SECRET LAB

Serving first-gen escape room vibes.

Website: Breakout (Edmonton)
Address: Mayfield Plaza, 16604 109 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5P 1C2
Private Booking: No
Price: $25 per person
Duration: 45 minutes
Linearity: Mixed
Group size: #small
Player Level: #rookie
Features:
- #objectivebased
Premise: “Our sources have pin pointed the virus has been created by Dr. Von Doom, a well-known biological specialist. As you enter into the facility, a sensor is triggered and all windows and doors slam shut. You hear a distant laugh along with this automated message: Countdown begins. 45 minutes until virus is released.”

RATING	PAULIE	BEN
Service
Puzzles
Look
Immersion
Theme


Service	PAULIE Pretty standard. They came in promptly when we needed hints and were complimentary when we got out. Solid customer service overall.
Service	BEN What he said.
Puzzles	PAULIE There were more searching puzzles than solving puzzles. One of the locks was actually in a tricky place to find, so that in and of itself was a searching task. The solving puzzles that we did encounter though were just… okay. They were pretty straightforward and required not a lot of thinking. They were not dead giveaways per se, but they were pretty solvable for the most part. This room, though, has been left behind by time. You could tell that the puzzles would have seemed cool 2 years ago, but they just felt outdated when we did them.
Puzzles	BEN Secret Lab is one of those rooms that has been around for ages – I think it’s actually been around ever since Breakout opened back in 2014. That said, the puzzles here definitely reflected how dated this room was. They were quite basic compared to what other rooms (even at Breakout) now do with their mostly paper-and-pencil puzzles. If you haven’t done many escape rooms, or if you’re doing your first one, I can see how this room could be appealing. But, now the bar is raised much higher in terms of puzzle creativity and execution.
Look	PAULIE Similar to the puzzles, the look of this room is also outdated. The paint on the walls was peeling off, the books on the shelves were falling apart–the room just seemed very rundown.
Look	BEN Like Paulie said, the look is as outdated as the puzzles. The decor wasn’t very intricate and I found the rooms a little bit bare.
Immersion	PAULIE The atmosphere was just… okay. It was dark so the room had a certain creepy vibe. However, because the look and the puzzles were just so-so, I couldn’t really get into the room all that much.
Immersion	BEN I think the biggest detriment to this room’s immersion is its somewhat lacklustre decor. It made you very aware that you were in an escape room. I also don’t remember if there was any music, which typically adds to the atmosphere.
Theme	PAULIE This is a theme that’s been popping up over and over recently. It’s been done a lot of times before, and it’s been done better.
Theme	BEN “Find the antidote and save the world” is a WEIRDLY popular theme! I like how there was some personality to the unfolding backstory in this room and that it wasn’t all science-y.
Overall	PAULIE I give this room a #bronze rating. There’s still some good things about this room, but the escape room scene nowadays can offer so much more and do so much better. I would recommend this room if no other booking at Breakout is available.
Overall	BEN This room gets a #bronze. This room is kind of a blast from the past – it was interesting to see what rooms were like back then and compare it to what rooms are like nowadays.