E-Exit: Secret Subway (Budapest)

This is what we cam for

The room, which was inspired by Jules Verne, is based on a true story that we gave an extra twist. The inventor whose realm you’re planning to enter, was forgotten disgracefully. You will realise this as soon as you turn their inventions on. Your final goal is to find out the name of the forgotten inventor, only then you can escape from the trap they set up for you.

Budapest has been a popular location for many years and when enthusiasts are looking for recommendations, Secret Subway seems to always be a game that comes out on top of that list – so we knew it was one we had to check out. We hoped it would live up to the hype so we decided to make Secret Subway the last game of our Budapest escape room break.

At E-Exit we’d already played two games, Heaven and Hell at their other location, and then Santa Muerte at the same venue that hosts Secret Subway. I believe Secret Subway is the newest game by E-Exit, and from what we saw, it shows. It’s also worth pointing out that it’s a 75 minute game, so extra time to be wowed.

We enjoyed our time at E-Exit and out of all the venues we played in Budapest we found E-Exit to be the friendliest and most welcoming. So after plenty of chatting between games, it was time to get down to business. And when I say down to business, that was quite literal as Secret Subway is, as you would expect, in a subway basement.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

I must admit, I wasn’t fully aware of what the story was for Secret Subway. The start and the centre piece of the game certainly felt like it was inspired by the world of Jules Verne, but later on it felt like the story drifted and I lost sense of our mission even more. Saying that, this was a very pretty game and the main centre piece of the game certainly created a very memorable experience.

I’d say that Secret Subway was a game of two halves and in my opinion, the first half was the strongest in terms of story and set design. Obviously if you’ve heard about Secret Subway then you’ll know that this game has something that makes it stand out from the rest, and yes, it’s pretty cool, and yes I’d probably play it again just for this bit of fun.

It’s worth pointing out that this game is not at all accessible (unless I missed something?). There are stairs to get down in the basement area and there are possibly a few steps within the game itself. The ending, as cool as it is, also requires a bit more mobility than simply going up some stairs, but I would imagine if you spoke to E-Exit they could possibly arrange a work around for you.

PUZZLES

A lot of Secret Subway played out in a linear fashion where things had to be done in a certain order and there was no scope to split up, but there was at least one occasion where we could work on things independently.

The puzzles (at least for the early part of the game) felt like solving them progressed us further into the story and what we did had a purpose. Things did get a little chaotic at the start where space was more limited, but it did soon open up. Communication, observation, logic, colour and maths made up a good chunk of the puzzles, and they had a really nice and tactile feel about them.

I can’t actually recall too many padlocks in this game (I could be mistaken) as it felt like most of what we did had a tangible effect on something else – like plugging something in to make something else happen for example. This, coupled with some cool special effects made solving the puzzles really satisfying.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

This was one of those games that clicked with us so we didn’t actually need any clues or assistance during the game. If we did, I am pretty confident that it would have been provided very quickly, and in terms of clue delivery system I would assume it was over a speaker system in the room.

E-Exit were the most welcoming and friendly of all the venues we visited in Budapest, especially at the venue that contained Santa Muerte and Secret Subway. We didn’t feel rushed and we could have chatted for hours, but as we had a flight to catch, sadly we had to run!

ANYTHING ELSE

I can see what all the fuss is about with Secret Subway. It’s not the most challenging of games but it certainly has a wow factor that other games we played in Budapest struggle to emulate.

If you’re planning a trip to Budapest then Secret Subway should be on your agenda. Does it live up to some of the best TERPECA games still? I’m not sure. Is it one of the more impressive games in Budapest? Yes.

Success/Failed

Final Rating:

Team: 4 players – 30:12 taken

Address: Budapest, Klauzál u. 34, 1072 Hungary

Website: https://escaperoom.hu/