Escape the witch – Alcatraz escape rooms

Played on May 17th 2024 by:

We continued our visit at Alcatraz in Hamilton with Escape the Witch. In this scenario, you dive into the haunted town of Dark Hollow and confront the curse of Maledicta Blackwood. You must uncover the century-old secret of this witch within the walls of an old manor. Her vengeful spirit fiercely guards its mysteries, and as dawn approaches, the stakes rise. Will you manage to calm the wrathful spirit of the Dark Hollow witch and escape, or will you become another lost soul trapped in her haunting tale? We found the storyline to be quite standard—nothing particularly unique—but at least the objective is clear.

Before starting the escape room, there’s a video explaining the story. The set design in the first room is basic, especially since there aren’t actual walls but only black curtains all around. Many items of the room looked unfinished and we could also see a lot of wires. It’s very dark, and it’s unclear where we are within the context of the scenario. The next room is a step up in terms of decor—it feels more realistic, although there are visible wires and some unfinished elements. There’s a noticeable difference in quality between the rooms. The game had a lot of potential, but it feels like they rushed to finish it. In the end, the immersion didn’t quite work for us especially because of the first room.

The puzzles were of medium difficulty but still required some thought. They were all related to the theme. It’s a linear room, so you can only solve one puzzle at a time. There was a good variety with a nice mix of traditional locks and automatic mechanisms. Unfortunately, one of the automatic puzzles didn’t work properly. Hints were given via walkie-talkie, and the game master did not play a character linked to the story.

Overall, we liked the room okay —we enjoyed the puzzles, but we were disappointed by the set design. We recommend doing this room in a small group of friends and not with young children, as it could be too scary for them. We’re satisfied with our performance because we finished within a good time and only asked for one hint. We liked it okay—and we escaped!

: Yes

Sophie