XscapeNow: Runaway Train (Telford)

This is what we were training for

The infamous outlaw Butch Cassikey has proved impossible to catch. It’s believed he is on a train leaving from Locksville and the local Sheriff has sent you there to capture him.

Can you stop the train in time to avert disaster?

On our little northern (to us) road-trip we had already played some fun games at Clockwork Escapes, but we were looking forward to getting to XscapeNow in Telford to play some of their games. We had played here before but it was back in 2019 and we sadly only had time for one game on that day, Sweeney Todd. This time however, we were prepared. Although on this day we were only playing Runaway Train, we would be back in a couple of days to play Battleships (their newest game) and Oz (our 600th game).

XscapeNow are located on an industrial estate outside of town, but it’s very easy to get to and has plenty of on-site parking which makes everything much simpler. When we arrived we were greeted by one of the owners, Gordon (great name). *Edit: I believe the company has since changed hands.

I can’t recall now if Gordon was actually our host for Runaway Train, but I seem to remember he passed us over to someone else. After locking our belongings away in the lockers in reception, we headed down the corridor and stood outside the entrance to the train, where we received our health and safety and mission briefings.

Before we knew it, we were at the station and it was time to work out how to catch the train!

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

Runaway Train is one of those games that has been consistently near the top of the Escape the Review rankings for many years, so we knew we should be in for a good time. We enjoyed the ‘journey’ we took with this game, from first boarding the train to our final disembarkation, the spaces we encountered made sense within the context of the game.

Ok, some of the things on the train felt a bit out of place, but this is an escape room, so I think creative liberties are allowed to make the game more fun, and they certainly did. Also, despite being made to feel like we were on a train carriage, it was surprisingly spacious. We were only a team of two, but we had more than enough space to split up and move around.

I won’t list the spaces that we encountered on the train, as it’s good to have some surprises, but each area would not have been out of place in a Western movie about a train, or perhaps something written by Agatha Christie. Being a little more critical, I would have liked a more exciting end to the game, it was fine, just not as exciting as perhaps the rest of the game was.

PUZZLES

This is one of those lovely games that is completely family friendly, and as it’s pretty accessible you could take the whole family along to get involved. The gameplay was suited to both experienced and non-experienced teams (and large and small) as there were many times when the game play was non-linear, but with the usual choke points that brought everyone back together.

Difficulty level is always subjective, but Runaway Train felt like it was perhaps on the easier side (again good for inexperienced teams), I can’t recall how long we were in the first area for, but it was not long at all. The puzzles did vary in difficulty though, and some were a little more mentally taxing; observation, searching, teamwork, skill, coordination and logic, basically a bit of everything, and they all felt in keeping with the theme.

Solving the puzzles resulted in a mixture of things; some resulted in codes for padlocks, some gave keys, and others triggered tech – a good mixture. The signposting of this game was also spot on without being too ‘hand-holdy’. We found it was often clear where to go next, and what went with what, although we did try and solve something without having everything we needed and that did slow us down a little.

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

From what I call, clues for this game were limited; limited in the sense that you only got so many. So use them wisely! I can’t recall if we needed any help, but this game really did just flow so well that everything made sense. If we had needed help, I have a feeling that it would have come over the speaker system, or perhaps the TV screens? I really don’t recall, but help was there if/when needed.

Our host was clearly watching us closely, as after the game we had a thorough debrief (and lovely chat), and any questions we asked about the puzzles were answered.

ANYTHING ELSE

We’ve not played all the games at XscapeNow, but I think Runaway Train could maybe be my favourite there, actually, it may be Battleships – I can’t decide! Runaway Train is a strong game, with a great flow and is guaranteed to be a family favourite.

Probably the biggest selling point with this game is the set, it’s really rather expansive, and a joy to move on to the next space. But the set doesn’t outshine the puzzles which are also fun to solve and there were many ‘aha’ moments, as well as a few ‘haha’ moments!

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 2 players

Address: Units 18-19 Ketley Business Park, Telford TF1 5JD

Website: https://xscapenow.co.uk