Present, in July 2023, were: The Ant, Aunty Ant

Ten a.m. on a Wednesday in Doncaster might not be optimum escaping time, but we absolutely had to grab this fleeting opportunity to visit Enigma “North”, after our fun experiences at Enigma Rooms Watford. We had a difficult decision to make over which game/branch, but eventually logistical reasons meant Arabian Nights won out over the newer game, Siberia, at Retford (that’s next on our to-do list).

Whatever our logic, this was a great choice. Doncaster was ground zero for the Enigma brand and, despite the unprepossessing exterior, it is clearly a very well-polished and established venue. The main reception is a beautiful bar area where it would be lovely to linger (but, 10 a.m.) and our G.M. Charlie was wonderfully enthusiastic and knowledgeable and would be an especially great host for young or inexperienced teams. There is a separate briefing lounge with lockers – handy for avoiding spoilers – and the whole vibe is spacious and welcoming.

Arabian Nights is the newest and most family-friendly of the games in Doncaster, with strong Aladdin/Sinbad/Indiana Jones vibes, treasure-hunting for a legendary wish-granting lamp. It is a theme that begs for a really immersive experience, and Enigma have very much leant into this. Nice details, such as the disguised clock in the room (we didn’t use this, but a well-thought out idea) and the absolutely adorable ‘hint’ system, are something that I love to see in a game.

Our actual first impression of the room was … disappointment. It was so dark! We listened to the in-game briefing from the hint system, frantically wishing we had more light. Then, as appropriate for the theme, all our wishes came true – as the game starts proper, the lights go up, and it is beautiful! This is Escape Room lighting done exactly right: the ideal tone for atmosphere, with strategic spotlighting and good, strong lanterns available for later in the game. Dimness is our most powerful pet peeve, and we were delighted that this was perfect.

The set and visuals are absolutely lovely, from the starting point in the cheerfully crowded market to the more mystical elements later on. Puzzle-wise, there are a few padlocks, but with plenty of magic woven in. A couple of puzzles in particular had us punching the air in delight with the solves; some others stumped us a little for the execution even though we understood the solution (and one word puzzle took us a shamefully long time).

There is physicality involved – a few hand-eye type tasks and a crawl section, which does not appear to have a workaround (there is a warning on the website about this when booking), but we didn’t find it particularly strenuous and there are no scares. Kids would love huge chunks of the game and could be fairly active participants, although adult help would definitely be needed for younger ones. It would be a bit of a squish in the first section for larger teams but there is a decent amount of content to keep everyone busy – we took about 53 minutes as an experienced two (although we were operating on a 10 a.m. Wednesday morning brain speed)…

This is a magical room that totally does justice to the legendary theme. With quality sets, an eye for detail, enthusiastic staff and some very smart tech, I think Enigma might be the real treasure that we are looking for.

• Storyline: Quest for the treasure, fairly straightforward. Maybe needed a more showstopping big finish.
• Theming and Set: Really beautifully done.
• Searching: Not search heavy, but plenty of exploration required.
• Puzzles: Some nice magic and practical adventure tasks, as well as some classic puzzles.
• Physicality: Need to crawl (decent padded floor).
• Scare factor: None, although a little dark and atmospheric in places.
• Company Age Guidance: “The experience is for people of all ages. Children under the age of 16 will need to be accompanied by an adult playing with them”.
• Age suitability: 8+ with plenty of adult assistance would be fine here. Young teens would be able to give the game a good go with fairly minimal adult supervision.

Enigma Rooms website