A great escape

After hearing word of an experience like no other, we paid a visit to Escape Time St Ives, a live escape room game experience, to see what all the fuss was about.

As we arrived at Escape Time St Ives, we were greeted by Jimmy, our extravagant host. After leading us into the briefing room, he ran us through the rules of the game and showed us a quick video, and before we knew it we were all set to take on Prison X, one of two games available.

“As the ticking clock began its crescendo into the last five minutes, things really began to get quite tense”

The basic premise of all escape rooms is in the name and for us, our challenge was to do so within an hour. As the title suggests, Prison X resembles a prison cell, and rumour has it that escaped inmate Trevor Ashcroft has left some clues behind as to how he got out. With the guards having relaxed in their duties of late, now’s the time to make your attempt for freedom!

We had to solve a series of challenges based on what we could access in the room. Some were physical, others mental, but all of them were up against the clock. As the Commercial Team of Engine House Media we felt like we had a good chance of cracking this one, firmly believing in our ability to work together, but Prison X was a challenge unlike any we’d faced before. Our team of six quickly got to work and without any clear direction, decided to break into three teams of two, each taking on a separate task. We did need some help, and Jimmy was all too happy (if not a little cryptically!) to oblige, listening in and dropping the odd hint over the hour to keep us on track.

As the ticking clock began its crescendo into the last five minutes, things really began to get quite tense, but with 30 seconds to go we finally managed to solve the puzzle and escape to freedom.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to try The Chocolate Factory, the second available game, but we’ll certainly be returning to see if we can escape that too. Having malfunctioned and run out of ingredients, with an absent owner and all ingredients locked away, the aim at The Chocolate Factory is to fix the machine before it runs out of stock. Sounds exciting, and delicious!

An experience here would make a fantastic gift for those looking to maximize their time in Cornwall, and would certainly make an exciting way to mark a special occasion or a great activity for when the weather’s not so fair, so if you’re looking to fill your autumn/winter itinerary, why not visit the website and book your experience?

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Open seven days a week, Escape Time St Ives also offers gift vouchers. Valid for 12 months, these make a perfect gift for a birthday or Christmas, and can also be used as part payment towards a bigger group booking! Bookings required in advance.