On the fifth level of a business block in Ultimo, Hungarian expat Viki Laubal briefs us on the dos and don’ts of the game – no dismantling furniture, leave the pictures in their frames, no clues in the air-conditioning unit or electrical wiring. It seems they’ve experienced excitable escapees in the past. Still wet behind the ears in the world of exit rooms, we give Leonardo a run for his money in the Da Vinci room with just three hints from the puzzle master at our disposal. Oh, how naïve we were.
Clues are numbered according to how you should play them, and everything should make sense at the end, Laubal promises. No blindfolds or scare tactics, we enter a fully lit room to find ourselves in ancient Rome. Our challenge is to decipher the codes before the pope returns. Mona Lisa proffers a judgmental stare.
We open books. Empty boxes. Turn leaves. But what we find doesn't seem to lead the way. This may be the toughest room yet.
We wave to the camera for help and Laubal points us in the right direction. We fumble through long division and try every possible equation. When we think we’ve got something, we’re rewarded with the Fibonacci sequence. Bellies to the ground, pitifully repeating the same mistakes with the final challenges, we hear the alarm sound. Time’s up on this bunch of wordsmiths – next time we’ll wrangle a team of analytical minds (and smuggle in a calculator).
Outcome: Failed
Atmosphere: ✮✮✮
Creativity of puzzles: ✮✮✮✮
Difficulty: ✮✮✮✮
Fun: ✮✮✮
Best quote: “Maybe it spells Avicii? I mean, Da Vinci.”
Our tip: First-time exit roomers, beware: this is a challenge for more experienced gamers.