Room Escape Artist

Chill out!

Location: Vrilissia, Athens, Greece

Date Played: March 24, 2026

Team Size: 3-5; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 120 minutes

Price:  €111 – €125 per game, depending on team size

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: All players need to manage stairs, crawl, and navigate a ball pit

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Heist Tiki at Way Out Escape Rooms was a fun, light-hearted experience, and a welcome oasis in a city known for its horror-themed games. With gameplay that brought humor, playful puzzling, and genuinely silly moments, it was worth the journey from Athens city center where we were staying – along with all the other tourists. The story was simple: Captain Bob Crook, captain of the Ice Tiki cargo ship, had stolen four valuable Hawaiian tikis and secured them in and around his ship. As a team of thieves, we wanted those tikis for ourselves. But first, we had to break into his ship.

We started just outside the ship’s darkened bridge, with a set of windows that gave us a peek inside. Though not overly decorated or polished, the set was unique in structure and supported gameplay in interesting, and unexpected ways. By the time we got to the giant ball pit – not a spoiler, since there are photos on the website – we were neck deep in a variety of puzzles. 

Puzzles were well-themed and often tricky, requiring us to “think outside the beach hut” to get to the solution. Others involved playful physical challenges I haven’t done since I was a kid. One puzzle became jammed, requiring a few minutes of fiddling to get it going again while the rest of the team waited. But overall, puzzles solved smoothly, and were often backed by a groovy soundtrack that enhanced the energized gameplay.  

The time flew by, and a couple of hours later, we had all the tikis and some big smiles. If you are visiting Athens and are looking for a non-horror game to add to your itinerary, you can’t go wrong with Heist Tiki. 

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Burglars
• Any experience level
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Clever puzzles
• Entertaining soundtrack
• To take a break from Athens’ horror games

Story

Captain Bob Crook had helped himself to several priceless tiki statues and hid them in and around his cargo ship, the Ice Tiki. When his ship crashed into an iceberg in the middle of the Pacific, our team of highly-skilled thieves set forth to board his ship and steal the tikis back for ourselves!

Setting

The game started just outside of the cargo ship, the Ice Tiki. The initial space was rather dark, with just a few strategic lights giving us a glimpse in and around the ship. The ship itself was sparsely decorated, with a small built-in table and one of the sought-after tikis appearing to mock us from a display case along the back wall. A ship’s wheel sat under the main window, while outside the ship, a large webbed platform just begged to be explored.

Gameplay

No Way Out Escape Rooms’ Heist Tiki was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty. 

Core gameplay revolved around searching, observation, making connections, physical activities and puzzling.

Analysis

➕ Set design was simple, yet creatively constructed and built for active gameplay. There was plenty of space for us to move around and explore. One unique design choice added immersion and gave the space character.

➖ That said, exposed wood panels and 2x4s made the space feel unfinished and less polished.

➕ Several silly challenges let us play like kids. Funny puzzles, bits of humor, and a relatable soundtrack made the whole experience feel lighthearted as we looked for – and stole – the stolen goods. 

➕ One reveal had us leaping into action while an appropriate tune blasted through the sound system. We all knew what to do instantly without even thinking about it. It was a funny, memorable moment.

➖ One person on our team struggled with a tactile puzzle that jammed a few times. It took several minutes of working the components to get it going again.

➕ The finale was whimsical and ended the experience island-style!

👟 Some aspects of the game are fairly physical, but players can choose to bypass these puzzles or activities. One teammate, uncomfortable with heights, was able to skip one action.

🌴 ⚓ Heist Tiki was a revamped version of a game called Ice Tiki, a top TERPECA game in 2022-2023.  While we did not play the original version, we were informed that all of the puzzles have been changed, though the main idea is similar.

Tips For Visiting

• Heist Tiki is playable in Greek or English.
• We had to remove our shoes at the start of the game, so we recommend wearing socks.
• Way Out Escape Rooms earns its name. Vrilissia is a northeastern suburb of the greater Athens metro area. If staying in central Athens, allow for travel time. 
• The Metro does not reach this area, so we took it to the nearest station, then hailed a taxi. Taxis are abundant in Athens and easily found via Uber or Freenow (Lyft) apps. 
• There were a number of restaurants within walking distance. We enjoyed the burgers at BarBara Que. Like most tourists, we stayed near the Acropolis in the center of Athens, where there’s an abundance of restaurants serving traditional Greek food. We enjoyed the food and hospitality at Liondi near the Acropolis museum, Lyra in the Plaka, and Thanasis (famous for souvlaki, kebabs and gyros) in Monastiraki. Pancakes & Cake was our go-to place for breakfast & brunch.

Book your hour with Way Out Escape Rooms’ Heist Tiki, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.