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| Beautiful Bruges (Belgium) |
I finally made it out to Europe this year to play the top games in The Netherlands and Belgium after the initial trip in 2020 got postponed because of the pandemic. This was part of a larger tour of 39 games played that also included Paris and Geneva (these cities will featured in a separate post).
Special thanks to local enthusiasts Helena and Sven for joining us for some of the games we played! It is always great meeting new people and so far every single person we have met over the years has been a blast to hang out with.
Impressions & Observations During The Netherlands & Belgium Escape Room Trip
Getting Around
To play the top games in this region, a car was needed in order to get around. Unfortunately, the games were really spread out in various cities so there were no other feasible transportation options.
English Translations
All but one of the rooms we wanted to play were available in English. GM's were perfectly fluent, some videos had English subtitles and there were no major language issues at all.
Cash Is King
Many games required payment to be made in cash, so it is wise to prepare for this and not be caught off guard. Be aware of daily limit cash withdrawals from ATM's.
More Action, Less Puzzling
There were more physical elements in the games in this part of the world when compared to the U.S./Canada but less than what we experienced in Barcelona. You should be prepared to crawl and get dirty.
Private Bookings
Like most of Europe, all the games we played had
private bookings. You could get away with two players but for
economic reasons you would have to book for three or four players.
The Netherlands & Belgium Escape Room Recap
Mama Bazooka: The Dome
The Dome was the reason why we made it out to The Netherlands. It was voted the #1 escape room in the world for a few years on TERPECA. We have played other former #1 rooms and usually, hype kills. Would The Dome also be cursed with unrealistic expectations? I am happy to say that this game lived up to its reputation.
The Dome was a technological marvel with great reveals and creative puzzles all blended into a fun theme. The experience was so magical and we really felt immersed into the world they laid out in front of us. It is hard to be impressed after playing almost 500 rooms but The Dome was able to do it! If you are an escape room enthusiast, this is a a must play.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Price: 169€-189€/team
- Number of players: 4-6, private (we recommend 4)
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
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| Mama Bazooka also had a massive lobby with tons of games! |
Down The Hatch: Molly's Game
Another top room with an expansive set and some physical elements that surprised us. Molly's Game redefines how to create an escape room that delivers on storytelling in a creepy environment with some great moments. I thought I was done with the "creepy house" settings but I was wrong!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Price: 165€/team
- # of Players: 2-5 (we recommend 3-4)
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
Dark Park: Stay In The Dark / The End / The Orphanage
Dark Park was a premier Escape Room company with multiple high quality games.
Stay In The Dark: This game took place in what is likely one of the largest facilities for an escape room in the world. It spanned over multiple floors with each floor being larger than 95% of the escape rooms I have played. The premise was fun in that we were "looking to purchase real estate" and stumbled upon this old factory and then the shenanigans began. I don't want to spoil this so I will not say more but it was quite an ambitious project that lasted 2.5 hours.
The End: A very interesting story with a twist and a super fun ending that I highly appreciated. There are some fun moments as well that really make this room unique. Sven was also a pleasure to play with!
The Orphanage: This was one of the first rooms that we played in The Netherlands and I was extremely impressed with the lighting effects. The timing and use of effects were great at moving the game along.
- Difficulty: Easy-Medium
- Price: +145€/team
- Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 4)
- Duration: 60-150 minutes
- Overall Rating: Stay In The Dark ★★★★★, The End / Orphanage ★★★★½
Epic Escape: Illusion
There are a lot of magic themed games out there but Illusion was able to make us feel like we were actually in a magician's studio. This game was more puzzle-y than others in the area and I was fine with that. We also had Helena join us and that made it even more fun!
- Difficulty: Medium- Difficult
- Price: +135€/team
- Number of players: 3-6 (we recommend 3-4)
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Overall Rating: ★★★★½
The original room, Kamer 237, was about 5 years old and it was incredible in terms of physical manipulation and story progression. The mechanic used to progress to different rooms was simple yet so satisfying and we slightly preferred this game over The Concierge which can only be played by two players.
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Price: 80€-125€
- Number of players: Kamer 237 - 2-6 (we recommend 2-3), The Concierge - exactly 2
- Duration: 70-75 minutes
- Overall Rating: Kamer 237 ★★★★½, The Concierge ★★★★
This fireman themed escape room had a feature that I don't think I will ever see again. It was quite crazy and it was worth playing just to see it.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Price: +89€/team
- Number of players: 2-6, private (we recommend 2-3)
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Overall Rating: ★★★★½
Escape Room Katwijk: Here I Am
This game was inspired by the Spanish show "Vis-a-Vis" and somehow made us feel like we were in a real prison, despite having played so many games of this theme. Make sure you read the email they send you before playing this game.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Price: 150€/team
- Number of players: 2-5 (we recommend 2-3)
- Duration: 70 minutes
- Overall Rating: ★★★★½
- Difficulty: Easy
- Price: 140€/team
- Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 4)
- Duration: 75 minutes
- Overall Rating: ★★★★½
De Gouden Kooi: The Secret of Saint-Rumoldus
- Difficulty: Medium-Difficult
- Price: +120€/team
- Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 3-4)
- Duration: 70 minutes
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
Le Prince was one of the more puzzle-y games we played on our trip and we were lucky to have Helena for the added brainpower! Overall, it was a clean and polished experience that would satisfy many puzzlers and escape room enthusiasts.
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Price: +90€/team
- Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 2)
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Overall Rating: ★★★★½
Other Notable Escape Rooms In The Area
- Escape From Wonderland: A colorful room with a ton of puzzles!
- Escape Room The Cube - Triplicate Institute: Great execution in creating a mind-bending experience
In Belgium
- Push Mystery Rooms - The Movies: An ambitious take on the world of blockbuster movies
