Escape Reviewer

Claustrophobia is Ottawa's second and newest escape game company that just opened up two weeks ago. As of currently, the location is very difficult to find as there is just a plain piece of paper with their logo on the front door. I'm assuming this is only temporary while they are getting off the ground. The waiting area is nicely decorated, painted colourfully with some free snacks and puzzles to keep you busy. There are also lockers available free of charge. Claustrophobia currently has two 60-minute escapes. Pictures are available for the winners, but similar to Ottawa's other escape company, Escape Manor, they don't provide pictures for the unsuccessful teams. I'm a fan of everyone getting a souvenir picture to take home with them. Fun "winner" signs instead of "loser" signs could be used as the incentive to win. On the plus side, I like that teams can book rooms without being forced to join with other individuals if they are under the maximum number of players. Unfortunately, my team was not a fan of the pricing model that Claustrophobia has employed. A fixed group price is a first for us, and it doesn't really work well when a team is small. On the weekend for two people, the fixed price of $90 per group turns out to be $45 per player! I suggest Claustrophobia consider a fixed price model that changes based on the number of participants and adds incentive for more players by decreasing the individual cost in larger groups. For example, $50 for two people ($25 per player), $80 for four people ($20 per player), or $90 for six people ($15 per player).

Reviewed by Mitch on March 24, 2015

Update

I recently had the opportunity to go back to Claustrophobia over 5 months since my last review. The waiting area has been improved with more colour and puzzles to play with while waiting. My favourite addition is a wooden door that keeps the waiting area separated from the rooms!

Edited By Mitch on September 4, 2015