Room Escape Artist

Sealed with a kiss 💋

Location: Kloten, Switzerland

Date Played: August 15, 2025

Team Size: 2-6; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 90 minutes

Price:  230 CHF per team

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: All players must crawl and be comfortable with tight spaces

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

I can recall a distinct memory from my childhood when the illusion of bright, cheery, Disney-esque fairytales was shattered. When I pulled a book of the original Brothers Grimm versions off the shelf at my local library and began reading what at first seemed like familiar stories, I encountered darker, more sinister worlds that pulled no punches. Still full of magic and playfulness, these worlds balanced light and darkness.

Secret Tales: The Spooky Fairytale Journey dove headfirst into this darker world, concocting a theatrical escape experience that was visually alluring and enigmatically enthralling. The gameplay was full of humorous interactions and creative puzzles, including some unforgettable characters. Across a wide range of scenes, the environment directly told the story.

While Secret Tales: The Spooky Fairytale Journey was an aesthetically beautiful game, parts of the set and props also showed their age. One scene in particular broke the immersion with foam paneling that had been damaged and repeatedly repaired, contrasting sharply with the more robust realism throughout other parts of the experience. While Next Level Escape did a stellar job of making all their experiences look amazing, there was room for improvement in ensuring that they also are built and maintained to hold up over time.

Next Level Escape has gotten progressively better and better across each of their games, and even their earlier games are incredibly impressive. This is a company worth traveling to for The Dark Memories of Elisa Doll, their newest and most ambitious experience. Your visit would not be complete without also playing Secret Tales: The Spooky Fairytale Journey and Orient Express The Death Journey.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level

Why play?

• Spooky-fantasy vibes
• Unique interactions
• An unforgettable finale

Story

We made a reservation at Restaurant Grimms, but our peculiar dinner was only just the beginning of a dark and eerie fairytale.

Setting

Secret Tales: The Spooky Fairytale Journey was set in a moodily magical world. The experience opened in an elegant dining room, with a feast laid out on a large wooden table and an arching tree in the corner. Framed pictures of various Brothers Grimm fairytales lined the walls, hinting at what was to come.

Gameplay

Next Level Escape’s Secret Tales: The Spooky Fairytale Journey was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

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

Analysis

➕ Secret Tales: The Spooky Fairytale Journey guided us through a range of vivid scenes referencing various Grimm Brothers fairytales. While the core narrative centered around one specific story, we also encountered elements and environments from additional stories along our journey. The tone was dark and fantastical, spooky but not scary.

➕ The entrance to this restaurant-themed escape room was appropriately located within the actual restaurant and bar connected to Next Level Escape.

➕/➖ Overall, the sets looked phenomenal, depicting a range of wondrous and magical environments. However, the build quality was inconsistent, and parts of the set were quite literally falling apart, especially in certain early scenes. Better maintenance would go a long way; it was immersion breaking to encounter props that had been repeatedly hot glued back into place and molded foam that looked like it had been chewed apart.

➕ The gameplay involved a mix of standard puzzle-solving and some more out-of-the-box thinking. We especially appreciated moments of cheeky humor and playful interactivity.

➖ As two branches of the gameplay converged on a creative interaction, there was unclear feedback around our required timing and whether all players needed to participate. What had the potential to be a memorable moment of unity turned into one of confusion.

➕/❓ A tight space depicted a unique environment and still provided plenty to do for our full team. It was awkward to move around or trade places, but in this case, this feeling actually helped to tell the story. However, claustrophobic players might want to find a way around for this extended segment.

➕ A theatrically staged conclusion to our saga included a special interaction that I’ll never forget. Chef’s kiss!

Tips For Visiting

• This game was previously named Secret Tales from the Brothers Grimm.
• There was a parking lot.

Book your session with Next Level Escape’s Secret Tales: The Spooky Fairytale Journey, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.