Random Rooms: The Mine (Newport)

We were dim, like a mine

Random-Mine was the Isle of Wight’s only coal mine, but closed in 1985. It has now been reopened a marvellous tourist attraction allowing people to explore this unusual place.

However, on your visit, some old explosives have accidentally been triggered- the countdown to detonation has begun.

If you fail to deactivate the explosives within 60 minutes everyone in the mine will perish in the huge explosion!

Normally we plan our trips around escape rooms, but strangely for us, this one was planned around a restaurant. We were last on the Isle of Wight back in 2021 which was when we last played at Random Rooms in Newport. Coincidentally it was also when we were introduced to an amazing culinary experience called ‘Call it what you want’.

We’d been craving the American Creole inspired dishes so booked ourselves a table over a long weekend, and then worked out which escape rooms to play. We remembered Random Rooms being a fun experience, although their games have since changed since we were last there, so we booked ourselves in for their newest experience, ‘The Mine’.

When we arrived we were welcomed by the owner (and our GM), Alex. We were also greeted by a lovely message on the tv in reception saying ‘Welcome Team Moist Tornado’ (yes, that’s often our team name…). It’s a lovely little touch that made us feel welcomed and reassured that we’d booked at the correct venue!

After a lovely chat with Alex, it was time to get down to business. He gave us our health and safety chat and then enlightened us about the mining history of Newport, and how coincidentally there was a mine at this very location… you can guess where we were headed.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

Alex escorted us down the familiar corridor with nondescript wooden doors and we stopped outside the entrance to The Mine. I have a feeling that this used to be The Dragon Room in a former life, but it certainly looked very different and it was clear to see that Random Rooms had upped their game with this set design.

I have actually been in a few mines in my lifetime and one thing they all seem to have in common is an eerie silence. Which is probably why Random Rooms decided to have no music or ambient noises playing in this experience, which was fine.

I would hazard a guess that this game is actually very accessible. I can’t recall any steps getting into the game and then in the game it all felt very open and I recall one ramp, and no steps. If accessibility is a concern for you, check with the venue, but I think this is a safe bet.

PUZZLES

This is one of those games where pretty much everything is on show from the start, so no surprises. You can’t access everything you need, but you can see it. So observation is key.

There is a clear starting point in The Mine, and if you don’t notice it you can continue but you will hit a wall very early on – and that’s exactly what we did. We had things we needed for later but just couldn’t move at all. Once Alex got us back on track we picked up speed.

Wordplay, observation, searching, logic, teamwork, and pattern recognition were the key puzzle tropes in The Mine. Nothing was particularly challenging and most of the puzzles felt fair.

Ok, there were perhaps one or two puzzles we weren’t fans of, but I think we had already ‘borked’ our brains by our schoolboy error at the start and it stopped us thinking clearly.

Many of the puzzles resulted in combinations for padlocks, and we found that the game played out in a mostly linear way. Although you could work on puzzles in different orders, just not necessarily complete them until it was the correct time.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

Alex was a great host and it’s clear to see he is passionate about the experiences they create. Ok, the Isle of Wight is clearly not targeting the enthusiast market, but if you need to scratch that itch, it’s a fun time.

There was a timer on the screen in the room that was visible at all times, and if we wanted a clue we simply had to ask for it and it would be displayed on the screen.

I must admit, the clue system here is certainly unique and I’m not sure I’ve seen it anywhere else. It’s low tech and a bit strange, but it works, so there is that.

We were dim in this game, really dim. We missed something early on that we needed to use to start the game and this slowed us down massively. I think Alex didn’t want to clue us right away as he expected us to find it, but he didn’t account for how dim we actually are.

When we finally caved (pun intended) and asked for help, it came quickly and was enough to get us back on track. We then suitably berated ourselves for not seeing something that wasn’t even hidden! We just both ignored it. Fail.

ANYTHING ELSE

Somehow, despite our dimness we got the room record for The Mine. Ok, it hadn’t been open long but I could see enthusiasts fly through this room as it wasn’t the most challenging.

There aren’t many escape room venues on the Isle of Wight, but if you don’t set your expectations at TERPECA level, then you should have fun at least at Random Rooms.

Probably the biggest disappointment in our game was the ending. It just felt very flat and I think we were expecting more theatrics. Instead we just had the GM coming in and saying ‘well done’. A minor thing, but it kinda flattened the experience a little.

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 2 players

Address: 5 Chain Ln, Newport PO30 5QA

Website: https://www.random-rooms.co.uk/