Wake Up!: Questomatica (Amsterdam)

Probably not the one to end on

Matilda’s dreams are always happy and cheerful, but this time something went wrong. Thousands of fantasies, riddles and illusions got mixed up in a mysterious and unpredictable knot, and you are trapped right in the middle of it!

Become a part of an exciting adventure full of unexpected twists, unique tasks and unusual riddles. Carefully designed setting, light and sound effects create a truly immersive atmosphere providing an experience that will be difficult to forget.

Our Amsterdam Escape Room trip was sadly coming to an end, and we had played some amazing games over there. Of course, being escape room addicts enough is never enough, and we noticed we had a little bit of free time where we could fit in an escape room while walking to a brewery (a brewery in a windmill no less). Decent options in central Amsterdam are somewhat limited, especially since we had already played the games by Sherlocked. So we took a punt on Questomatica as they were a short walk from Amsterdam Centraal station.

We arrived at the venue and were greeted by our host, whose name I can’t recall (sorry) and as our game was ready we were pretty much shown right in. Well, after dropping our belongings in the lockers, using the toilet, and having the room and mission briefings.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

We played some amazing and high budget games when we were in The Netherlands, so it’s perhaps a bit cruel to Wake Up! that it had to follow them. The room design was decent but it just didn’t compare to any of the other games we played.

The spaces that we encountered made sense in terms of the story and our progression through it. I actually think if this room was in the UK it would probably have quite a fan club, but unfortunately it’s surrounded by world class games so it very much lives in their shadow.

I guess if I had to describe the set design for Wake Up! I would use the word ‘cute’? Maybe. There was nothing overly stand out about it, although there were some cool things which we appreciated at the time. Lighting was never really an issue and sound helped to create a cosy atmosphere, but the rooms did feel quite sparse at times.

Probably my least favourite thing about this game was that we got in the room, the timer started, and we then had to stand in the dark and listen to the opening preamble from the woman singing. We don’t play for time, but it’s annoying when you’re in the room and see your time ticking down in front of your eyes while you can’t do anything. It would have been a much better move to have started the time after the singing was done.

PUZZLES

The game played out in quite a linear fashion, which at times with a group of four did mean that some of us were a bit lost for things to do while others solved the only solvable puzzle.

We quite enjoyed one mechanic/design of the game but it felt like they didn’t fully utilise it and use it as much as they could have. Still, it was cool when we realised it, even if it was short lived.

The puzzles themselves generally fitted into the theme of the game and weren’t overly taxing. At one point we completed a puzzle but weren’t aware so we spent a little time in confusion unsure if what we had done actually worked.

Puzzles generally revolved around: searching, observation, audio, logic, and maths. I don’t remember too many padlocks in this game so I’ll assume most things resulted in tech triggering.

Most of the tech did work fine, but the last puzzle was very ‘temperamental’ and had to be stupidly precise in order to trigger. Unfortunately the glitchy end and just leaving into an empty corridor left a flat feeling after the game.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

We played a number of games in Amsterdam and one thing we noticed was that in most of the venues, our gamesmaters couldn’t wait to chat about the game. Unfortunately at Questomatica it seemed like our host just wanted us out of the way when we finished. There was no chatting, no thorough debrief (if any), it was just a team photo and out.

If we needed any help, and we did once as we didn’t know something had triggered, we could simply request it and a voice would come over the speaker to try and assist. There was a screen in the room that also showed a countdown timer, but we weren’t in the room long enough to really pay any attention to it, as we completed the game in around 29 minutes.

ANYTHING ELSE

Do I regret playing this game? No. Do I regret making it our last game in Amsterdam? Yes. Wake Up! wasn’t a bad game, it just doesn’t stand a chance with the other games on offer. If you’re desperate for a game, or perhaps a warm up game, then it’s not a terrible choice. But for the money, there are better options available.

Success/Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 4 players – escaped in around 29 mins

Address: Foeliestraat 16, 1011 TM Amsterdam, Netherlands

Website: https://questomatica.nl/