Pier Pressure Bracknell: Pharaoh’s Mystery (Bracknell)

We broke our curse!

 Thousands of years ago the Great Boy King was buried within this illustrious pyramid… But for such a young ruler, how – or WHY – did he meet his untimely demise so soon?

Now, you and your team of archaeologists have stumbled upon a ground-breaking clue that could rewrite the history books forever!

Travel all the way to Egypt and step inside the Pharaoh’s Tomb once more to solve the ancient puzzles and unravel THE PHARAOH’S MYSTERY!

Unearth a hidden secret lost to the depths of time!

It’s been too long since we last met up with our original escape room friends, but a date was finally agreed to get together, catch up, and of course, escape! But the question was, “Where?” Eventually we settled on Bracknell. It wasn’t too far to travel for either party, plenty of places to eat, and most importantly, four games that we hadn’t played: The Siege of Spellbreak Bank, Prison Break, Alien Encounter, and Pharaoh’s Mystery.

Gord and I first played in Bracknell when the venue was called Puzzalogical, but that was several years ago, and we haven’t been back since they joined the Pier Pressure (yes, the Brighton Pier Pressure) family in late 2025. Our final game of the day at Pier Pressure Bracknell was to be Pharaoh’s Mystery. We had a bit of a break before going in, and since the on-site cafe was closed, we took ourselves out to the town centre for a bit of a wander. But about 20 minutes before the start of our game, we ensured we were back on site, and ready to go solve an Egyptian Mystery.

As we had already spent a good chunk of the day at Pier Pressure, we were well acquainted with the waiting area on the lower ground floor, and deposited our belongings in the lockers before settling into the sofas to await the arrival of our GM. And arrive they did, ready to set us off on our Egyptian adventure. The usual health and safety briefing was slightly curtailed for this game, as it was our fourth game of the day, but we still touched on the essentials, including a necessary addition to our apparel: a very stylish, vintage-looking hard hat. With the necessary information relayed, we finally made our way down the hallway, and into Pharaoh’s Mystery.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

Inside the space we allowed our eyes to adjust to the dim lighting as we listened to the story behind the game and the outline of our mission. But then it was time to explore. The space wasn’t massive, but even as a team of four, there was enough space and enough to investigate without tripping over each other. Whilst a sand covered floor feels as though it would aid immersion in an Egyptian-themed game, it’s actually quite refreshing to not need to empty my shoes following the game. (Plus it means that the game is actually accessible for wheelchair users, and people that might be less steady on their feet.) On the other hand, the helmets we put on before being led down the hall weren’t just for show, as I distinctly recall using it for its intended purpose, and being grateful I still had it on my head.

The space is atmospheric, with little nooks and crannies, and a few hidden reveals to keep players interested. Pharaoh’s Mystery is not an intensely narrative driven game. There is an underlying story, but it doesn’t drive gameplay forward, revealing itself as you go. Even so, the game was well paced. There were few opportunities to solve several puzzles simultaneously, so the team was often together, but there were some. Plus, there were plenty of clues in plain sight that also allowed for some splitting up to be ready with a solution once the final pieces for a puzzle fell into place.

PUZZLES

The puzzles were an interesting mix of quick, easy wins, and slightly more complex, chunky puzzles. Being an Egyptian themed game, it will come as no surprise that there was a bit of translating Hieroglyphs, but it wasn’t excessive, and was done in a unique and interesting way. Wordplay, logic, searching, and pattern recognition are just some of the skills players will find themselves utilising, but by no means all. The puzzles are varied enough to give everyone on the team a chance to shine.

There was a nice mix of tactile challenges, and some more classic escape room style puzzles. The majority of the puzzles fit the theme, but there was one that stood out, and felt a bit out of place. The puzzle itself was fine, but just didn’t fit into the theming, breaking the immersion somewhat. But ignoring that, the tasks and puzzles were fair, varied, and well telegraphed. Padlocks in this game would have felt out of place, so Pier Pressure have done the logical thing, and avoided them, instead utilising hidden tech and clever mechanisms to bar the way.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

I forgot to note down our GM’s name, but they were as on the ball with hosting as all of their colleagues. Friendly, efficient, and personable, our host was lovely to interact with. We did make their job easy though, as the puzzles were intuitive enough that I can’t actually recall needing any assistance.

If we had, however, I can’t recall any screens in the space, so clues are auditory rather than visual. Pier Pressure love a clue system that’s in keeping with the game and doesn’t break immersion, so rest assured, help is on hand if it is needed.

ANYTHING ELSE

We historically have not gotten on especially well with Egyptian-themed games (to the point where I have wondered if we were, in fact, cursed in the first one we ever entered), so I expected Pharaoh’s Mystery to be my least favourite at Pier Pressure Bracknell. In fact the opposite is true, and this was perhaps the game that I got on the best with. It’s not perfect, but it’s fun, and has plenty of pleasing puzzles.

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 4 players (escaped in 34:13)

Address: Easthampstead House, Town Square, Bracknell, RG12 1BH

Website: https://pierpressure.co.uk/bracknell