Escape Reviewer

Puzzles: ✭✭✭✭✩ 3.8

     Challenge: 4.0

     Logic: 4.5

     Abstract: 3.0

The Laboratory is a 60-minute escape that takes place in an abandoned cold war era bunker, or at least that's what the description states on the website. Like The Hostel, we weren't given any back-story prior to entering the room. Once we were in the room, the staff gave us some ground rules about certain items. It seems that Claustrophobia's introductory process has room for improvement in enhancing the atmosphere of the escape, such as the possibly of utilizing blindfolds while entering. If the staff need to discuss rules, I'm sure they can find a way to elude to certain things prior to commencement. On the plus side, the room itself was adequately designed with lots of thematic props. The space was very large with lots to explore. Perhaps a little bit more could have been done to make the room appear more like a mysterious laboratory by adding more wall decor, floor decor, mood lighting or some faint background music. There were some really interesting features and some unique puzzles, especially in the latter half of the escape. The puzzle quality was good and not too abstract. Overall, The Laboratory is a fun escape with some unique puzzles that's worth playing if you're in the Ottawa region. 

Reviewed by Mitch on March 24, 2015

Update

I recently had the opportunity to go back to see updates made to The Laboratory over 5 months since my last review. The staff really took our feedback to heart and tried to improve the overall escape experience. Similar to the updates made to The Hostel, the most noticeable change is the decor and atmosphere. Gone are the old-looking walls, replaced instead with nicely painted backgrounds. Some quiet background music was also added for more theme integration. I was really happy to see a specific change in the latter half of the escape which really makes the room more unique and technologically advanced. I commend Claustrophobia on all their hard work and I've improved their scores accordingly.

Edited by Mitch on September 4, 2015