Room Escape Artist

Update 10/29/24: If you enjoyed this article, we hope you’ll check out our interview with Jeroen van Hasselt, Co-Creator of Demise of the Gricers, on S8E5 of The Reality Escape Pod.

Demise of the Gricers is one of Belgium’s best escape rooms. Here are our other escape room recommendations in the area.

Praise the All Train

Location:  As, Belgium

Date Played: June 22, 2024

Team size: 2-5; we recommend 2-5

Duration: 200 minutes (extended version)

Price: from €450 per team of 2 to €600 per team of 5 (extended version)

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  All players must be able to climb up and down stairs and ladders repeatedly and crawl repeatedly. You will be moving the whole time. Some amount of cardio fitness is recommended.

Emergency Exit Rating: It was unclear to us if the space was locked.

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Demise of the Gricers is a massive complex beast of a creation. It’s a lot of things, but at the very top of the list is: unfamiliar. I’ve never seen or heard of anything even remotely like this game. I will do my very best to explore this experience without spoiling anything critical to the enjoyment of the experience.

This was one of my personal favorite experiences to date, but I do not recommend going in fully blind. Demise of the Gricers is not for everyone and it presents a number of very real opportunities for injury. If you do hurt yourself, you will not be the first.

What Even is Demise of the Gricers?

At its core, Demise of the Gricers is a game of exploration in a massive train yard. Parts of it take place outdoors, but most of the game is played inside in a dim, yet dramatically lit space among the trains. And I really do mean among the trains… there is an extraordinary amount of climbing up and down from trains and crawling.

To facilitate this, we were given coveralls, kneepads, and helmets. Take the selection of your gear seriously. This equipment is there for your safety and comfort. Make sure that everything fits properly and is comfortable because you’ll be wearing it for a long time: 2-4 hours, depending upon the mode that you choose. In my opinion, the 4-hour (extended) version is the only way to play, especially if you’re traveling to Belgium like we did.

In addition to the protective equipment, we were given some bespoke tech to both facilitate gameplay and deliver story. I won’t say much about this other than Entered made something really cool here.

From a narrative and gameplay standpoint, Demise of the Gricers had us infiltrating a train worshipping cult, hiding amongst their cargo, and looking for information, while also learning about their culture. Gameplay was heavily focused on sneaking and moving with agility. From a story standpoint, I’d be lying to you if I said that I was bought into the fiction going in… “a train worshipping cult? lol.” But they made it real. They built their world, stuck to it unflinchingly, and they made me buy-in and care.

There is one thing that Entered treated as a spoiler at the time that we had played, but have since softened their stance on, for the better, because it made the game safer and more enjoyable. That key piece of information is that you cannot have your game ended by being captured (unless it is very late in the game or you are mistreating the performers). I’ve been told that the rules and introduction have been updated since we played to clarify this for all teams.

What Made Demise of the Gricers Special?

Entered’s commitment to the fiction of their world was deeply compelling, enthralling even. The performers put in a lot of world-building work, never passing up an opportunity to add to the fiction.

In addition to the artificial, the realness of the train yard and the trains, as well as the technology that we were augmented with, gave the world a palpable gravitas.

Finally, the uniqueness of Demise of the Gricers‘ gameplay was truly special. It had us traversing this world, engaging physically to an exhausting yet invigorating degree. The time flew by, and I exerted myself more in this game than in anything in recent memory. Few will accuse me of being in fantastic shape, so the fact the time went by in a flash feels nothing short of miraculous.

What About Demise of the Gricers Needs Improvement?

As much as I loved Demise of the Gricers, for safety, it needed some improvements, in additional to the key “truth in rules” change, which has been recently implemented.

Tutorial Hazards

There is a point early in the game where we experienced a tutorial. The tutorial was great, but the environment that we were in was overtly hazardous, with all sorts of rusty and pointy things. Now, it was easy to avoid these things in this space, as it was light. However, they created a feeling that the rest of the game was this carelessly constructed, which it was not. The danger of this space deeply damaged trust in the rest of the experience.

To add to this, at the conclusion of the tutorial and beginning of the main game, there were a pair of dips in the concrete floor. These need to be filled with something. The floor of the game was level beyond this (not counting the trains), but again this one instance of uneven floors set poor expectations for what was to come.

Glow Tape Maintenance

When we played, it seemed like the glow tape surrounding the game’s many large train steps had been renewed. This needs to be consistently checked and refreshed. Not everyone sees well in low light, especially early in the game. Later in the game, our eyes had adjusted and the lighting was sufficient, but that tape was a major lifeline.

