Room Escape Artist

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

Once upon an escape…

Location:  Nijlen, Belgium

Date Played: June 22, 2024

Team Size: 2-6; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 120 minutes

Price: €179 for 2-3 players; €19 per additional player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  Players must crawl and climb; at least one player must be able to climb a ladder

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Breaking Out’s Grimm’s took us on a whimsical and fun journey through multiple fairy tales in an immersive and set-driven gamespace. The game kept us guessing as it continued to open up into new and varied worlds, each one with its own distinct and well-themed puzzles and story. Puzzles generally flowed well and allowed for some cool interactions with the set. Our team greatly enjoyed one core mechanism in particular that ran like a thread throughout gameplay and gave it a distinct chaptered feel.

While the set was well cared for and maintained, it could benefit from a bit of additional polish and finish. Additionally, there was one key area where the set lacked cohesion and disrupted the immersion.

Like many games in the Belgian market, this game required some physicality from all players.

A lot of the escape rooms and experiences we played while in Belgium were horror-themed, eerie, or ominous in some way, and Grimm’s offered a different option for those who would prefer not to play horror-driven games. Overall, Grimm’s was a delightful experience with solid puzzles in a fanciful setting and I highly recommend checking it out as part of your Belgium itinerary.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Fairy tale/ fantasy fans
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• The immersive, detailed set with varied worlds to explore
• The whimsical, playful vibe
• Well-themed puzzles

Story

A brilliant writer named Grimm had found a way to visit fairytale worlds and discovered a princess who had lost her magical powers. Our team had to follow Grimm on his journey and uncover the secrets of the fairytales to help restore order.

Setting

The set was well conceived, immersive and varied. It took us on a multi-faceted journey.

Notably, due to the layout of the space, players are blindfolded at the beginning of the experience to avoid spoilers.

Gameplay

Breaking Out’s Grimms was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, interacting with the set and manipulating objects, making connections, and puzzling. The puzzles fit with the varied overall themes within the game and served the storyline well.

Analysis

➕ The gamespace kept opening up into new worlds that were drastically different from each other and well defined.

➕ The game offered an enjoyable low-tech, magical feeling and allowed us to manipulate a lot of mechanical set pieces in a satisfying way.

➕ Puzzling was solid and well matched with the themes of the environments within the gamespace; locks mapped well and clearly to the puzzles we were solving.

➖ Some areas of the game could have benefited from more feedback upon solving a puzzle.

➕ The set itself is well taken care of and maintained.

➖ There were some opportunities for more finish and polish within the game (for example, there was a lot of writing and tool tips).

➖ One area in the game blended modern technology with a fairytale aesthetic without a clear reason for doing so, causing the scene to feel less cohesive.

➕ The core mechanism of the game was elegant, well done, and just really damn cool.

❓ There was physicality in this game, including crawling and climbing. This is not really my thing, but it comes down to personal preference. One part needed clearer cluing that it was ok to climb. Another puzzle required a taller player to reach it.

❓ The game provided us with an English introduction, but it wasn’t fully translated within the room itself. This did not prevent us from enjoying or completing the experience.

Tips For Visiting

• Parking is available on site.
• There are several dining options within a few minutes of the game (by car).

Book your game with Breaking Out’s Grimms, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Breaking Out provided media discounted tickets for this game.