Room Escape Artist

Frankenstein is one of the best escape rooms in Berlin, Germany. Here are our recommendations for other great escape rooms in Berlin. While not near by, if you’re playing escape rooms in Germany, consider our recommendations for escape rooms in Bavaria and escape rooms in Hamburg.

A Shocking Experiment

Location: Berlin, Germany

Date Played: August 4, 2023

Team Size: 2-5; we recommend 2-3

Duration: 75 minutes

Price: 117€ for a team of 2 up to 195€ for a team of 5

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: All players must walk through a narrow passageway

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Miraculum’s Frankenstein took us into the grisly world of Mary Shelley’s eponymous literary masterpiece.

This experience will especially appeal to scenery snobs; the environment was stunningly rendered with a high level of detail, dramatically moody lighting, and the sort of texturing, weathering, and rusting that made me want to touch every surface and “ooooh” in delight. This was all bookended by some satisfying theatrics that helped bring the world to life.

Frankenstein was, however, a tad shakier on the gameplay. While the puzzles generally were logical and flowed well, many felt more simplistic or less grounded in the environment than I’d expect from an experience of this caliber. Some of this arose from the theming: I wish Frankenstein hadn’t embraced the “mad scientist writing on the wall” trope as much, instead leaning even further into the “intriguing contraptions” that comprised some of my favorite interactions in the game.

I’m a big fan of Miraculum’s whole schtik, and I look forward to seeing their framing principle of “entering into different famous literary works” continue to expand over time. If choosing between Frankenstein and The Golden Phoenix, I found both to have awe-inspiring set design yet The Golden Phoenix was overwhelmingly stronger on game design. Nonetheless, my teammates were split on which was their favorite based on thematic preference, so you can’t go wrong either way — and I highly recommend checking out both.

Who is this for?

• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level
• Fans of the dark and mysterious

Why play?

• A detailed, cinematic set
• You like moody sci-fi experiences

Story

Our teacher, Dr. Frankenstein, had gone missing. We entered his home in an attempt to find his secret lab and reveal the truth behind what he’d been working on.

Setting

Frankenstein took us to the home and laboratory of Dr. Frankenstein. Starting off fairly spartan — though far from plain — the game quickly progressed into something out of a sci-fi fantasy, with detailed anatomical drawings, rugged wood paneling, and a range of scientific apparatuses.

Gameplay

Miraculum’s Frankenstein was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, making connections, and communicating.

Analysis

➕ Like in The Golden Phoenix, Miraculum guided us into the world of Frankenstein through a delightfully literary sequence of theatrics, along the way defining clear boundaries for the magic circle. As my team had already played The Golden Phoenix, some of this introduction felt familiar, but Frankenstein added its own unique twists in subtle ways.

➕  Frankenstein‘s set design was gorgeous, vividly immersing players in all directions from the moment they stepped into Dr. Frankenstein’s home. The level of attention to detail — in every prop, in the texture of every surface, in the way different parts of the room were lit — was inspiring.

➕ A transition utilized some simple effects and a smart use of space to pull off a successful tonal shift.

➖ The first main puzzle of Frankenstein was tedious and boring. It was something I’d expect to see from a 2015 lock-and-key game, not a 2023 game with top-notch scenic design. The gameplay picked up significantly past this point, but Frankenstein could benefit from a more inspired opening act that was more meaningfully integrated into the set.

➕ Past the beginning segment, the majority of the gameplay was smooth and thematic. Though the puzzles relied on some classic escape room tropes, these were fun tropes.

➕/➖ An extended search sequence was challenging in an enjoyable way. However, when we got stuck looking for the last item, this gameplay structure led to us losing significant momentum going into the finale.

➕ Frankenstein put on a stimulating show for the finale. With expertly paced effects and cinematic framing, this was a satisfying climax to the experience.

❓”Frankenstein” provides a nice variant on the more standard “laboratory” or “medieval castle” escape room themes. No outside knowledge of the source material was required to enjoy this game.

Tips For Visiting

• Frankenstein was designed by The ROOM Labs, the minds behind THE ROOM Berlin.
• Street parking is available nearby.

Book your session with Miraculum’s Frankenstein, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Miraculum provided media discounted tickets for this game.