Room Escape Artist

The House of Uncle Cornelius is one of the best escape rooms in Switzerland. Here are our other recommendations for great games in Switzerland.

Adventure time!

Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Date Played: August 13, 2025

Team Size: 3-6; we recommend 4-5

Duration: 90 minutes

Price:  CHF 260 per team

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: All players must climb and crawl

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

It likely comes as no surprise that I was an avid reader as a child. My worldview was thoroughly shaped by the fantasy, adventure, and detective stories that lined my shelves. Now in adulthood, I often approach real-world exploration as if it jumped straight off the page of a novel. After all, what’s the fun in life if we aren’t actively writing our own stories to be as interesting as possible?

The House of Uncle Cornelius concocted precisely the sort of swashbuckling literary adventure that I’d long dreamed of. We were presented with a premise of legendary mystique before being whisked off to some truly wondrous worlds. Every element of the experience was seeped in magic, creativity, curiosity, and imagination.

It was hard to fathom that The House of Uncle Cornelius had actually been constructed from scratch, and was not, in fact, an actual multi-story flat that had been occupied for decades by a fabled adventurer. This level of hyper-consistent worldbuilding was accomplished through a tight script, an expansive set where every detail contributed to the story, and creative gameplay that embodied the sense of adventure in its many forms.

If The Grand Trip Trap Hotel were an actual hotel that I could reside in, I’d quickly be in the highest tier of their loyalty program. I adored the varied storytelling and gameplay styles across each and every one of the experiences here, and this is without a doubt a venue that is worth traveling just about any distance to visit.

Who is this for?

• Scenery snobs
• Adventure seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Story seekers
• Any experience level
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• The grandest of adventures
• Unforgettable settings and transitions
• Uncle Cornelius is a pretty cool dude

Story

Cornelius de la Trappe welcomed us into his living room to regale us with tales of his incredible adventures around the world.

Setting

The House of Uncle Cornelius was set in the titular character’s living quarters. We climbed a long flight of wooden stairs to arrive at Cornelius’ living room, which was decorated with antique wooden furniture and an exquisite patchwork of artwork and artifacts from Cornelius’ adventures.

Gameplay

Trip Trap’s The House of Uncle Cornelius was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around solving puzzles, searching, exploring, and making connections.

Analysis

➕ The House of Uncle Cornelius was a proper house. The space felt thoroughly lived-in, with a high level of thoughtful detail throughout. Building on this solid foundation, the set design got progressively more adventurous as the experience advanced. But it didn’t just look amazing… each space was designed around very specific styles of interactivity and play.

➕/➖ The House of Uncle Cornelius featured some of the most ambitious storytelling across any of Trip Trap’s experiences to date. It took us on an exciting emotional journey, communicated throughout the environment, gameplay, and audio. This approach landed strongly for me, though for players who have a harder time processing detailed audio, there was an opportunity for more visual reinforcement in the environment during cutscenes. This would be especially helpful in strengthening the connective tissue between multiple delightful yet potentially disparate segments.

➕ Numerous moments of satisfying discovery prompted us to focus in on small details in our surroundings. So much of this game felt like a treasure hunt, or like playing make-believe in a childhood blanket fort or treehouse.

➕ A magical transition pulled us into a new world. This effect was astonishingly smooth, both visually and thematically.

➕ Each individual scene was instantly transportive, and contrasting tones compounded into something greater than any single adventure. In particular, there was one whimsical space which I’d absolutely love to see developed into its own full experience. Another space channeled joy and delight in full force. Uncle Cornelius showed us that there’s truly an adventure for everyone.

➖ While the vast majority of The House of Uncle Cornelius was perfectly translated into English, we encountered a couple of small details that were left only in French, leading us to momentarily lose the trail.

➕/➖ I loved a creative and playful in-game photo op. This interaction could be leveled up with clearer instructions on exactly where and when to look, as well as explicitly noting that all players can and should be involved. (For our 6-player team, we interpreted this interaction a bit too literally as a puzzle and accidentally left out one of our teammates, but thankfully our game host allowed us to retake the photo after the game.)

➕ The House of Uncle Cornelius put a fun and disorienting twist on a classic form of physical exploration. The space was well padded where it mattered.

➕/➖ An object at the center of our quest had impressive heft and delivered a satisfying end to the story. However, the timing of the final scene was too fragile, and my team missed an essential cue while waiting for all team members to regroup — the result of a manual trigger with insufficient visual feedback.

🚽 There were actually 2 restrooms in The House of Uncle Cornelius — one which was part of the experience, and another at the entrance to the space which we could actually use. The distinction between these restrooms was clearly noted at the start, and we appreciated that we didn’t have to leave the world during our 90-minute adventure.

Tips For Visiting

• Trip Trap has 3 separate locations. The House of Uncle Cornelius is located at the Grand Trip Trap Hotel location.

Book your hour with Trip Trap’s The House of Uncle Cornelius, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Trip Trap provided media discounted tickets for this game.