Mythos Escape Rooms: Cursed Expedition (Murcia)

Worth the expedition to get there

The time has come! So many years studying archaeology and, at last, a unique opportunity presents itself to you.

One afternoon you received a notification and, before you knew it, you were on a train bound for Cairo.

You set out, along with a group of the world’s best archaeologists, to enter a pharaonic tomb to fulfill the somewhat murky wishes of a shady character.

You have no choice, if you value your life and that of your family, you have no choice but to carry out this dark mission. Time is pressing and there is no turning back. Good luck to you!

We had planned a week in Valencia with friends, but we had a moment on insanity and decided that before arriving in Valencia, we would head to Milan to play Mad Machines (Birth Machine and Time Machine) and then fly to Murcia to play The Cursed Expedition by Mythos Escape Rooms, pop over to Alacantarilla to check out Compadre Robbery by Start Play and then head down to play Halloween City by Carthago Escape Rooms in Cartagena. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

So on a very hot day in September, we arrived in Mercia and jumped in an Uber to go and visit Mythos Escape Rooms. The Cursed Expedition peaked in the TERPECA rankings back in 2021 where it ranked a very impressive position 26. In the years since, it has dropped significantly (161 in 2024). But any game that has ranked that high in those awards has to be something right.

When we arrived, we entered the darkened but clearly well themed waiting area where a video message began to play. This video was obviously originally recorded in Spanish, but had been dubbed into English – which was certainly useful for us! The video contained our mission briefing, some tips for the game, and where to go next.

We followed the instructions, made a quick use of the facilities and stowed away our luggage. With those tasks complete, we donned our explorer apparel and began our mission.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

Just from seeing the effort that Mythos had put into the entrance area for this game, it was clear that the set design was going to be more than just paint on the walls, and it was. It was a lot more.

The Cursed Expedition was truly an expedition. Starting where one would expect to start, and then going off on a twisting, turning, and at times unexpected, journey. This was an expedition worthy of Indiana Jones – just watch out for the booby traps!

This game first appeared on the TERPECA rankings back in 2020, so it’s at least five years old. Ok, some bits and pieces showed minor wear and tear, but it’s obviously been looked after really rather well.

We’ve never actually visited Egypt, but thanks to escape rooms, we’ve been in more Egyptian tombs than we can remember. The Cursed Expedition was one of the better Egyptian adventures we’ve been on, and with ambient ‘tomb’ noises being played at all times, we certainly felt immersed.

It’s worth noting that this game has some crawling, running, and mild climbing/stepping, so accessibility is not great. We played as a team of two and it worked well, but if you’re a bigger team, then you may get cosy in places.

PUZZLES

I’ve been trying to think about what it is that I generally don’t like about Egyptian themed rooms, and I think I know. There’s a certain puzzle type that inevitably ends up in this theme, and they often feel like a time sink. I won’t say what type of puzzle that is, but as this game didn’t have any, it’s safe to say it helped elevate our enjoyment.

The puzzles that were present, felt diegetic and were a joy to solve. Generally they could be classed as: communication, teamwork, observation, logic, searching and pattern recognition. One or two of the puzzles did involve colours, but not massively so.

As satisfying as the puzzles were to solve, I think what I enjoyed more was that each puzzle didn’t just open a padlock. In fact, padlocks were only present when you would expect them to be. While the rest of the game resulted in many tactile devices, or some hidden tech.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

There were two clue systems for this game, a primary, and a secondary/back-up. Both systems were given at the start, and were perfectly suitable for keeping with the story/theme. As a team of two, it worked well that we both had a clue system with us.

If we needed help, it could either come from a walkie-talkie, or a smartphone. Any clues on the phone were via text, but could also be more visual where necessary.

Our host was Joaquin, and he was spot on with help. Although I don’t remember actively asking for help, he would send through a little note if he thought we were going off on a tangent. Never a solution, just a nudge to get us back on track.

The smartphone also showed a countdown time so we knew how long we had remaining in this 75 minute game. I can’t comment for sure, as we didn’t ask for help, but there were a number of ticks on the phone that I would guess corresponded to how many hints we had left, so hints may be limited (but that is a guess).

ANYTHING ELSE

Historically (no pun intended) we’ve been pretty poor at Egyptian themed games, but the Cursed Expedition worked well for us. The set design was great, like a labyrinthine world that was very easy to get lost in, and the puzzles were enjoyable.

If you’re planning a trip to Murcia, then make sure you swing by Mythos Escape Rooms and give this room a try.

Success/Failed

Final Rating:

Team: 2 Players – 53 minutes

Address: Av. de la Libertad, 1, 30120 Murcia, Spain

Website: https://mythosmurcia.es/