Room Escape Artist

The theme of this month’s content is different styles of escape rooms. July’s reviews included a lot of Golden Lock Award-winning games. We’re thrilled to highlight them all below, and as you’ll see, there are some really unusual styles represented.

However, if you only read one piece, I suggest Ryan Brady’s Over My Dead Body: Exploring Serious Topics in Taiwan through Escape Room Play.

Last Chance for RECON Laval

RECON Laval is only about 2 weeks away, and you could still be a part of it. Tickets are limited. Get yours today!

If you’re on the fence, read Heather’s piece on why the people who attend make RECON so special.

Reviews

🔒 Golden Lock Winners

Escape Plan, Escaparium (Laval, Québec, Canada) – With Escape Plan, Escaparium reinvented the most typical of escape room plot lines with bold new gameplay. It was interactive, requiring out-of-the-box problem solving based on the environment and characters we encountered. It was playful, small (comparatively), and risky. (Review by David Spira)

Following in the Footsteps of Doctor Stone, sKpad (Champagne-sur-Seine, France) – Following in the Footsteps of Doctor Stone blended escape rooms with rock climbing, adding new dimensions of verticality and gameplay to the format. sKpad has succeeded in creating a new category within the escape room world. (Review by Lisa Spira)

Prestige, Finest Escape (Nuremberg, Germany) – Finest Escape has pulled off quite a trick with Prestige. We were mesmerized by wonderful actor interactions, a gorgeous detailed set, and layered puzzling. (Review by Cindi S.)

The Castle of Eternal Suffering, Sauve Qui Peut (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, Canada) – The Castle of Eternal Suffering is a wild journey through thinky puzzles, physical challenges, and a set that is as ambitious as it is expansive. (Review by Lisa Spira)

The Grand Hotel of Paris, The One Escape (Paris, France) – The One Escape balanced intensity and scares with playful details, giving this game a one-of-a-kind, dream-like quality. (Review by David Spira)

Zone 51, Live Cinema (Paris, France) – The storytelling clarity is unrivaled. And I’ve never seen a more realized escape room world, encompassing every possible detailing. This cinematic masterpiece wowed us. (Review by David Spira)

Escape Rooms

We reviewed two connected experiences this month:

The Full Experience/ The Ultimate Experience, Deep Inside (Paris, France) – Deep Inside offers The Full Experience & The Ultimate Experience so that you can play their escape rooms back to back – extra time in the City of Martyrs! (Review by Lisa Spira)

Pandore’s Duology, Pandore & Associés (Paris, France) – Pandore & Associés offers their two escape rooms set in a magical fairytale world as a linked experience: Pandore’s Duology. This is the way to experience these games. (Review by Lisa Spira)

And for two more unusual escape room-like experiences:

Over My Dead Body: Exploring Serious Topics in Taiwan through Escape Room Play (Taoyuan, Taiwan) – This walkthrough of and reaction to Over My Dead Body in Taiwan includes spoilers for a game addressing a serious topic, and offers a lot of insight into an often unexplored type of experience. (By Ryan Brady)

The Live Thriller, Borderlive (Paris, France) – The Live Thriller took us around Paris investigating murders committed by a killer with a flair for the theatrical. Unnerving by design. (Review by David Spira)

Podcast

PG’s Playhouse 49: Acme Corporation (ft. Mark Larson) – We talk about the history of the Acme Corporation (from Looney Tunes!) with Mark Larson. There are two puzzle games in this podcast episode!

Recommendation Guides

Updated:

• Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Brussels, Belgium
• London, England
• Montreal, Canada
• Paris, France
• Phoenix, Arizona
• Toronto, Canada
• Tabletop Escape Game Recommendations

Commentary

Fine. Let’s talk about AI & Escape Rooms. (July 2026) – We answer the question everyone asks: what can AI do for escape rooms in 2026? Like any technology, it needs to serve the player experience. (By David Spira)