Demise of the Gricers is Incredible

I loved Demise of the Gricers, two of my other three teammates were also utterly enchanted by it, and the third one respected the game deeply and also admitted that while it wasn’t her game, the time still flew by… which is a feat, if you think about that.

The amount of creativity and deliberate design on display was dumbfounding. Yes, there were spots that need some critical improvement, but I want to take a moment and appreciate the fact that Entered produced an entirely new style of play, created a fully realized game world, and fabricated tech that has never existed before in service of their vision… and they did it all in a historic train building. Demise of the Gricers is a more fully realized experience than 99% of the escape rooms and immersive games that we have ever played. They did this without the benefit of other similar work to take inspiration from. If that isn’t special, then I don’t know what is.

It is my sincere hope that Entered further iterates on Demise of the Gricers, and that they take the ideas that they have developed here and produce new material… because I had the time of my life in their insane creation. Demise of the Gricers is worth traveling to play, but play it seriously, and don’t take a step unless you know where your foot is landing.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Thrill seekers
• Train fanatics
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Physically enthralling gameplay
• A story that was over-the-top, yet shockingly compelling
• Unique gameplay with deep roots in video gaming
• Strong actor performances, both scripted and improvised
• We’ve never seen anything like it
• It’s 4 hours (unless you book the shorter version)

Story

A secretive organization known as “The Red Eye” had contacted us to investigate a fanatical train worshipping cult known as “The Gricers.”

Setting

Beginning outdoors, we eventually found our way inside of an old train depot where we explored the structure and the trains within it while avoiding and encountering performers.

Very little of the game world was constructed. Most of it was authentic to the train depot, with small additions for gameplay and world building. Most of the game took place in low light, which was notably challenging initially, but became far more comfortable after our eyes had adjusted and we became more familiar with the environment.

Due to the realness of the environment, we were given helmets, kneepads, and coveralls, in addition to some wearable tech to facilitate gameplay. The protective gear was not for aesthetics; it was absolutely necessary.

Amongst the performers we found both allies and antagonists. Both played their roles exceptionally well.

Gameplay

Entered’s Demise of the Gricers was a deeply unusual game that was built around exploring and moving through a large train yard.

Core gameplay revolved around exploration, sneaking, hiding, and maneuvering through the space. Additionally, there were character interactions that generally did a good job of making your role in the moment clear.

Analysis

➕ The onboarding was thoughtful and thorough. There was a lot to cover, but it was well-paced. We took it in in stages. It was clear, and if it ever wasn’t, there was ample time to ask questions

➕ Onboarding included a practice session where we could try out the custom gadgets Entered built for the game, and figure out how they worked. This tested our understanding of the game’s underlying mechanic. This also tested each individual’s equipment. Both were crucial.

➖ The environment where we practiced wasn’t entirely safe; it contained debris and sharp edges. It was bright and we were moving slowly, so the hazard wasn’t as dangerous as it could have been, but it misrepresented the game, leaving us on edge about the safety of the forthcoming experience.

➕ The set was authentic. Entered built Demise of the Gricers into an abandoned rail yard. There were real trains. We played at night, and the place was foreboding, creepy, and pretty damn cool.

➕ Entered created an entire fictional world, and sold us on it. They created a train worshipping cult and brought it to life. It sounded silly, but as we played, we were totally bought in. They created characters who mattered to us.

➕ Entered built the gameplay around a custom-designed “clip” mechanism, which, narratively, allowed us to traverse the gamespace without the Gricers detecting our presence. (Before you get the wrong image in your head: these were not carabiners and we were not climbing. Nothing load bearing.) If I’m being honest, this was the only part of the fiction that was hard to buy into. If we thought about it too hard, it didn’t really make sense. That said, it was a genius narrative justification for a stellar game mechanic. If we accepted it as part of this world, it worked beautifully. The clips were remarkably reliable. They took a little getting used to, but they were easy to use.

➕ The actors were incredible and menacing in a great way. They played off each other in intimate scenes that we watched from hiding, and performed choreographed scenes for all to see. Additionally, they were fun to banter with. Both their scripted and unscripted performances were outstanding. It was clear they had a lot of material to pull from, to bring the world to life around of us.

➕ Entered created one character to support us. He stopped us from feeling isolated, helped us get our bearings, and made sure we understood key plot points, and wasn’t overbearing either… he left us to our own devices for much of the game. Furthermore, he had narrative importance. This character was essential to the experience, and really well designed.

