Break Free Escape Room Stoke 98-104 High Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Newcastle ST5 1QQ

"Did two of these rooms, back to back and it was brilliant! The guy working (didn't catch his name) was very good and helpful with both games. Definitely recommend!"

"The worst escape room I have ever done. If you want a clue to your escape room, they walk in, turn the lights on and you need to hope they know what the answer is...they didn't in my case. The staff were incredibly rude and offence the whole time we were there. I don't know where the people reviewing this 5 star went to, I can only assume they have never need to another escape room before."

"For me, the best escape room experiences are challenging as well as enjoyable and rewarding. The Sherlock Holmes: The Scarlet Case room was neither enjoyable nor rewarding. The description on the website advertised this particular room being based on, "The popular TV programme & movie Sherlock Holmes." The theming had pretty much nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes, other than a few fleeting references to characters in text, which apparently had no bearing on the room. This room was a mystery, but it didn't feel like a modern take on a Holmes case. The theming of the room was sloppily done. Even when escape rooms are staged with decorations that do not have anything to do with clues/puzzles, they're typically on-theme at least and can help keep players on track when thinking of creative solutions (e.g. a room about a psychic/magician might have illustrations of upside down tarot cards painted on the walls, leading the players to perhaps try a solution upside down). I think my (least) favourite aspect about this room is that if a group is excellent at identfying and solving puzzles, they don't need to actually solve the mystery at all--the storyline and characters don't particularly matter. The clues and puzzles did not flow well in this room. There was no intuitive path to follow, and many puzzles were meant to be solved in a specific order. So even with a larger group, everyone might be waiting around, stuck on one clue to be solved before making any other progress. Our group was advised that hints are unlimited and would not count against us. Great! But it turns out the mechanism to request a hint is just a button inside the room, which lights up a bulb near the reception desk. Whenever a staff member notices and makes their way back, a hint may be given. The clock does run the whole time. Also, I didn't notice cameras or speakers in the room, which felt a bit unsafe. Our group of 6 didn't escape, as we were stymied by a particular puzzle at the very end. When a staff member came in and informed us 60 minutes was up, we asked what we missed when figuring out what we were working on. The staff member had no idea what the solution was and had to get a print out so they could read it out to us. After being given the method we needed, we tried to follow it to get the solution but it still didn't make sense. We attempted to ask about it again, but the staff member started chatting and admitted it was their "least favourite room." They were the third staff member who told us they failed to solve the room in time (each employee is apparently given the opportunity to solve each room by themselves to familiarise them with layouts/puzzles), and 2/3 said, "I really hate this room." They also informed us that despite being one of the oldest rooms in this location, it has only been successfully solved by 4 teams ever. By way of consolation, this staff member told us, "You made it way farther than most people. There's usually hardly anything to reset in this room." Just because an escape room is nearly impossible doesn't make it good, and this room certainly isn't an exception. We were told our group name could be voted on during a monthly contest and that we could potentially win a voucher to do another room here for free. However, I don't think we'll be coming back anytime soon."

"Visited this place today. Very disappointed. 4 of the items didn't work. The doors didn't open as they should. One cupboard didn't open. One box didn't open and so consequently we wasted time trying to work out what we should do next, when in fact we had solved the clue but didn't know because it didn't work. The girl was quite abrupt with us because we pressed the CLUE button and didn't apologise. The props were old and shabby. Wouldn't go again ...certainly not for 60 quid"

"First visit since re opening after covid. I booked over the phone and it was all straightforward. Team were friendly and helpful. We did Island of incarceration. The room was well thought out with lots of different types of puzzles, we did manage to escape. We had a great time and will go again."