Escapades in sunny island of Singapore (& Malaysia)

Have always been very fascinated with escape/panic rooms when it first started. However I've never managed to gather enough friends to try it out.

Had my first taste of this last year and I'm hooked! So here are my escapades so far...

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #01

Kickstarted my journey after a Sunday hike in Bukit Timah with Castiglione at LOST SG. Looking back, I'm really glad I started here because this place provided fairly well-thought puzzles and decent mechanisms to unlock doors and new rooms. If I had went to some others during my first try, I would probably never want to attempt another escape room.

Description on website: 

In the 1860s during the Second Opium War, the British and French Empires invaded China. In the midst of the war, all 12 of the zodiac head statues designed by Giuseppe Castiglione for QianLong Emperor miraculously disappeared from the Imperial Summer Palace. Rumours and news soon spread that the 12 statues were kept hidden in the hometown of the zodiac’s designer home. Take on the role of a secret agent and unravel the mysterious hidden castle belonging to Castiglione.

Your mission is to recover the 12 zodiac heads and escape from the Castle. But BEWARE, there might be guards on patrol.

Escape, Survive & Recover the 12 Zodiac Head Sculptures.

Being my (and DarHub's) virgin attempt, we didn't manage to "escape". Without revealing too much details of the game, I personally thought that the items used are a bit ambiguous and may proved to be something that will cause the delay in escaping.

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #02

On the day of our evening Sungei Buloh walk, I had my second game, Ticking Time Bomb, at Exit Plan and boy was this place shabby. Basically the room was full of number locks and we just had to figured out the combinations. Some of the solutions didn't even make too much sense to us. I guess if I've started here, I would have thought that escape rooms are really boring and probably think twice (or even thrice) for another game. 

My verdict: 👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #03

Third game was Dracula at The Escape Artist at Telok Blangah area. Had met my JC mates for a delish dinner at Man Man that was long overdue. (I missed our previous Man Man gathering due to a super serious and bad hangover!!!) 

Amazing うなぎドン, something I would have never ordered at any Japanese restaurant. Super highly recommended for all! 

Description on website: 

A dark, secluded village is home to a bloodthirsty vampire who seeks out fresh victims every night. Having lived in fear your entire life, you decided that it was time to be a hero and end this monster's reign of terror.

Gathering like-minded brave souls, you discover the secret chambers where his body rests in stasis during daylight. However, you are on the cusp of darkness and the maze of corridors branch off into countless paths.

If he wakes up, it is over. The time of reckoning is now.

Seemed like Escape Artist have more 'scary' games but due to our 怕死 attitude, we could only brave ourselves to try the least scary one recommended by the staff. Game was not too bad, fairly well-developed but with instances of us 没事自己吓自己, it was quite hilarious.

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #04

Went back to LOST SG for Alcatraz and this particular set-up was quite interesting. The players were brought to different "cells" and we have to figure out how to escape from our individual cells before meeting together to "jail-break"! 

Description on website:

Alcatraz Island prison housed the most dangerous felons in America during its operation from 1934 to 1963. Surrounded by hazardous currents of the San Francisco Bay, no inmate was thought to have ever successfully escaped the maximum-security facility. One fine morning, wardens discovered the disappearance of 3 inmates. Did the inmates make it out of Alcatraz Island braving the unforgiving currents or did they perish into the dark waters of San Francisco Bay?

Relive and uncover the last moments of the inmates and take on the journey to escape from Alcatraz using your analytical thinking, logical reasoning and observational skills.

WILL YOU SUCCEED OR WILL YOU SUCCUMB TO THE HANDS OF FATE?

Unfortunately we spent 60% of the time trying to get get the first clue and had very little time to experience the rest of the room. I would think that this room would be quite interesting and would probably wanna go back and try again.

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #05

The same day after Alcatraz, we also tried Room Raider at POMO. Can't exactly remember which game it was but the set-up was decent but quite small and narrow. So this is definitely not for the claustrophobic peeps. And if my memory is not failing me, this was the first room that I managed to escape from.

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #06

This was a Birthday celebration coupled with escape rooms in JB. But the crazy traffic jam saw us stuck in the causeway for a good 8 hours. Probably also because of what we have suffered, we decided to 玩够本 with 3 games in a roll!

So it started on the day of my birthday whereby we made our way to the causeway at about 10.30am but by the time we reach our AirBnB at Mount Austin, it was already evening! So we had dinner with drinks before resting for the night for the BIG ESCAPES the next day.

First up was 笑傲江湖 at Lost In JB, Mount Austin branch. I must say escape rooms here are quite impressive as they are big with high ceiling and that allow the rooms to be built with different levels.

Description on website: (pardon their website English.. lol)

Hua Shan Sect’s Yue Bu Qun is one of the most powerful Wushu masters within the martial arts world. Many individuals have came forth to Hua Shan to learn the art of Wushu, hoping that one day they can use what they’ve learnt for justice and protect their homelands.

