Prison Break is one of the best escape rooms in Berlin, Germany. Here are our recommendations for other great escape rooms in Berlin.
Escape Stasi prison.
Location: Berlin, Germany
Date played: September 3, 2017
Team size: 2-4; we recommend 2-4
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: 79€ per team Mon-Thurs, 99€ per team Fri-Sun, 20€ discount for 2-player teams
Story & setting
Arrested and locked up by the Stasi, the East German secret police, we had to follow the clues left behind by other dissidents and escape prison.
Final Escape’s Prison Break set was mighty compelling. It was a detailed, bleak jail experience with hidden complexity. We’ve often joked about all prison sets looking the same, but some really do stand out, and this was one of them.
Puzzles
Early on, much of the challenge was in determining how to make progress within the minimalist confines of prison. The later potion of Prison Break included more complex and involved puzzling.
Standouts
Prison Break offered more than initially met the eye. The spatial design and progression built drama into this escape room.
Final Escape designed the puzzles to feel like hacking. We had to make use of our limited resources to break ourselves out.
From the puzzles, to the resource management, to the exit itself, we enjoyed how the final act of Prison Break felt plausible.
The final puzzle sequence was fantastic.
Shortcomings
Prison Break was a linear escape room. With only one puzzle to work on at a time, when it slowed, it came to a halt.
Final Escape didn’t build a lot of clue structure into these puzzles. Prison Break wouldn’t have stalled as much if there was just a bit more path between the various interactions.
Should I play Final Escape’s Prison Break?
Prison Break followed a narrative arc. We had to cobble together an escape with only the limited materials in our prison cells. As we moved through the escape room, the set changed, but still required us to work within the confines of a plausible space to craft a breakout. In this way, Prison Break felt more like an adventure than many escape rooms.
On the flip side, the puzzles were in making the connections. In general, they weren’t particularly complex or cerebral. I would have loved it if Final Escape had built more clue structure into this escape room and added another puzzle or two to fill the time.
Prison Break is an escape room for those seeking action and adventure over intense puzzling. Note that you have to crouch and crawl to move about this escape room. If that kind of sneaking around and hacking your way through seems exciting, I fully recommend Prison Break.
Book your hour with Final Escape’s Prison Break, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
For a local perspective, see Escape Maniac (in German).
