Room Escape Artist

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

*Rad*ical!

Location: Ranst, Belgium

Date Played: June 21, 2024

Team Size: 3-7; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 90 minutes

Price:  €219.50 per player up to 4, €19.50 for additional players

Ticketing:  Private

Accessibility Consideration:  One player must be able to climb, all players will need to walk up multiple sets of stairs

Emergency Exit Rating: [A] Push To Exit

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Chernobyl brought the energy. With an intense beginning followed by tense and energetic gameplay, TheStart transported players to the world of Chernobyl. From the moment we arrived, to the intense climax, Chernobyl was thrilling. The actor was the star of the show here, playing the part masterfully through impressive spatial awareness and enthusiasm while keeping our team on edge.

With such a well decorated set, Chernobyl was able to disorient our team in the winding game space, allowing us to puzzle through sequences that may be in the same game space, but felt unfamiliar. While looking great, one part of the set felt under-utilized with a lackluster puzzle sequence leaving us in a cool game space with some unfortunate, out-of-place math.

By far some of our favorite moments in Chernobyl included the sequences which could be solved in multiple ways, depending on how the team reacted to the actor. Story wise, TheStart hit it out of the park with Chernobyl from beginning to end. If you’re looking for a blood pumping experience while in Antwerp, Chernobyl and Harbor Hotel are both worth the stop!  

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Action movie fans
• Any experience level
• Players with some agility

Why play?

• Tense and energetic moments capitalized by actor driven sequences
• An expansive, winding set you can get lost in 

Story

In 1986, Chernobyl Reactor 4 exploded, leaving disaster in its wake. Many years later, our team of medical researchers had been sent in to recover a lost cure hidden in the depths of the reactor.

Setting

Chernobyl was set in an expansive, multi-layer set with many small rooms to explore. Each set was unique and weathered to fit the theme, with so many little details in every nook and cranny.

Gameplay

TheStart’s Chernobyl was an actor-driven escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, puzzling, communicating, making connections, and maneuvering through the space.

Analysis

➕ The opening sequence of Chernobyl charged us immediately to our mission at full speed. With such a high energy opening, we were on our toes, ready to go.

➕ TheStart utilized brilliant actor moments to amp up suspense and adrenaline without being excessively scary. These moments were heart pumping and intense.

➖ An early game puzzle felt uninspired and had us counting objects throughout the game space. While a good on-ramp, this felt weak compared to the other parallel puzzles in this section.

➕ We were constantly running around the space in different ways to both collaborate with our teammates and evade the actor. Immersion was at an ultimate high when the actor was present.

➖ One mid-game sequence had a player solving a mental math puzzle without much room for collaboration, nor anywhere to take notes. This puzzle could be solved concurrently with more exciting puzzles, but someone had to suck it up. Considering the elaborate set around the prop, we would have liked to see a better interaction.

➕/➖ All players need to be in shape enough to run up a few flights of stairs, and one player needs to be agile to traverse a tight climbing portion. For the players who could not traverse this space, the puzzling in this sequence fell a bit flat.

➕ The lighting and sound effects throughout were used to both enhance the ambiance and sell the story. These were used to disorient the team, making familiar areas seemingly less familiar. Our actor was able to sync with the set effects to hone in on theatrical moments.

➕ Chernobyl told a story from beginning to end, with a fantastic closing sequence that encompassed our mission success, which kept the energy levels high. We left feeling accomplished, excited, and definitely out of breath.    

Tips For Visiting

• There is parking on site
• The theme (and name) of this game was Chernobyl, which was a real nuclear disaster, and might not be an appropriate theme for all players. However, the gameplay was focused on finding the antidote, rather than the details of the historic event.
• We enjoyed Bakkerij Carl Emblem for a quick sandwich

Book your game with TheStart’s Chernobyl, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.