Yue Bu Qun was constantly worried about the foundation and position his sect. In order claim power for himself, he planned to incite the 5 sects to fight against each other. Yue Bu Qun went to the length of capturing you and other Hua Shan disciples with the Cave of the Goldern Snake, placing the blame on Wu Dang Sect, and deceiving the martial world.

Trapped under the landslide and with the ground cracking below you, who would have thought that this mysterious cave would have a martial art skill that cannot be rivaled. If you can successfully learn this martial art, you might be able to break through the rocks, and escape from the cave.

Overall a very fun room with quite a bit of mechanisms that will require you to squeeze into small tunnels and go on slides and teamwork is extremely important here!

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #07

Next was the Doraemon that BFF May & god-daughter Stacey went before. Simple and kiddish room that may not appeal to adult. Some interesting mechanism but overall not exactly intriguing.

Description on website:
The romantic season of Spring, the season of cherry blossoms. Today Nobita mustered up his courage, preparing a bouquet of cherry blossoms to his crush Shizuka. In a moment of confusion, he accidentally handed the flowers to the hands of Gian/Takeshi’s sister - Jyaiko.
In shock, Nobita ran to Doraemon to ask for help. Doraemon searched his pocket of magical treasures, taking out a range of miraculous tools to aid Nobita.
Even with Doraemon’s magical tools, Nobita will still need to use his confidence and bravery to overcome this challenge. Will Nobita be able to use the power of love to regain the bouquet, and place it into the hands of Shizuka?

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #08

Typically we will do maximum 2 rooms at one go, but due to the horrific jam (the day before) and heavy rain, we decide to embark on a third game, 神偷谍影!

Description on website:

The top gemstone necklace that hasn't been seen in many years – the Heaven's Eye – suddenly appeared at an international charity auction. The world's richest man Mr Smith made the winning bid at an overwhelming price of $12 million US Dollars. News of this event spread quickly, reaching your ears. You, a team of master thieves, have long desired the Heaven's Eye, and have been investigating its whereabouts for years without any results. Now, this excellent news has brought the team back together again. After extensive intelligence gathering, your team has discovered that the Heaven's Eye is kept in Mr Smith's ultimate chamber of secrets – The Sky Cell.The Sky Cell filled with traps, lose your focus for one moment, and you may fall into a trap, unable to leave the cell forever!

This last game requires quite a lot of climbing up and down. Unfortunately we didn't manage to complete this room.

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #09

Another impromptu decision to 'escape' after a Friday dinner. Went to good old LOST SG for a game of Mausoleum.

Description on website:

Built to protect the Emperor in his afterlife, the Terracotta Army are clay figures of Emperor Qin’s army in an underground mausoleum.

You together with your group of friends decided to visit the Terracotta Army world heritage site one day. Intrigued by the history of the mausoleum, you wandered deep into the restricted area to feed your curiosity and unfortunately lost your way.

Cut from all forms of communication, everyone panicked and entered the restricted area in an attempt to escape. Everything is unfamiliar and you can’t shake the uneasiness creeping in.

Going deeper, you found a door and led everyone in. Little did anyone expect the door to be shut from the outside. It appears to be a trap door! As everyone panicked about the situation, you notice a reflective liquid filling up the room.

As usual, LOST SG don't disappoint. Interesting set-up with nice puzzles.

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #10

Another overseas venture, this time whilst on a work trip with my colleagues. Not sure why they suggested it but I had fun. I think they weren't exactly impressed but I was elated! Tried Harry Potter at Break The Code, 1 Utama. 

Description on website:
Mysterious invitation letters have been arriving to you. It is time to show your courage and skills to pass through all the tests in Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry to become the real Wizard, however bad things happened.

Set up was pretty good with a couple of rooms we had to go into. Overall a nice experience but I guess cos the company wasn't too enthusiastic about the whole thing, so experience dulls a little compared those I've played with my escapades buddies.

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #11

Another impromptu random-jio JB outing. Was supposed to be sorta an Friday (working day) outing for DarHub and me but since everyone was not working, we decided that it will be another day of Escape!

Since we've kinda exhausted all the games at Lost in JB Mount Austin, we decided to try Sutera and picked the one that the staff mentioned least fear factor - Survivor 丧尸危机. Overall was a fun room though one of the mechanism was spoilt with it being set in JB, again there was lotsa room for climbing & crawling.

Description on website:
In 2015, the Zombie Virus caused by gene mutation spread rapidly. The whole world fell to the virus in just a matter of two years, and now no one knows how many survivors are left. 6 months later, the World Emergency Vaccine Research Centre received information that Doctor Wong De Ming has successfully developed a vaccine that could counter the virus. Right as there was a glimmer of hope, news came that the Central Hospital was attacked by zombies, and Doctor Wong De Ming who was trapped inside was ultimately killed. Even now, the vaccine is still hidden within Central Hospital that is a high zombie activity zone…As humanity’s last hope, you made a bold decision to enter the abandoned hospital where zombies could turn up at any minute, attempting to find the vaccine that could save the world…

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #12

Decided to catch up with my dearest devils on a workday and was planning on what kinda of activities we could do. Unsure if they are mildly claustrophobic, I suggested many other activities besides escape room. To my surprise, they were eager to try and loved it at the end!

