Room Escape Artist

Illusion is one of the best escape rooms near Amsterdam, Netherlands. Here are our recommendations for other great escape rooms near Amsterdam.

Smoke and mirrors

Location:  Waalwijk, Netherlands

Date Played: February 17, 2024

Team size: 3-6; we recommend 3-5

Duration: 90 minutes

Price: from €144 per team for 3 players to €180 per team for 6 players

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  All players need to crawl. At least 1 player needs to be relatively agile. At least 1 player needs to be comfortable in a small space and also able to climb a ladder.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Illusion was an elegant game. This upscale take on the classic escape room wove narrative into the experience from the opening moments. The onboarding and introduction were top notch.

Illusion created magic throughout the experience, but especially in the scene transitions. These were memorable moments that our team experienced together that will stick with us for a long time.

This escape game had a different feel from a lot of the other top games we’ve played in The Netherlands recently. It also had more challenging puzzles. While we enjoyed solving the puzzles, we wanted more variety in interaction design, that which would reward our solves and make us feel like we were really performing magic.

Additionally the excessive fog in one scene, while justified, clouded our experience.

We traveled a bit out of our way to play Illusion and I’m really glad we did. It was beautiful. It was classic and inventive at the same time.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Fans of the magical arts
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Magical scene transitions
• To solve a local mystery while solving puzzles, by following the narrative cluing in your environment

Story

An incredible magician had impressed local audiences until he disappeared from the stage during a performance, following a horrific accident with a spectator. An angry mob burned his hideout to the ground, and yet, magicians can sometimes slip through the cracks. Did this one?

Setting

We entered a humble, local museum of sorts. It was an ode to this incredibly talented magician. The walls were plastered with posters and newspaper articles. We even watched a film about him. But that was only where the story began.

Gameplay

Epic Escape’s Illusion was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around solving puzzles, observing, and making connections.

Analysis

➕ We loved our gamemaster’s introduction and seamless transition into the opening scene of the game. They emphasized local history, making the story feel that much more real. The video production in this scene was also outstanding.

➕ In the opening act, ordinary props came to life in a magical way. This set the tone for Illusion perfectly. We loved this scene.

➕/➖ Illusion was a puzzley escape game. It had more meaty puzzles than most of the games we played on our recent trip to the Netherlands. We found the puzzles to be well clued and fun to solve. However, they sometimes felt a bit small for the environment.

➖ Epic Escape’s lack of technical mastery sometimes betrayed the magic. Furthermore, while the puzzles let us play with magical items, they never made us feel like we were making magic, which seemed like a missed opportunity.

➕/➖ David proclaimed that Illusion had the single best escape room lock he’s seen, and it was well placed. However, we spent a lot of time unlocking one item that was gated by several locks with the same digit structure (thankfully, the locks were well labeled) which stifled momentum, as solves didn’t yield progress.

➕ In the main set, Epic Escape used the full verticality of the set for dramatic effect. It was fully detailed, which enhanced the setting in its own right, but further underscored a magical apparition.

➕ Illusion excelled in transition scenes. Each one was an illusion in and of itself.

➕ Epic Escape used well placed props to emphasize story beats. As we progressed through the set, we were solving the mystery of the magician’s disappearance while solving the puzzles. The environment told the story.

➖ In once scene, the fog was so heavy that two of our teammates had their faces in their shirts and could not participate in the gameplay. Luckily, our other two teammates were skilled enough to solve a challenging logic puzzle without them. While the fog was narratively justified, its intensity was not warranted. A little fog goes a long way.

➕ A solo moment was appreciated even more by the rest of the team than by the solo player. We’ve come to really appreciate this design that makes someone special but rewards the rest of the team, too.

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot.

Book your experience at Epic Escape’s Illusion, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.