Present, in June 2021, were: Granny, The Ant, Panda, Teenage Avenger

We were firmly convinced that our attempts to play Atlantis were cursed. How can a booking for an undersea-themed Escape Room be repeatedly cancelled over 18 months due to a) too much water and b) everything being locked down? Being locked in underwater is literally what the room is about. The irony was off the charts. We were nervous to reschedule in case the whole of Wellingborough was then sunk by an earthquake… Fortunately, Trapp’d had kept us fairly well informed, both after the initial flood that closed the venue and during the subsequent Covid restrictions and we had accepted a gift voucher to rebook once everything was safe.

So, was Atlantis worth the wait? It’s certainly a pretty cool set – making a great first impression with the swanky submarine door, and a tantalising glimpse in to the underwater world beyond. The gist of the narrative: Poseidon is pissed that someone stole his fancy fork, so take a sub to the bottom of the ocean and return what is rightfully his before he rains misery on the human race (this may explain 2020). Our submarine is fairly convincing (to this sworn landlubber) with buttons and pipes and machines that go ping, and the set also has a nice twist of mood once you gain access to Poseidon’s lair.

Light levels were a bit of an on-going problem for us, particularly in the first zone. It doesn’t help to have a teenager tall enough to block out the sun in the team, and it might not bother other players, but we really could have done with a torch… Definitely doesn’t feel like a case of darkness for the sake of difficulty though, aiming more for an authentic atmosphere.

Puzzles stayed very much on-theme and had a reasonable mix, after a worryingly mathsy start. Our team felt rustier than bits of the Titanic at points, but our sweet and cheerful GM Chelsea valiantly tried to nudge us in the right direction without making it too obvious. A couple of the puzzles I really liked, with some nice tactile elements; one or two tasks were maybe simpler than I was expecting. An extra challenge or two in Atlantis itself wouldn’t go amiss and would make more use of the fabulous space, but we did escape in 43 minutes, so there was a reasonable amount to do and would probably provide a fairly stiff test to a more inexperienced team.

Caveat to the klutzy – as well as low light, this room also has low doorways, high doorsteps, a wire mesh floor and lots and lots of sand (Poseidon’s trident could probably have your eye out as well, in the wrong hands). So close supervision of accident-prone children (ok, and adults) is recommended. However, for us, everything went swimmingly and we broke the curse, without any serious injuries or global extinction events (for now, anyway). If you fancy a bit of sand, sea and sums, Atlantis is the place to be.

• Storyline: In essence, Find The Fork.
• Theming and Set: Really fab.
• Searching: Not a search-heavy game at all.
• Puzzles: Fairly padlocky, but a good mix of puzzles involved.
• Physicality: Exploring the big space (carefully).
• Scare factor: None really, although it does manage to be quite atmospheric.
• Company Age Guidance: “Suitable for ages 10 years and over. Players of 16 years and under must be accompanied by an adult.”
• Age suitability: Probably the most family-friendly game at the Wellingborough venue.

At the same venue, see also: The Forsaken;  Legend of Drakon

For other Trapp’d games, see also:  Exordium; 46 Below; Abigail; Dead Mans Cove; VX 2.0; Cartel; Victor Frankensteins Reanimation; The Outlaws of Red Rock Madame Curio’s Cirque Delirium;  Molten Creek Mine; End of the Line; Lost Temple of Yumiko; Salem

Trapp’d website