The last place we expected to find the “most immersive escape rooms in Europe” would have been an aging office block down a run down side street in the centre of Athens. However, that’s exactly where we found ourselves back in March when we decided to pay Lockhill a visit to play the Lockwood Manor. Don’t let the location fool you however, as we would unquestionably rate this as one of the most immersive experiences we have completed to date.
The games here are not isolated experiences. Each room is connected by a singular story and allows players to experience a different part of the plot. Lockwood Manor (the room we played) is just one of the games that join together to make the fictional town of Lockhill. What works so well at Lockhill, is that the theme isn’t confined to the rooms themselves. The halls and communal areas are created to bring the spooky little town to life and every moment building up the game felt totally immersive.
Entering Lockwood Manor itself, we were already on edge and any hope of comfort inside the game quickly faded. The room is decorated and furnished exactly as you would imagine. The rooms are filled with aged trinkets and cobwebs, the wallpaper is peeling and the carpets are worn and burnt. We don’t want to ruin any surprises so we will just say that the atmosphere achieved is consistent throughout the entire gameplay, so the wow factor when you walk in is definitely maintained as you journey further into the manor.
This is a horror experience. so expect jumps and scares along the way. It was actually our first experience of a horror escape room and so we might have been a little bit more distracted by the fear factor than most. We were quite literally arguing about which of us would get to hold the torch in case we had to be split up. Where we normally want to be the first in the room, not this time! If that doesn’t speak volumes about the theme, we don’t know what will!