Something a little different comes to Cambridge, that’ll be fun, taxing and a little bit scary
Life a little dull? Your 12-year-old needs a bit of stimulation away from their iPad? Want to release your inner superhero?
Well then, it’s time to go on a thrill ride to wake up the senses, with a new place to go in Cambridge that’s sure to be (quite possibly literally) a hit!
Lockhouse Games brings escape games to the city, and from Thursday 25 May, they will be open 9am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday to invigorate, excite and challenge you.
Offering three escape games – Armageddon, Secret Agent and Egyptian Tomb – players in teams of up to five have up to one hour to search the rooms for clues and solve puzzles before time runs out.
The venue also has virtual reality games, a board games lounge and a magical market stall at its Regent Street site.
Owner Paul Chapman explains: “I played my first escape room game in Amsterdam a few years ago and I was soon hooked. It’s quite addictive and no two games are the same. Some puzzles are logical, some lateral, some involve spatial awareness and some are downright fiendish.
“The team element is the most interesting part. I’ve seen teams involving three generations of family members do really well, teams of very smart people do not so well and many people have lots of unexpected fun.
“A couple of years ago it struck me that Cambridge was lacking places for locals and tourists to have fun. There are a number of attractions for families with younger children, but few for older children and adults. If historic sights aren’t your thing, once you’ve been punting, there’s a question mark over what to do next. I can’t wait to see how the people of Cambridge rise to the challenges we’ve built.”
Live action escape rooms are part of a growing trend that started in Japan in 2011. By 2015 there were 1,800 escape game locations. Most well known in Europe are games created by TRAP. Their games consistently rank No 1 in Budapest, the European capital of escape games: there are 90 to choose from!
Lockhouse Games has chosen TRAP’s best three games from its catalogue. In Armageddon, the mission is to destroy a giant meteor heading towards Earth. Players have to break into a secret missile lab in the physics department of Cambridge University, uncover what’s happened to the launch chief and decipher how to fire the meteor defence missile.
In Secret Agent, players have to escape from a Cold War-era safe house hidden under the streets of Cambridge, while players of Egyptian Tomb can expect tunnels, secret doors and a life-sized sarcophagus.
