Hartlepool is home to just two escape rooms both of which are created by Get Out Escape Rooms and on a rather mixed weather Thursday we saw that their newer room had availability so we booked in the morning and headed for a 10am slot. From the outside, the building is average. It doesn’t look that big but has a very creative window display featuring the companies mascot Paddy the padlock. Alex, one of the owners and our wonderful host for our game greeted us at the door. He was enthusiastic about escape rooms and we had an awesome chat. He led us down the really long corridors to the waiting area where we signed in. He then explained the story of the room.
“We were retired robbers who had received a tip that an unassuming house at the end of the street had one of the most valuable diamonds in it and it was hard to pass up one last job. Would we get the diamond?”
He then led us to the door to enter and our game begun!
Warning: Potential spoilers ahead!
The game started off quite simple, we actually had to break in to the house. The first thing you notice upon entering the game is themeing. It felt like we were on a street at night about to commit a crime. It’s a very well themed experience and nothing felt out of place throughout the game. As we progressed through the game the more it opened up. I think there was about 6 rooms in total that you ended up exploring and puzzling through.
The puzzles themselves were so much fun. There was a great mix of variety including a unique drawer puzzle that was really clever and it was something I’ve not seen in any other escape room I’ve played. What made this room enjoyable is that it was pretty stress free. The puzzles, although challenging, never felt difficult for the sake of being difficult and they all flowed. There were puzzles that you would solve early on that then wouldn’t be needed until towards the end that added to the fun of the room as you were never quite sure when something would come in handy.
Great news, we managed to escape. Inwas pleasantly surprised with our time too as we managed to escape in 55 minutes 22 second. Overall a really awesome room that completely surprised me with its story, theming, puzzles and hosting that has left me eagerly anticipating my next visit and I can not recommend enough. Definitely a company to keep a very close eye on as their future is very exciting!