escExit is a site in Sheffield that was flagged up by Ken and his mighty algorithm. Perhaps site is not necessarily the right word to use, as it has been designed to be relocatable for corporate events or private parties; however, it has held a number of pop-up events at the Bloo88 pizza-and-cocktails bar in the old Hallamshire Hotel building, a javelin throw away from the West Street stop on the Supertram, which is as close as the game has to a permanent base. Compare, perhaps, with Escapism of Nuneaton – and, similarly, on the road.
The game is recommended for teams of two to five. “You have one hour to escape from a locked room. Can you find the hidden clues, solve the puzzles and crack the codes to get out in time?” The pop-up events have charged just £10/player and the corporate rates are very reasonable as well.
This site sometimes struggles a little to know whether a game has a future, or is designed as a pop-up with a deliberately short life-span. (This site looks set to be here, and to be offered as a pop-up, indefinitely, even if irregularly.) Happily, it’s not unknown for intended pop-ups to prove so popular that they are extended; the St. Helens Library system’s St. Helens vs. the Lizards (co-designed by Exit Strategy) has proved so popular that bookings have opnened, and indeed nearly all gone, for a third week rather than the intended two. Even if you can’t make it to enjoy the room in person, you can at least enjoy the fab, barely-8-bit Teletext art and hints as to what sort of game it might be.