“… We shall fight them in the puzzles…”
Location: London, England
Date Played: May 5, 2019
Team size: up to 7; we recommend 3-4
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: £89 per team off peak / £120 per team peak
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Battle for Britain was fantastic blend of delightful, quirky design with an elegant but humble construction.
Escape Plan created an entire escape game around directing the response to the Luftwaffe’s attack on London. Our job was to set the battle plan by placing squadrons on a gigantic map. When all was said and done, we watched the information come in on the success (or failure) of our plans… and it was a great moment.
Battle for Britain was a thoughtful game built into the right building. Escape Plan nailed the right details. This one is absolutely worth playing if you’re visiting London.
Who is this for?
- History buffs
- Story seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Any experience level
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- A charming set
- A unique mission
- The massive battle map setpiece
- The end sequence
Story
With the Luftwaffe inbound and poised to attack London, we had to decipher their ciphers, determine their targets, and dispatch fighter squadrons to intercept them.
Setting
Battle for Britain was built into a beautiful old building that was brimming with charm. The various props and setpieces integrated perfectly into this space, like they’d always belonged there.
Escape Plan spread the game out over two different spaces: a pilot’s bar and a war room. The centerpiece of the entire game was the gigantic map of Britain, which we used to order squadrons about.
Gameplay
Escape Plan’s Battle for Britain was an atypical escape room with a lower level of difficulty.
Our goal wasn’t to escape, but to order the fighter squadrons to the correct intercepts.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, puzzling, and keeping organized.
Analysis
➕ The charming set and props in Battle for Britain felt like they belonged in the building. They were fun to behold and manipulate.
➕ That giant map. The gameplay would have functioned just as well with a smaller map, but the battle wouldn’t have been the same. That map made all the difference.
➕ Battle for Britain presented contained searching. While it was a search-heavy game, all searching was directed. We knew what we were looking for and how many items we still had to find. We didn’t mind searching because we weren’t searching blindly.
➖ The puzzles were themed, but not story driven. While they made use of the props, most of them rested on top of the mission rather than within it.
➕ Teams need to stay organized to succeed at Battle for Britain. Escape Plan provided all the tools to do this easily.
➕ The gating for the final battle was cleverly crafted to avoid teams triggering the climactic scene before placing all their squadrons.
➖ There were some in-game instructions that were out of character. While there will always be the teams who need this, it would be great if it could hit you over the head while still feeling like part of the game world.
➕ Teams don’t win or lose Battle for Britain. Instead they watch a battle unfold and see how well their squadrons performed. This unorthodox game design was intriguing and kept us engaged through the final scene, watching the battle play out. It was a memorable finale.
➕ Escape Plan minded the historical details, but not to an extent that it broke the game. They took liberties as needed for gameplay, but the escape room felt true to the source material.
Tips For Visiting
- Battle for Britain is at Escape Plan’s Kennington location.
Book your hour with Escape Plan’s Battle for Britain, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Escape plan comped our tickets for this game.
