Elusion Escape Rooms: Potions and Peril (Southampton)

Wizardy Fun

WITCHES AND WIZARDS WANTED

Goblins have escaped Agatha’s magic shop.

We need you to hunt down what they stole and put them back in their cages.

Enter a magical fantasy escape room that is fun for all ages.

Wand waving, potion making and spell casting are all just a part of our most immersive and interactive game.

After we played the Pandora Heist, we have been trying to find a time to get back to Elusion Escape Rooms to try some of their other games, but something always seemed to get in the way (like the fact that they’re closed on a Monday, and that always seemed to be when we were in the area.) But, for once, Gord and I found we had a rare weekend off together and Elusion had slots available to book for the games we wanted. So we decided it was the perfect time to make the drive to Southampton.

Our visit to Elusion started with From Beyond, and then later we moved on to Cursed Waters, but it’s safe to say that when we arrived at the venue, I wasn’t entirely certain we were in the right place. The building that houses Pandora Heist and Seven Sins is very much a typical escape room venue, with a cosy waiting area, but just the games. Elusion’s in-town venue, however, is something else entirely, for it’s an incredibly cool looking cocktail bar, and it’s possible to book a table top escape-room style box game to enjoy with said cocktails.

Sadly, we hadn’t booked the table top game, or a table for drinks, so between games we went elsewhere for cake and coffee, and upon our return we were whisked back through to the dedicated briefing area for the escape rooms, where we waited for our GM for Potions and Peril: Chloe.

We weren’t waiting long for her arrival, and then it was time to watch the briefing video, deposit our things in the lockable trunk for safekeeping, and make our way down the stairs to tackle Potions and Peril.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

Agatha’s Magic Shop is lovely. It’s no wonder she’s so particular about how it’s arranged.

The space had an olde-world and eclectic feel, with bird cages, chunky furniture, and magical paraphernalia behind glass, as well as an entire wall of wand boxes for sale. With the adventure/magical music soundtrack in the background it was easy to lose ourselves in the game and become immersed in our surroundings.

As one might expect from a magic shop, there were plenty of secrets to uncover, and we were taken on a journey of magical delights, exploring unexpected places in our hunt for both the goblins, and all the treasures they had stolen.

Potions and Peril flowed well, and held a nice pace. We only ever lost the flow when we failed to search properly, which ground everything to a halt until we were back on track. Elements of the game felt very linear, but there were certainly opportunities to diverge from the path, as we found several points where it was possible to complete tasks in tandem.

Eventually we had recovered all of the missing pieces, but before setting the last in place, it was time to have a tidy up and make sure that Agatha would be pleased with the work of her new apprentices and give us the marks we needed on our report card.

PUZZLES

Searching, searching, searching – it felt like we were forever searching for things, but maybe that’s due in part to the fact that as soon as I find something I get distracted by it. But it also was in part due to the fact that those pesky little goblins had hidden lots of things around the space that we would need to put right. But of course, there were other challenges in store, with tasks that had elements of logical deduction, pattern recognition, wordplay, potion making, and of course, magic.

A magic room wouldn’t be right without at least a little bit of magic, and there was more than a little bit here. While it’s not so much a puzzle, as finding all the right ingredients and performing the right spell in the right place, these challenges add to the immersion and the fun. The “magic” was as varied as the puzzles might be in another style room, and gave Potions and Peril just a little something extra.

The final challenge of rearranging the room as per Agatha’s wishes was a little odd. But, then, this felt like more of a family-orientated room, and returning those silly little goblins to their cages and setting everything right is exactly the kind of thing I can envision children being thrilled about, and being able to participate in, even if they aren’t necessarily able to solve the puzzles. Chloe gave us an A* on our report card for arranging the shop just right. I’m just hoping Agatha didn’t take a look in her cupboard before our grade was finalised though…

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

Chloe was very friendly and cheerful. As we had already played to games at Elusion that day, she didn’t need to go too in depth with her health and safety brief, plus there was a video for that. But she did make sure to give us the pertinent info – most importantly: the spell to request clues. Of course, I promptly forgot this spell, but thankfully, muttering a bunch of gibberish while waving a wand and then crying “Chloe, help, we need a clue!”  worked just as well.

When assistance was required, it came in the form of an audio clue over the loudspeakers from Chloe. It’s a shame this wasn’t worked into the story in some way, especially since the Grand Wizard himself would chime in every 15 minutes to keep us apprised of the time we had left. Lack of immersion aside, it is an effective manner of clue delivery, and definitely preferable in this setting to a screen on the wall.

ANYTHING ELSE

Alongside Christmas rooms, Gord and I have a, shall we say, “history” with magic rooms. (We typically crash and burn in spectacular fashion). Potions and Peril was a delightful little exception to that, with fun puzzles and a lovely whimsical feel.

Success/Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 2 players – escaped in Unknown

Address: 125 High St, Southampton SO14 2AA

Website: https://www.elusionrooms.com/