LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR

A hybrid of Greek mythology and video game lore.

> CALGARY (YYC) > The Locked Room > Southland Drive

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  • Website: The Locked Room
  • Address: 9937 Fairmount Dr SE, Calgary, AB T2J 0S2
  • Private Booking: Yes
  • Price: $25 per person
  • Duration: 60 minutes
  • Linearity: Mixed
  • Group size: #medium
  • Player Level: #competent
  • Features:
  • Premise: “Athens has promised great wealth and honour to the hero who defeats the Minotaur and frees the land of it’s terror. However, this quest will be no easy task, the lair is also guarded by 4 fearsome creatures: a Griffin, a Hydra, a Cyclops and the menacing Medusa.”

ratingssss

RATING PAULIE BEN
Service tenten tenten
Puzzles ninenine ninenine
Look eighteight eighteight
Immersion eighteight eighteight
Theme ninenine tenten

reviewwwww

Service tentenPAULIE

This one was the second escape room that we ever did, the first one being The Wine Cellar. Weirdly enough, we’re only writing about it now. However, we reference this room a lot whenever we talk about escape rooms so it’s still fresh in our minds.

The Locked Room has three locations, and this one is the darkest. It’s in a basement so there’s no natural lighting. However, a dark location doesn’t matter if the staff is as bright and cheerful as they are here. We got a standard service with a lock explanation, backstory narration, and hint provision, but they also engaged in a friendly conversation with us–more than the usual “Have you ever done any escape rooms before?”

tentenBEN

I need to stop writing my reviews after Mr. P because he gets to say everything.

Shout out to the staff here – you guys were definitely one of the reasons we eagerly kept coming back!

Puzzles nineninePAULIE

Similar to The Great Train Robbery, there is a lot to do here. The progression is more straightforward, but the puzzles are on the same difficulty level. You’re definitely busy for most of the time. I remember being impressed with the execution of the puzzles because they use props and technology wisely. There’s also a lot to read here. It’s overwhelming at first, but the information you read comes together nicely.

We’ve done many more rooms at The Locked Room since, and I came to the realization that they’re always reliable with puzzles. They give you just enough to challenge you, but not too much to frustrate you.

ninenineBEN

What I loved about this room was how the reward to solving a bunch of the puzzles isn’t just another box with a clue – you get to do something fun and a bit more hands-on!

I loved the creativity of the puzzles in this room too – in addition to having well-balanced puzzles, The Locked Room is also great at making you interact with things in fun new ways.

Look eighteightPAULIE

Without spoiling anything, I thought a portion of the room felt too spacious with too few props. Another portion of the room felt disconnected from all the other portions in terms of look, just because the art direction was completely different.

eighteightBEN

I agree that the room was a little bit spacious. One notable thing about this room is that it still uses the standard drawers and cabinets you see in escape rooms, but they use them in a really innovative way!

Immersion eighteightPAULIE

There wasn’t anything special in terms of the feeling of immersion here. The room was bright (for the most part), the music was there. Immersion here is dependent on your progress with the puzzles. If you find yourself so preoccupied with how to solve a puzzle that you forget where you are, then the room did a good job with immersion.

eighteightBEN

I didn’t feel really into it until the second half of the room – that was when we got some really nice momentum with solving puzzles, and I think that the second part looked nicer as well.

Theme nineninePAULIE

Taking on a whole culture rich in mythology is a challenging endeavor. Because it’s known to many, there has to be a delicate balance between referencing as many elements as possible to cover bases and implementing each element the best way possible. Here, you interact with familiar Greek mythology characters, but you’re not just reading about them–you’re actually a part of their story all throughout the room. The final twist is just the sweet cherry on top.

tentenBEN

I LOVE the backstory to this room! It’s one of my favourites! On The Locked Room’s site, it talks about needing to defeat the minotaur, but there are 4 creatures guarding the minotaur.

This premise felt very video game-y to me, so I knew I wanted to try the room as soon as I read the description. And I gotta say, the room did not disappoint. Props to them for actually incorporating a video game element in the room as well!

Overall etall-shiny-detailed-scratched-texture-background-d-render-62055359PAULIE

This gets a #platinum. Whenever we discuss our escape room experiences thus far, Minotaur always gets referenced. Why? It must be good.

Diamond-Texture-Pattern-picspaper-comBEN

I’m giving this room a #diamondThis was the first room we did where the goal wasn’t to escape, but rather to go get something. It’s a different take on escape rooms in general, and it made me appreciate the fact that the goal doesn’t always have to be to escape.

  • Completed: July 2, 2016
  • Escaped? No (2 people)
  • Our Time: 1:00+
  • # of hints used: 3

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