Escapologic – Howitz

Escapologic – Howitz.
Location: Nottingham
Game Date 22/08/2016.
Team: Amy, Ian, Jackie, Mark & Richard

THIS GAME HAS CLOSED, AND HAS BEEN REVAMPED INTO A NEWER, BETTER VERSION CLICK HERE FOR THE REVIEW

After a lovely lunch at Charlie’s Coffee House just across the road, we were refuelled and ready to tackle the more scary room of Howitz. This room had been nominated for a Scare Award this year (Best Horror Themed Room Escape Adventure) So I was REALLY looking forward to this, and being scared! I am notoriously hard to scare in an actual scare attraction (because I work as a zombie throughout the month of October!!) but for some reason… I am easy to scare in Escape Rooms… I think because my attention is on something other than the scare… (see Cursed Carnival….)

Theme:
“A tragic loss. A happy family destroyed. A desperate man, irresistibly drawn to dark forces. As the door slams shut behind you, you’re trapped in the world of Eli Howitz, an enigmatic figure whose gut-wrenching story pervades every millimetre of the room.

Just what happened in Eli’s toy shop? You’ve heard the rumours. You know the horror stories off by heart. But how much truth is there in the police report? Can there really be ritualistic carvings on the walls? They say there were glowing symbols, and toys that whirred clicked, and span on their own…”

I just can’t say this enough.. Escapologic nailed it AGAIN with the theming. The beauty of all the rooms is they’re so so different, and the theming is just perfect for each room. Howitz is dilapidated, dank and definitely had a very strange aura and feel about the place, setting the tone perfectly… and our nerves on edge. It also had some FANTASTIC 1970s wallpaper and clever nods to the other rooms!

Game Play:
Yet again, 1 padlock….  How Escapologic comes to these brilliant rooms with no padlocks astounds me, every puzzle is perfectly fitting for the theme of the room. Howitz was a little more “findy” than the other rooms, but this fit perfect, as all the bits we were finding would be mixed in with all the toys and games in an abandoned toy shop!
To add to the scare factor… one team member is torn away from the group and forced to endure some scary gameplay all on their own… Guess who’s turn it was for this…. mine.
Thanks team… 😉 Howitz whilst leaving you to find things and solve puzzles also taps into your psyche and really gives you the heebie-jeebies!

Clue System:
The clues were delivered via a Oujia board… terrifying.. but genius. I am quite scared of Ouija boards so imagine my terror when it spelled. out. my. name.

Game Host:
Adam was our Game Host, and also our safe word in case we couldn’t cope with the horrors of Howitz! He was fun, friendly and clearly loved his job (and terrorising me, cheers Adam!)

Did we escape?
Yes!

Website: http://www.escapologic.com
Price:
Off Peak Prices
2 People – £ 40.00 (£ 20.00 pp)
3 People – £ 57.00 (£ 19.00 pp)
4 People – £ 70.00 (£ 17.50 pp)
5 People – £ 80.00 (£ 16.00 pp)
Monday – Thursday
11:30 – 19:00

Peak Prices
2 People – £ 50.00 (£ 25.00 pp)
3 People – £ 69.00 (£ 23.00 pp)
4 People – £ 84.00 (£ 21.00 pp)
5 People – £ 100.00 (£ 20.00 pp)
Friday, Saturday
10:00 – 20:30
Sunday
11:30 – 19:00