Break Free Escape Room Stoke

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Reviews

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  Laura Brady

  A month after my visit, after speaking to others, I have realised that the only reason I enjoyed this escape room was because I'd never been to one before. As others have said, the puzzles are very linear and are purely finding numbers to open combination locks. When you are in a group of 5 as we were, not all of us can work on the puzzle at the same time (I'm 5'2 so I physically couldn't see over the others when they're working on one at a table), so some people have to sort of stand around and wait. Most of the puzzles we asked for clues on seemed to be due to an issue with the setup of the room/props - volume on a TV not being turned up or 'symbols' on a box being impossible to decipher. There should be very clear signage on what is and isn't part of the game - door release buttons, plugged in items etc. should be marked or pointed out by the staff in the instructions prior to entering the room, to prevent any confusion. One of my taller friends reached for something on a shelf, and the only reason I knew it wasn't part of the game was because I knew if I were here alone it would be impossible for me to reach it! I feel that in an escape room, if something is not meant to be thoroughly investigated or moved, it should be firmly fixed in place, not applied with a few layers of peeling tape. When we asked for hints, like in other reviews, the operator comes into the room, asks us where abouts we are, and then almost entirely gives us the answer, rather than a simple clue (the timer is not stopped during this time). I'm so sorry to leave a review with a lot of complaints, but I do hope that these reviews lead to a better escape room (and if not, for people to make an informed decision on whether or not to spend a lot of money here). I believe a lot of these problems can be solved with more care, effort and money put into the rooms. If the volume being off on the TV was part of the puzzle, it should have been placed on mute, so a mute symbol was shown on the screen, rather than the assumption it was a silent video. Perhaps if there were also a few different puzzles that anyone could solve simultaneously, that would improve the experience of large groups, rather than attempting to, only to discover the solution relies on the previous puzzle being solved first. A lot of the puzzles were lots of fun, but when technical errors get in the way of the solution, it can drain a lot of the fun out of it. The second to last room of the CSI room, for example, was a very fun and unique puzzle that was fun to decipher and solve, but sadly that's where out time ran out, as we wasted so much time trying to solve a puzzle we had, to be truthful, 0 possibly of solving by ourselves, as even with the solution we didn't think the symbols looked anything like what they were supposed to be. The staff member was very nice, but he was the only one there with 2+ groups doing rooms, so if both requested hints at the same time, one group would just be standing there waiting, their time ticking away. I really do hope more work is put into these rooms - they have great potential but I don't think they're as good as they could be, especially not for the amount of money.

  14-05-2023
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  Laura McGeachin

  We played the CSI room and it was a fun challenge. The puzzles were real brain teasers and it was very atmospheric. The staff were very friendly and helpful. It was a great team afternoon out and I would absolutely recommend it.

  28-04-2023
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  Francis Lasota

  Did two of these rooms, back to back and it was brilliant! The guy working (didn't catch his name) was very good and helpful with both games. Definitely recommend!

  28-09-2022
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  Emma Shaw

  So much fun! Unlimited hints and fantastic rooms, can't wait for the new room

  28-08-2022
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  - darcey

  went yesterday, met alex, loved alex. will be back. thank you alex. you deserve a raise. love from pbq. (you wouldn’t understand, only alex 🙄)

  28-05-2022
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  Nicholas Wakelin

  The worst escape room I have ever done. If you want a clue to your escape room, they walk in, turn the lights on and you need to hope they know what the answer is...they didn't in my case. The staff were incredibly rude and offence the whole time we were there. I don't know where the people reviewing this 5 star went to, I can only assume they have never need to another escape room before.

  28-05-2022
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  Kristin Evans

  For me, the best escape room experiences are challenging as well as enjoyable and rewarding. The Sherlock Holmes: The Scarlet Case room was neither enjoyable nor rewarding. The description on the website advertised this particular room being based on, "The popular TV programme & movie Sherlock Holmes." The theming had pretty much nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes, other than a few fleeting references to characters in text, which apparently had no bearing on the room. This room was a mystery, but it didn't feel like a modern take on a Holmes case. The theming of the room was sloppily done. Even when escape rooms are staged with decorations that do not have anything to do with clues/puzzles, they're typically on-theme at least and can help keep players on track when thinking of creative solutions (e.g. a room about a psychic/magician might have illustrations of upside down tarot cards painted on the walls, leading the players to perhaps try a solution upside down). I think my (least) favourite aspect about this room is that if a group is excellent at identfying and solving puzzles, they don't need to actually solve the mystery at all--the storyline and characters don't particularly matter. The clues and puzzles did not flow well in this room. There was no intuitive path to follow, and many puzzles were meant to be solved in a specific order. So even with a larger group, everyone might be waiting around, stuck on one clue to be solved before making any other progress. Our group was advised that hints are unlimited and would not count against us. Great! But it turns out the mechanism to request a hint is just a button inside the room, which lights up a bulb near the reception desk. Whenever a staff member notices and makes their way back, a hint may be given. The clock does run the whole time. Also, I didn't notice cameras or speakers in the room, which felt a bit unsafe. Our group of 6 didn't escape, as we were stymied by a particular puzzle at the very end. When a staff member came in and informed us 60 minutes was up, we asked what we missed when figuring out what we were working on. The staff member had no idea what the solution was and had to get a print out so they could read it out to us. After being given the method we needed, we tried to follow it to get the solution but it still didn't make sense. We attempted to ask about it again, but the staff member started chatting and admitted it was their "least favourite room." They were the third staff member who told us they failed to solve the room in time (each employee is apparently given the opportunity to solve each room by themselves to familiarise them with layouts/puzzles), and 2/3 said, "I really hate this room." They also informed us that despite being one of the oldest rooms in this location, it has only been successfully solved by 4 teams ever. By way of consolation, this staff member told us, "You made it way farther than most people. There's usually hardly anything to reset in this room." Just because an escape room is nearly impossible doesn't make it good, and this room certainly isn't an exception. We were told our group name could be voted on during a monthly contest and that we could potentially win a voucher to do another room here for free. However, I don't think we'll be coming back anytime soon.

  28-05-2022
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  Emma Titterton

  Brilliant fun! Great activity for all ages, had such a laugh. X

  28-05-2022
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  Susan Aldred

  Visited this place today. Very disappointed. 4 of the items didn't work. The doors didn't open as they should. One cupboard didn't open. One box didn't open and so consequently we wasted time trying to work out what we should do next, when in fact we had solved the clue but didn't know because it didn't work. The girl was quite abrupt with us because we pressed the CLUE button and didn't apologise. The props were old and shabby. Wouldn't go again ...certainly not for 60 quid

  28-05-2022
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  Chloe

  28-05-2022