TimeTrap: Imaginarium (Reading)

Quirky, Wacky, Fun!

In 1863, Professor Potch’s favourite author, Lewis Carroll, has been caught up in a horse and cart accident in Bucklebury market, and is now in hospital suffering from a head injury that has caused some funny goings-on, most dreadfully, memory loss! And the worst part – Lewis Carroll had just begun writing his masterpiece, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which Professor Potch now fears will never be published!

We’ve been wanting to try out TimeTrap’s rooms for a long time but it’s just never worked out in the past so it was great that we could finally make it a reality but a shame we were too slow to catch Rebellion 1136 before it closed.

This was our second room at TimeTrap having successfully saved history in Station X and as we had a little downtime between rooms we were able to relax in their very comfortable waiting room.

After a bit of time recharging and stocking up on sweets our GM came to collect us and take us to the room. She gave a well spirited health and safety chat, gave us the room briefing and explained how we were going to be shrunk down in size in order to fit inside Lewis Caroll’s head – standard day really.

The shrinking room was a bit of fun and set the tone well for the room. Once we got inside the room proper it can best be described as “If Willy Wonka made an escape room”, ok there was nothing edible in the room, but it just felt a little bit wacky.

PUZZLES

As you would expect in a Lewis Carrol, Alice in Wonderland themed room, puzzles were all over the place. Some searching for items, some physical puzzles, and even a puzzle that involves smell. We’ve seen scent puzzles used before but often you need to know exactly which brand of Columbian deep roasted coffee bean you can smell, so it was nice that TimeTrap kept things simple.

It’s hard to write about the puzzles without giving anything away, but if you have seen or read Alice in Wonderland I’m sure you’ll appreciate the theming and how they link to the puzzles, and if you haven’t seen/read it, well just enjoyed a lovely room with fun puzzles.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

This is one of those rooms like Old Father Time that just has a lovely feel about it and feels strangely wondrous, and everything was a bit fantastical.

There’s a nice flow through this game and you can tell that the designers wanted you to follow a story, from Lewis Caroll’s brain where you’re waking up his senses and then unlocking his wacky imagination.

The only let down for us was the ending that felt just a little flat There was no pomp and circumstance about ‘resizing’ back to normal size, which was a shame. We were in a room questioning if that was it (it was) and the GM came in and said “Well done”. Really though, that is the only negative about this room and even that isn’t a big thing.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

We love it when a room tries something a little different and doesn’t just use a regular countdown timer, and Imaginarium did exactly that. They found a way to give you a sense of time yet make it stay on theme and not feel out of place.

Our GM was there when we needed her (twice) and clues were delivered promptly and in a way that felt correct.  Whenever we found ourselves floundering inside the mind of Lewis Carrol, the author himself was available to help think things through and navigate his wacky imagination.

ANYTHING ELSE

TimeTrap have a great reputation in the escape room enthusiast world and it’s clear to see why. We can’t wait to head back to see them for Pudding Lane!

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 5 players – escaped in 39:58 with two clues

Address: 11 Friar St, Reading RG1 1DB

Website: https://www.timetrapescaperooms.com