Room Escape Artist

Get a clue in 1492

Location: Vienna, Austria

Date Played: April 4, 2026

Team Size: 2-6; we recommend 2-3

Duration: 65 minutes

Price:  €29.00 – €54.00 per person, depending on team size

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: None

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Open the Door’s Treasure of Columbus brought us back in time to the days of Christopher, Queen Isabella, and that fateful voyage. But before we could set foot in 1492, we had to first repair a time machine. 

The opening scenario had us tackling simple physical and logical challenges to bring the device back online. These activities brought energy into gameplay early on. Lighting and special effects announced our time travel in a flashy way, and we soon found ourselves on Columbus’ ship. Set design and decor implied a sailing vessel, but never fully immersed us in the setting. Some decor felt underutilized, and we were surprised when several intriguing areas went unused. But the space was large and roomy, with plenty of puzzles to explore.

Puzzles ranged from simple to quite challenging. While a few in this phase of the game were creative, others reminded me of ones found in every pirate game I’ve ever played. We enjoyed unique puzzle-y challenges that tested our mental prowess, but we also struggled with one puzzle’s mechanics that could use a bit more cluing. 

The story around the titular missing treasure of Columbus was effectively woven throughout the game, concluding with a satisfying, rather clever, ending. If you are a history nerd local to the area and are looking for a puzzle-focused escape room with a nautical theme, give Treasure of Columbus a try. The blending of time travel with historical references was refreshing. But if this doesn’t float your boat, we recommend playing Open the Door’s more elaborate game, Dragon Cave 2.0. 

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Any experience level
• Time travelers
• History buffs

Why play?

• Puzzle variety
• Historical references
• Silly time machine shenanigans

Story

We started a new job in a mysterious lab, with a simple task – get their time machine back in order and fix a rift created around the time of Columbus. We were up for the challenge, especially when we considered what adventures we might find centuries ago. 

Setting

The game began in the control room of a time machine. Metal cabinets, mysterious mechanisms, and strange items with unknown uses drew our attention everywhere we looked. Everything was grey-toned and weathered, rustic yet futuristic. An oversized, clock-like structure held a prominent position on the wall.

Gameplay

Open the Door’s Treasure of Columbus was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty. 

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

Analysis

➕ The time travel section was particularly well-executed, with fun puzzles and tasks and special effects that gave this part of the game substance. It was a nice ramp-up to the rest of the experience.

➕ The transition from Time Machine to the past was an exciting reveal, as we didn’t know exactly what we would find once the portal opened.

➖ We solved one puzzle which triggered an event, but we struggled to locate what changed. Some type of indicator, either with sound or lightning, would improve game flow and steer players in the right direction.

➕ Some puzzles used unusual components in their design, contributing to immersive moments. 

➖ One puzzle was whimsical and quite impressive in concept, yet also a conundrum. The mechanics were so hard to interpret without detailed instructions, but doing that would spoil the puzzle.

➕ Combining time travel with historical references to the Christopher Columbus era added a refreshing twist to both themes. Including real people and events in the story added a touch of realism to the experience.

Tips For Visiting

• The game is playable in German or English.
• Open the Door is easy to reach within a short walk from U1 subway, trams 1 or 11, or bus 65A/66A.  
• With a huge number of vendor stalls and restaurants, the Naschmarket is a great place for snacking or a sit-down meal. We enjoyed Nautilus for seafood and Li’s Kitchen for Asian fare, which was open later than most kitchens in the area. 

Book your game with Open the Door’s The Treasure of Columbus, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Open the Door provided media discounted tickets for this game.