Room Escape Artist

Oh, it’s a mind palace!

Location:  Athens, Greece

Date Played: February 1, 2025

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

Duration: 105 minutes

Price: from 70€ per team for teams of 2 to 115€ per team for teams of 5

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  low lighting at times, some minor sound effects, minor fog

Emergency Exit Rating: [A] Push To Exit

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

SHERLOCK MAZE 2 was a puzzle-focused game that delivered strong, layered puzzles in a moody environment.

After days of non-stop, over-the-top horror games (more Athens reviews from this trip will follow), SHERLOCK MAZE 2 was a welcome and well-executed reprieve from the intensity.

I truly loved that we were exploring Sherlock Holmes’ mind palace of sorts, and the puzzles found within were both challenging and novel. While the puzzle play was great, we found ourselves wishing that SHERLOCK MAZE 2 was a touch more memorable and impactful as an experience.

We wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is in Athens and either looking for a game that isn’t horror… or suspects that they’ll need a break from horror.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Strong puzzle play
• Novel interactions
• It wasn’t horror

Story

An explosion had left legendary detective Sherlock Holmes in a coma. His doctors had exhausted all scientific options, and Watson had turned to our team of paranormal doctors to enter the mind of Sherlock Holmes and bring back his consciousness.

Setting

SHERLOCK MAZE 2 was set entirely within the mind of Sherlock Holmes. More specifically, we were exploring his mind mansion.

The adventure opened up in the courtyard outside of the home late at night. The space was fairly detailed, while primarily being a container for some large set-based puzzles. The puzzles were the star, but the set did a good job of framing and presenting them.

Gameplay

Sherlocked Homes’ SHERLOCK MAZE 2 was a standard escape room with a higher level of difficulty.

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

Analysis

➕ The opening set was especially inviting, with tall ceilings and excellent detailing. The later sets were less impressive, but still thematic.

➕ Sherlocked Homes used spotlighting well to direct our attention in dimly lit sets.

➕ There was a good variety of puzzles including layered solves and communication challenges. The puzzles were inventive, using standard items, but in novel ways. This was charming.

➖ Various clues were handwritten onto props or printed on laminated paper. This looked messy.

➖ Some props were overly worn.

➕ SHERLOCK MAZE 2 relied on both locks and technology, giving us the satisfaction of unlocking new, expected spaces as well as surprising reveals.

➖ Narratively, the finale interaction was a cool idea, but in practice, it was bumpy. We should have been moving urgently, but we couldn’t because the interaction wasn’t well clued, and while the concept was intuitive, the exact solution was not. Additionally, only one player could actively participate, or even see what was happening.

➕ SHERLOCK MAZE 2 was more than meets the eye, on many levels. It was Sherlock Holmes-themed escape room, but without all the classic whodunnit tropes. Additionally, we enjoyed the dreamy vibe of this escape room. It was a layer of abstraction, on top of an escape room story, that we rarely experience. It added depth, making it more than just a puzzle game.

Tips For Visiting

• There appeared to be street parking in the area.

Book your hour with Sherlocked Homes’ SHERLOCK MAZE 2, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.