Classic Escape Room: Alice’s Wonders (Valencia)

We’re Late!

Alice has disappeared… and time is running out!

Wonderland is not what it used to be: the clocks have stopped, the furniture hangs from the ceiling, and the rules of the real world no longer make sense. The Cheshire Cat laughs from the shadows, and the Queen of Hearts is about to resume her hunt.

Your mission is to step into a twisted and fascinating world, solve the puzzles that stand between you and the truth, and discover Alice’s whereabouts before the Queen finds you. But beware: in this place, nothing is what it seems. In Alice’s Wonders, logic won’t be your ally. Only clever thinking, teamwork, and a touch of madness can save you.

Will you be able to rescue Alice before it’s too late?

We were in Valencia for a week and had played all of the best games that the city had on offer. Of course, this is never enough, so while the ladies went to the beach to get some sun, James (of Deadlocked fame) and I decided to have a look and see what other games were available to play in English. The game we found was Alice’s Wonders by Classic Escape Room, and as an added bonus it was just around the corner from our accommodation.

We arrived at our allotted time, to a very non-descript looking door and rang the door bell. Classic Escape Room is part of the Experiencity group, who have a lot of games in the city. So while we were waiting to be let in, we studied the poster showing all their games just to check we weren’t missing any extra ones that we could play (we weren’t). After a few minutes, the door swung open, and we were greeted by our host, Sergio, although at this stage he wasn’t Sergio, he was simply ‘The White Rabbit’.

In the themed hallway outside the game, we received our mission briefing which was pretty short and sweet. Basically, Alice had been kidnapped and we had to find and rescue her. Simple. So with our mission clear, the door opened and our time in Wonderland began.

It’s worth pointing out that Alice’s Wonders has a dedicated kids version that allows younger players to enjoy the game, only with a few modifications to make it more age appropriate. Up to eight children can play at once, which sounds like chaos to me, but if you happen to be in Valencia with eight young children, and they don’t want to go to the beach – this is an option.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

I love it when we book a room at random, that we know nothing about, and it turns out to be decent. Ok it’s not likely to win any awards, but the set design was actually good, and at times really rather fun and whimsical – as it should be for this theme. It is very much not accessible, but I can definitely see kids really enjoying it.

As soon as you enter this game, you know what you’re in for – a good time. I’m sure kids will instantly fall in love with the first room, I know James and I did! There was also music playing throughout and it just set the tone for what was a room that didn’t take itself too seriously.

The sense of adventure was certainly present, with plenty of spaces to explore, and if you’re familiar with the Alice in Wonderland stories then they will likely be very familiar as you will visit all the old favourites. There are a number of things in the rooms that are purely there to add to the whimsy and fun, but not all is as it appears, so don’t be too quick to discount things you may see.

PUZZLES

I can’t comment on the kids’ version of this game as we played the normal one, but the puzzles in Alice’s Wonders were set at just the right level – challenging but not Mensa level of challenging.

I’m not sure what is modified for the kids’ version, but the normal version contained a good mix of puzzle types, which I’m sure would still be family favourites; searching, observation, spatial relations, logic, basic maths, and colours.

Solving the puzzles culminated in receiving a code or key for a padlock, or it triggered some tech. There were a few moments of non-linearity in the game, but for the most part things had to be solved in a certain order to progress, and it was at times easy to get hung up on something that you didn’t necessarily have everything you needed to solve it at that moment – but the signposting was good, so that certainly helped with the game’s flow.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

The white rabbit, or as he was known in the real world, Sergio did a great job as our host. He was enthusiastic and was always on standby should we require any help. Help came from the white rabbit over the speakers in the rooms. At times it was a bit hard to understand what was being said, but generally it was fine and enough to get us back on track.

When we completed our mission, Sergio was ready at the exit to greet and congratulate us on saving Alice.

ANYTHING ELSE

Is this a stand out/must play game in Valencia? No. But if you’re looking to play a fun game that doesn’t take itself too seriously (and want a game in English) then Alice’s Wonders isn’t a bad choice. We played as a team of two and actually had a really fun time.

Success/Failed

Final Rating:

Team: 2 Players – 40 mins

Address: Avinguda del Doctor Waksman, 5, Quatre Carreres, 46006 València, Valencia, Spain

Website: https://classicescaperoom.com/en