➖ The actors adapt Demise of the Gricers to each team of players. This is no small feat. That said, there was room to adapt the game more to the needs of individual players, especially when those differ from the rest of the team. We had one player who really struggled with the in-game missions, because they were not her style of puzzle or gameplay, and this was exacerbated for her by a menacing environment. This player needed a longer onramp than the rest of the team, or needed a buddy to come back and help her experience parts of the game she wouldn’t find on her own. The game was designed such that there is a character who can be this crutch for a single player, or for half the team, while confident players strike out of their own. This type of extra support would do a lot to make the game more accessible to groups of differing abilities.

➕ The in-game currency was simple. We earned tokens, and exchanged them in different ways to accomplish our in-game missions. They were limited through the game mechanics and the tech. Everything felt balanced. As our goals and capability changed over time, we altered how we used the tokens.

➖ We missed some of the information that was displayed within the experience and would have helped us complete in-game missions. While some of the team just attacked the gameplay immediately, and thus, it turned out we didn’t really need this information, it would have been helpful, especially early on. We expect this can be better highlighted so that teams don’t miss this cluing.

➕ Demise of the Gricers encouraged us to take gameplay risks. While there were stakes tied to certain actions, so that the game functioned correctly, we could fail the smaller in-game missions without consequence. Our teammate who struggled with the puzzle of the missions appreciated this, because she could purposely fail many missions quickly until she received one she thought she might be able to complete. She made this her strategy, and was thrilled this strategy was an option that wouldn’t bring the team down.

➕ Demise of the Gricers was inherently risky because of a set that physically challenged our bodies. That said, Entered put a lot of safety features in place to protect players. We wore full coveralls, with kneepads and helmets. There was bright tape along steps. They had filed off a ton of sharp edges.

➖ There were opportunities to upgrade the gear. Some helmets were better than others, and would fit more snuggly. For some players, the headphones didn’t stay on very well. To be fair, I think these were a good choice of headphones that work well for the majority of people, but they could easily become an annoyance. (There is no headphone design that is optimal for everyone.) Entered didn’t have enough belts. Overall, more variety in terms of protective equipment would help accommodate all shapes and sizes of players.

➕ Key information and plot points unfolded at unpredictable intervals, for any given player. We could easily skip the story when we received it, and we could each go back to any story point if we were preoccupied when we first gained access. All narrative information was delivered as both voice recording and written message. While this game was not very physically accessible, in terms of story delivery, it was one of the most accessible we’ve encountered.

➕ Entered built custom tech for this experience. It worked reliably. It was really cool… and they have made a few significant upgrades since we played it.

➖ For one late-game, pivotal interaction, the goal wasn’t clear. This put a player in an awkward spot that caused confusion. Some players will be confident maneuvering in unclear situations, and would embrace this as gameplay, so I expect this lands well for some teams. Other teams likely have more clarity at this point. For us, and especially the goal-oriented player at the center of this interaction, clear purpose would have made this part more approachable, and more satisfying.

➖ At the time of our playthrough, the rules were not entirely truthful. We were told that being captured would end our game. This was not true. There were internal stakes to being captured; they were part of the game. However, the rules created the perception that capture was terminal, which created false stakes that could encourage players to take unnecessary risks. The biggest problem here was that the risk scales up for travelers. If you’re a local, your ticket price and time become the stakes. The further you’ve traveled, the more the costs pile up. We’ve learned that the rules have been updated since we played, and while being captured is discouraged during the onboarding, the stakes are truthful.

➕ Demise of the Gricers will not be for everyone. Entered will do their very best to make it accessible even to the least agile players (seriously… ask for stories). These talented, invested actors adapt to every team. Because it is so groundbreaking, and so different in the genre of immersive gaming, we expect Demise of the Gricers to be polarizing. Most of our team loved it. Yet, it is possible to not love this experience, perhaps not even really enjoy it, and still deeply appreciate the creativity, craft, and ingenuity behind it. We had proof of that in our group. This one is truly something special.

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot.
• They recommend you leave all your belongings in the car, and do not bring anything with you into the experience. However, during the onboarding, there is a place to go to the bathroom and leave your belongings.
• Wear athletic clothes and sneakers. You will be moving around and you will be sweaty.
• You move in the space at your own pace. You are in control of your body the whole time. Nobody will force you to run, climb, or crawl in a way you cannot do.
• You should strike out on your own. Embrace that you will separate from your teammates. You will work together, but you will have the most success if you aren’t attached to someone at the hip.
• This is not a puzzle game. There are puzzles to solve, spatially and narratively, and there are missions to accomplish, but if you’re seeking traditional escape room puzzle play, your princess is in another castle.
• We recommend booking the 4-hour, extended version. You’ll want all that time.
• We recommend playing at night.
• This game is far from… everything. Good news is, there’s a hotel within walking distance. We recommend it!

Book your hour with Entered’s Demise of the Gricers, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.