Horror Box Escape - Review 2024
Ouija
It’s not often we get completely blindsided by a venue, but Ouija managed to completely fool us within the first few minutes of us entering. We won’t say what it was, but it was a masterly trick of deception which led us nicely into one of the key elements of this game – the discovery of the power switch.
This power switch was the main driver of the action. Located just inside the main entrance door each time the switch was enabled – the power would stay on for a maximum of ten minutes and if allowed to go out, someone would have to return to the start to re-power up the rooms.
Now this would be scary enough traversing the multiple rooms in the pitch black, but of course being a Horror Box production, there was a live actor waiting in the darkness every time the lights went out! Outside of the regular puzzles and games, this element alone made the game ultimately terrifying, and the actor managed to get us nearly every time. The puzzles throughout were a great mix of practical effects and physical tricks with only a minimal number of padlocks, and they ranged in complexity, with a few of them needing a subtle hint from the Gamesmaster.
Of course, Ouija's back story is based around horror and scares, and there were multiple elements that made us scream out loud, either as in room effects or from one of the live actors that regularly caught us completely off guard.
Throughout the 90 minutes, the gameplay traversed multiple different rooms and every reveal progressed the narrative, making a believably complete story of good and evil. As with all the Horror Box games – the game is easily switched into English for a non-Spanish speaking audience. So, if you are visiting Barcelona – then we would definitely recommend a visit here.
Jigsaw
Let’s start this review with the final result. For once – we didn’t actually escape this experience - but there is a valid reason for this. It's not that we were inept (ok we needed a few clues, but we powered through a lot of the puzzles quite quickly), but this clearly was one of the biggest escape room experiences we have visited. We were literally nonstop from start to finish, but as a group of two we just couldn’t complete everything. Unlike some rooms that are a bit more linear, Jigsaw allows many of the later puzzles to be solved concurrently, and with just two people – we just didn’t have enough time.
Of course, this didn’t stop us enjoying this incredible room which had a really unique mix of physical puzzles, padlocks and combinations (and as you would expect from the Saw franchise) a number of intense jump scares that left us screaming out loud.
Being an officially licensed game - the set (sets) were realistically grungy, and when we were allowed to remove our hoods – it was like waking up inside the bathroom from the original movie. Our first quest of course? To get ourselves unchained from the handcuffs attached to the wall and start to explore.
And we really had to explore. This room really is a case of leave NO stone unturned, and soon we were finding clues and keys in some of the most unusual places, which allowed us to progress through the experience and onto later rooms. As we stated at the start, we needed a couple of clues to some of the more complex puzzles (or things we had completely overlooked) but generally, our progress was rapid despite the sudden scares throughout the game.
One thing we must commend is that there is no language barrier at all. All clues and puzzles were provided in English when needed, and the venue is fully set up for games to be played by non-Spanish speakers.
All in, we had a great time despite not escaping. If you are a fan of the films, then you will love this game.
Catalepsy
A few weeks ago, this experience broke the internet when a Reuters news story went viral, and we knew we had to get on a plane to do it ourselves. The big selling point is that the game starts with each player getting lowered into a coffin. When the coffin lid is closed, we were then plunged into darkness.
Told that the experience would start as soon as we heard the radio – the background was that we were effectively in the hearse heading to the funeral home for our final destination. What surprised us was the movement of the coffin to simulate the journey! With each player locked in their own coffin – we had to work closely and test our communication skills as puzzles in one coffin could only be solved by clues in the other.
Fortunately, the coffins are quite generous and a “window to the outside” is provided to solve one particularly devious puzzle controlling a bi-directional prop outside on the ceiling of the funeral home. And of course, all the time – the funeral ceremony was happening “outside” and it wasn't long before final prayers were given, and we were headed to the incinerators!
This final scene was particularly ingenious, as what made it so realistic is that the coffin itself was getting hotter and hotter the longer it went on. It would have been very easy to believe we were about to be burned alive. Unlike the other games at Horror Box there are no “jump scares” in this game – the whole thing really plays on the psychological horror of being “locked in coffin” but we loved the attention to details and then throughout.
In summary – we have never played anything as original and mold breaking as this, and if you are in Barcelona, we highly recommend this – alongside all the other Horror Box games!