Didn't manage to escape but the mechanisms were again quite fun and interesting.

Description on website:

Enslaved and oppressed with forced labor, life as an Israelite in Egypt was tough and difficult. Often beaten up and yelled at, it was not long before the Israelites lost all hope and fell into despair.On a scorching afternoon, a mysterious stranger came to town. An Israelite by birth, he demanded the Pharaoh to release his people from slavery. That moment changed the fate of the Israelites.It took long before the Pharaoh relented. And on that fateful night, they followed him as the new leader and made their way out of Egypt; hearts filled with hope and joy. Regretting his decision shortly, the Pharaoh made his chariot ready and took an army with him to give chase.THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM HAS BEEN LONG AND HARD, CAN THEY ESCAPE THE CLUTCHES OF THE PHARAOH?
My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #13

It was supposed to be a dinner for the girls but BFF May decided to take a rain check cos we were planning to have go for our favourite post-dinner activity! DarHub joined us cos his friend had plain forgotten about the climbing session.
Had dinner at Izakaya Nijumaru, recommended by a Taiwanese YouTuber who lives in Singapore. It was really quite meh though there were really quite a lot of people. Perhaps we ordered the wrong food?
Headed over to try out Back to the Future at FREEing SG in Plaza Singapura. Very small room, which I guess was expected in Orchard area, relatively nice set-up but lotsa reading which was probably something that I kinda dislike.

Description on website:

After Benson’s grandpa passed away, his father has been obsessed with finding out the truth about his birth. Benson’s father left a letter saying he found something leading to the truth and left home.
It’s been more than 2 months since he went missing. Benson gathered his group of friends who are geniuses in their own field to assist him.
His dad mentioned that FreeingSG has a way to help him peep into the past…

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #14

Had my try on an electric uni-cycle again after a long hiatus nervous breakdown after I've chipped my front tooth. Will do another post on that soon! 

Post exercise was lunch and escape! This time at Xcape in Bugis, trying Vampire Diary. Got Ming'en to join us for this and DarHub was supposed to be here as well, but he couldn't get a parking lot. :(

Relatively interesting set up but quite a lot of inference kinda puzzle, which we felt that it wasn't that logical.

Description on website:

In order to return a favor to Salvatore, Dr. Hachi has assigned you the mission to penetrate the place that is rumored to be Dracula’s castle. By “cooperating” with the supernatural creatures, you could overcome the perilous traps and hurdles to retrieve the one and only cure for the supernatural beings to become “normal”. The story of immortal being, blood thirsty soul, and the curse of darkness, may be more than just an ancient legend……

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #15

Round 2 at Xcape is  Resident Evil with everyone. Generally quite a good set up except for one of the part whereby there was a limit to the tools we have to break the lock, meaning if we couldn't break it and we ran out of tools, it's game over for us. Guess that was the only part I kinda wanna complain about.

Description on website:

The Government had developed biological weapons in the 80s under the project code “X” and built the X-Lab. In 1987, the X-Lab was closed and all the personnel working on the X project mysteriously disappeared. Thereafter all relevant information on the X project was filed and classified as Top National Secret. There are three passcodes required to open up the files, each passcode held by the President, Vice-President and the Minister of National Defence respectively. In order to counter the Company, Mr. President decided to reactivate Project X and specially task Hachi’s team to penetrate the X-lab. Will the Project X work? Why had Project X been terminated in 1987?
My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #16

Another weekend planned for escape rooms due to the relocation, we decided to try LockDownSG in Clarke Quay. Because of the great reviews and exciting events they have planned before, I had great expectations for this place, unfortunately the game Top Secret turned out to be rather boring. It was a one-room concept as well and lotsa of reading, slightly better than Ticking Time Bomb. Can only say that the marketing was pretty well done but the games were meh.

Description on website:

Our main competitor will be bidding for the project tomorrow. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to retrieve the tender documents of our competitor.
Just when you sneaked into the office…

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻

💪🏻 ATTEMPT #17
Bothered by how uninteresting LockDown was, we decided for Round 2 at Captivate Escape Room at Singapore Shopping Centre. FBI: Zero Hero was quite good and there were a twist to the game in the end. 

Description on website:
You recognise a face on the FBI Most Wanted List. Intrigued, rather than call the FBI, you decide to investigate. Can you discover the dark secret they are trying so hard to keep hidden before time runs out? An extraordinary experience with amazing hidden surprises waiting to be discovered.

I must say I quite like this place though the marketing pales in comparison to the earlier one. With better mechanisms and better plots, I honestly think that this place deserves better publicity and business. Will definitely be back!

My verdict: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

There you go! 17 games marked in my Escapade Report Book. To many more.... hopefully overseas ones!!!