Present, February 2019, were: Granny, The Ant, Panda, Teenage Avenger, Mimi, Mimi Maman

Escape Rooms are expensive, particularly if you have teens. It’s not like a group of consenting, earning, paying adults, all contributing equally to the cost; parents have to do most of the financial heavy lifting. Not only is it pricey, it can also make it tricky to recruit new players – a friend might be willing to fork out £20 for themselves, but £40 to bring their kid, when they don’t know if either of them are going to enjoy it? It can be a tough ask. And no matter how often we have hinted to Panda and TA that they could make a pocket money contribution, they never really seem that keen to open their wallets. So, pretty important for us to a) be sure we are picking a room that everyone will enjoy and b) try to get best possible value for money. There are £30 per person reasons for us not doing many London Escape Rooms!

We like Trapp’d for several reasons – proximity, style, variety. But mostly because they have regular, good offers, if you are willing to do weekdays, which is handy for after-schools and half-term holidays. Especially proud that, with the perfect storm of off-peak, large group and promotional discount, we got to do Red Rock for just £7pp. Two newbies joined our group, a Panda Crew and her mum, which probably wouldn’t have happened at full price. With that kind of bargain, it shouldn’t have mattered if the room itself was pants, but at the same time we wanted our guests to have a really brilliant experience. A little more pressure when your guest is an unfiltered tween, willing to express when they are not enjoying themselves.

Fortunately, we had no worries. Not too challenging for a seasoned team, but Red Rock is a terrifically fun Wild West heist, with enough wit to keep us and the beginners very amused. “Nothing too scary” was our newbies’ request, and despite the blindfolding and the jailing, this really isn’t. There is a good mix of physical and mental puzzles, and enough content for us all to be busy for most of the time allotted. A six wasn’t a problem in the big space – equally I could see it being achievable by a two if you want more of a test.

We liked that this wasn’t an overly code-and-padlock heavy game – there were some fun ways around this which also felt nicely immersive. One such section did cause us a problem though – a difficulty familiar to anyone who had done DIY required GM assistance. Apparantly the sand (there is a LOT of sand) causes issues with some of the mechanisms, so maybe Trapp’d need to look for a better solution now for this section. Which is a shame, because it adds to the themed fun. If a Western room appeals to you, definitely give this a go. Paying only a few quid each for a game might make you suspect a cowboy outfit. Spot-on theming aside, this is anything but. We would happily have paid a few dollars more.

• Storyline: For once, a logical story, and the room neatly sticks to the plot.
• Theming and Set: Rootin’, tootin’ frontier town to hang out in. Wear your dustiest cowboy gear – Sunday best clothes will get filthy.
• Searching: Nice level of exploration.
• Puzzles: A good mix, requiring some teamwork.
• Physicality: Our technical malfunction meant we bypassed the most physical part (TA v. sad) but still an active room.
• Scare factor: A PG friendly Western, more Butch Cassidy than Bone Tomahawk.
• Company Age Guidance: “Suitable for ages 10 years and over. Players of 16 years and under must be accompanied by an adult.”
• Age suitability: Ages 8 and up would have fun in here. Bit too grimy to take in tots.

Also at this venue: Madame Curio’s Cirque Delirium

For other Trapp’d games, see also:  Legend of Drakon; The Forsaken; Atlantis; Exordium; 46 Below; Abigail; Dead Mans Cove; VX 2.0; Victor Frankensteins Reanimation;  Molten Creek Mine; End of the Line; Lost Temple of Yumiko; Salem

https://trappd.com/