms are not scary, and they weren’t).
The room in Seoul was about half as big as the one here in Victoria and incredibly dimly lit. I can safely say that if I had claustrophobia, I would’ve cracked in that room in Korea.
Here in town, Victoria Escape Games provides an experience that clearly aims to avoid that kind of panic with players. The room I was in was spacious and well ventilated. As extra incentive, students get 40 percent off with valid student ID for Victoria Escape Games’ public rooms (a minimum of 10 students must book to get the discount for a private room).
Escape rooms are a growing industry that is, honestly, incredibly fun.
I recommend everyone try it at least once; thankfully, we have a great one here in our hometown.