The place to visit in the Valleys!
Step into the mysterious world of our Stranger Things-inspired escape room and embark on a thrilling adventure that will transport you to the Upside Down. Inspired by the hit Netflix series, our meticulously designed room captures the essence of Hawkins, Indiana, and its supernatural secrets. Immerse yourself in the 80s nostalgia as you work together with your team to uncover hidden clues, solve enigmatic puzzles, and unravel the mysteries lurking within the shadows. With authentic set designs, immersive storytelling, and heart-pounding suspense, this escape room experience will test your courage, intellect, and collaboration skills. Channel your inner Eleven and embrace the unknown as you navigate through a parallel dimension where danger and excitement go hand in hand.
For various reasons, we keep finding ourselves in Wales, and of course, whenever we do, it becomes inevitable that we will play an escape room (or five). Especially if there’s a new venue on the scene. Which is how we found ourselves in the Welsh Valleys, in the small town of Tonypandy. Which might seem like an odd place to open an escape room – except for the fact that there’s not much else to do for entertainment in the area without making the journey into Cardiff or Newport, giving some much needed excitement to the area.
Rhondda Escape Rooms now have three experiences, but for our first visit we only had time for one. We’re both big fans of Stranger Things, so naturally, we chose the game that drew inspiration from that: Strangest Things. We arrived bright and early after a pleasant drive from Somerset, where we found that the venue had ample parking before we made our way into the building. The reception area was open, and the theming of the various games spilled out into the space, setting the scene for what was to come. We were warmly greeted when we arrived, and in fact, our welcome was so friendly that it was a little while before our game got under way, as we were a little caught up in chatting about all things escape room.
But eventually, we did get going and were given a quick rundown on all the health and safety necessities. Thanks to the theming that spilled out into reception, it was clear where we were headed and we made our way to the door that was very clearly intended for us.
IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN
The set was well designed, and certainly captured not only the 80’s vibe of Stranger Things, but the actual vibe of the show, with every space we encountered a clear homage to the source material. While we love the show that the game draws inspiration from, you don’t need to be familiar with it to play, although you’ll certainly get more of the references if you are. The entrance to the game set the tone for what was to come, and we found ourselves becoming immersed in our surroundings as we explored the space.
Initially the space was quite dark but we quickly found ways to remedy that situation. Once our initial exploration of the space was completed, we found that the game played out in a relatively linear fashion. There were one or two points where we were able to split up on parallel puzzle paths, but not for long, as we made our way through Will’s house and into the Upside Down. The game was paced well, and while we were never rushing, it felt easy to flow from one task to the next, following the clues as they were revealed. Although the Strangest Things Experience is based on a show with an incredibly strong narrative, the game itself is only loosely tied to the story, with some puzzles relating to the story, but others just fitting in with the context of the show.
PUZZLES
The puzzles in The Strangest Things experience were generally satisfying and typically well sign posted. Although everything you need is in the game, and no outside knowledge of the media from which inspiration for the game was taken, certain things definitely made more sense if you did have the context of the show to go off of.
I would have loved to see more tactile challenges that felt “real” and the obligatory flashing fairy lights over letters puzzle, but the puzzles that were present in the game definitely fit within the theme. These often fell back into the typical sorts of escape room tropes that will be familiar to enthusiasts, with plenty of scavenging, codes, observation, and logical deduction needed to find the codes for the variety of padlocks around. Strangest Things wasn’t all padlocks though, and there were a few challenges to break up the codes.
GM/CLUE SYSTEM
Our hosts were a delight from the moment we stepped into the venue, to the moment we had to leave. We enjoyed chatting, and could have gone on for ages, especially since they have big, big plans, and we love nothing more than to hear all about escape room plans. But not only were they excellent hosts, but also excellent GM’s, who kept a close eye on our game, and were ready to chime in with help when required.
Prior to entering the world of Hawkins, IN, we were handed a walkie talkie. We were told that eventually clues would be more immersive than walkies, but for now, this was the best solution. In reality, the walkie talkies actually fit into the context of the theming, since the characters in the show use radios for communication. As it was, thanks to the typically quite intuitive puzzles, we didn’t actually need many (if any) clues or nudges.
ANYTHING ELSE
We’ve played a fair few games that are Stranger Things themed, but very few have gone to quite the level of detail in set design that Rhondda Escape Rooms have. With a detailed set, decent puzzles, and lovely owners, I’m happy to say Strangest Things is probably one of the most fun things to do in Tonypandy. Would we return to play their other games? Certainly.
Success/Failure
Final Rating:
| Operation | |
| Puzzles | |
| Room Design | |
| GM/Clues | |
| Excitement |
Team: 2 players – escaped in 22mins
Address: 1, Crown Building, Rhondda, Tonypandy CF40 1QF
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