Seriously, check out the real Lanes first
Location: Brighton, England
Date Played: January 8, 2023
Team size: 4-9; we recommend 3-4
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: from £32 per player for teams of 2 to £26 per player for teams of 6 or more
Ticketing: Private
Accessibility Consideration: There are stairs down to the game, but no stairs within the experience.
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Loot the Lanes captured the look and feel of a local landmark. The Lanes are a quirky stretch of narrow, twisting streets in Brighton with iconic shops and restaurants.
Pier Pressure made a classic escape room theme – the heist – feel fresh by setting it against a recognizable backdrop. The painting on the store fronts brought the set to life. They really looked like the local shops. The cobblestone floor sold the set. Our run-of-the-mill escape room heist had so much more intrigue with this backdrop.
The attention to detail that initially impressed us didn’t carry through every part of the set. Later on, the spaces felt sparse and less polished. While this diminished the charm, the puzzles integrated well with the set and gameplay flowed. However, we wished Pier Pressure had drilled down more into one interaction that fell short of its potential.
For a traveling escape room player, there’s nothing better than a locally-themed game. If you’re traveling to Brighton (only 2 hours south of London by train), Loot the Lanes is a must-play. First take a stroll through The Lanes in person and then perform your heist in this delightful recreation.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle lovers
- Scenery snobs
- Any experience level
- People who have walked through The Lanes
Why play?
- A charming escape room interpretation of an iconic Brighton neighborhood
- Collaborative puzzles
- A fun escape room environment
Story
We were bad guys, but we were the good kind of bad guys. We were attempting to pull off a heist to steal the Brighthelm Diamond before the very bad guys stole it first.
Setting
Having walked through The Lanes earlier in the day and seen some of the iconic shops they were parodying, we appreciated that Pier Pressure did a remarkably good job recreating the look and feel of The Lanes. The opening set on the street was detailed and charming.
Gameplay
Pier Pressure’ Loot the Lanes was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and solving puzzles.
Analysis
➕ We adore local themes! It was fun to see an iconic neighborhood recreated as an escape room. The street with the storefront windows looked great. The painting really evoked the look and feel of The Lanes.
➕ The set of Loot the Lanes was larger than it initially appeared. The storefronts teased additional spaces well, but Pier Pressure didn’t show their whole hand.
➖ Once inside the shops, however, the sets lacked the attention to detail we’d loved about the storefronts. The rooms felt sparse, which was a bit of a let down.
➖ One of the major set pieces just didn’t deliver. It was barely used and easily bypassed. We felt screwed out of an exciting interaction.
➕ We especially enjoyed the challenges that required team work, with each person taking up their station. When the team communicated effectively, these made for especially fun solves.
➕/➖ The gameplay in Loot the Lanes flowed well. It relied quite a bit on escape room logic, but as long as we didn’t stop and think too hard about why each interaction was a part of the game, it worked. Plus, the puzzles solved cleanly.
➖ One prop for the culminating puzzle was inexplicably less designed than the others. This felt incomplete.
➕ Our gamemaster introduced Loot the Lanes in character. They added charm to the whole experience.
Tips For Visiting
- Spend some time walking around The Lanes before you play this escape room.
- There is no parking immediately outside the venue, it is all residents only. Pier Pressure recommends parking at Churchill Square car park. We found Brighton to be a walkable city.
Book your hour with Pier Pressure’s Loot the Lanes, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Pier Pressure’ provided media discounted tickets for this game.
