Escape The Crate: Chapter 42: Escape Atlantis (2024)

What a lovely, clever, and hugely nostalgic trip the Great Toy Rescue provides! We felt like children again running around the room. All of the puzzles were a good challenge, with one or two stumping us, providing a real facepalm moment once we realised what we needed to do! A really fun room with so many callbacks to your childhood, I wish we could do it again and again.

Fran was once again exceptional as host, she is a true credit to the world of escape room enthusiasts!

I recently played this escape room, and where do I even begin? For puzzle enthusiasts, this game is an absolute gem. It’s a collect-a-thon-style experience with no set goal of escaping, but instead, the aim is to put as many elves to bed as possible. The game is packed with a variety of puzzles, making it ideal for a larger team — I’d say four people is the perfect size, allowing you to split up and tackle different challenges. Trust me, you’ll need to!

I played as a two, which was enjoyable, but we quickly realised that completing everything would be a stretch due to the sheer amount of puzzles. It’s not about rushing to the end; it’s about enjoying the journey and solving as many puzzles as you can to put those elves to bed. The puzzles are engaging and fun, with some lovely 'Kick Me Moments'.

One minor critique is I personally felt that some of the puzzles could use a little more signposting. As at times, it was difficult to tell whether we were solving a bonus puzzle or progressing the main challenge, which led to a bit of confusion. We found ourselves jumping between the two, but the game master did an excellent job of guiding us and keeping us on track.

Overall, this game is a real treat, especially for anyone who loves a good puzzle. The sheer variety and volume of puzzles kept us entertained, and the light-hearted, elf-themed goal added a unique twist. I genuinely enjoyed the experience, and I can’t recommend it enough. Well done to the Locked In team — you've created something truly special! 👏

I’ve rated this game as quite difficult, not because the puzzles themselves are particularly hard, but due to the sheer volume of puzzles you need to solve if you’re aiming to collect everything.

The only peril in this one is being caught by your superiors while stealing a barrel of beer, but a lot of the puzzles are unique, hand crafted and really quite intricate when you look back on them. It's nicely period and the hosting was, as usual, top notch with someone obviously rooting for us to get finished in the time and it was incredibly close - well couldn't get much closer really!

We really liked the way the puzzles are integrated more into the theme of the room, some escape rooms are a little more padlock heavy than this one but although there are padlocks and keys, these are integrated well into the game and aren't too obtrusive.

One of the puzzles had a little wear and tear on it's printing and could have done with a bit of a refresh (circuit diagram), but on the whole this is definitely up in the list of favourites.