It’s not often we get completely blindsided by a venue, but Ouija managed to completely fool us within the first few minutes of us entering. We won’t say what it was, but it was a masterly trick of deception which led us nicely into one of the key elements of this game – the discovery of the power switch.
This power switch was the main driver of the action. Located just inside the main entrance door each time the switch was enabled – the power would stay on for a maximum of ten minutes and if allowed to go out, someone would have to return to the start to re-power up the rooms.
Now this would be scary enough traversing the multiple rooms in the pitch black, but of course being a Horror Box production, there was a live actor waiting in the darkness every time the lights went out! Outside of the regular puzzles and games, this element alone made the game ultimately terrifying, and the actor managed to get us nearly every time. The puzzles throughout were a great mix of practical effects and physical tricks with only a minimal number of padlocks, and they ranged in complexity, with a few of them needing a subtle hint from the Gamesmaster.
Of course, Ouija's back story is based around horror and scares, and there were multiple elements that made us scream out loud, either as in room effects or from one of the live actors that regularly caught us completely off guard.
Throughout the 90 minutes, the gameplay traversed multiple different rooms and every reveal progressed the narrative, making a believably complete story of good and evil. As with all the Horror Box games – the game is easily switched into English for a non-Spanish speaking audience. So, if you are visiting Barcelona – then we would definitely recommend a visit here.
Jigsaw
Let’s start this review with the final result. For once – we didn’t actually escape this experience - but there is a valid reason for this. It's not that we were inept (ok we needed a few clues, but we powered through a lot of the puzzles quite quickly), but this clearly was one of the biggest escape room experiences we have visited. We were literally nonstop from start to finish, but as a group of two we just couldn’t complete everything. Unlike some rooms that are a bit more linear, Jigsaw allows many of the later puzzles to be solved concurrently, and with just two people – we just didn’t have enough time.
Of course, this didn’t stop us enjoying this incredible room which had a really unique mix of physical puzzles, padlocks and combinations (and as you would expect from the Saw franchise) a number of intense jump scares that left us screaming out loud.
Being an officially licensed game - the set (sets) were realistically grungy, and when we were allowed to remove our hoods – it was like waking up inside the bathroom from the original movie. Our first quest of course? To get ourselves unchained from the handcuffs attached to the wall and start to explore.
And we really had to explore. This room really is a case of leave NO stone unturned, and soon we were finding clues and keys in some of the most unusual places, which allowed us to progress through the experience and onto later rooms. As we stated at the start, we needed a couple of clues to some of the more complex puzzles (or things we had completely overlooked) but generally, our progress was rapid despite the sudden scares throughout the game.
One thing we must commend is that there is no language barrier at all. All clues and puzzles were provided in English when needed, and the venue is fully set up for games to be played by non-Spanish speakers.
All in, we had a great time despite not escaping. If you are a fan of the films, then you will love this game.
Catalepsy
A few weeks ago, this experience broke the internet when a Reuters news story went viral, and we knew we had to get on a plane to do it ourselves. The big selling point is that the game starts with each player getting lowered into a coffin. When the coffin lid is closed, we were then plunged into darkness.
Told that the experience would start as soon as we heard the radio – the background was that we were effectively in the hearse heading to the funeral home for our final destination. What surprised us was the movement of the coffin to simulate the journey! With each player locked in their own coffin – we had to work closely and test our communication skills as puzzles in one coffin could only be solved by clues in the other.
Fortunately, the coffins are quite generous and a “window to the outside” is provided to solve one particularly devious puzzle controlling a bi-directional prop outside on the ceiling of the funeral home. And of course, all the time – the funeral ceremony was happening “outside” and it wasn't long before final prayers were given, and we were headed to the incinerators!
This final scene was particularly ingenious, as what made it so realistic is that the coffin itself was getting hotter and hotter the longer it went on. It would have been very easy to believe we were about to be burned alive. Unlike the other games at Horror Box there are no “jump scares” in this game – the whole thing really plays on the psychological horror of being “locked in coffin” but we loved the attention to details and then throughout.
In summary – we have never played anything as original and mold breaking as this, and if you are in Barcelona, we highly recommend this – alongside all the other Horror Box games!
Links:
Horrorbox website
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