Edinburgh's newest escape room goes to the dark side
Each year thousands flock to Edinburgh in the hope of experiencing a little magic. From the vertiginous Victoria Street, speculated to have inspired Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, to George Heriots – the real life Hogwarts – to the spooky labyrinthine streets beneath Mary King’s Close, Auld Reekie is more than a little supernatural.
Which is why it’s no surprise that Department of Magic’s ‘Prophecies Quest’ – the original magical ‘escape room’ challenge that launched at Monkey Barrel comedy club in April – has been a regular sell-out ever since. Small teams – be it a family, a group of friends, or colleagues for a work outing – thrilled at the opportunity to take part in a series of challenges: logic puzzles, brain teasers and games of skill to collect ‘prophecies’ in the hope of defeating the Dark Lord before time ran out - and they ended up vanquished.
Now, the dastardly team behind the popular fantasy game is launching a new narrative-based ‘escape room’ challenge – ‘Dark Lord Resurrection.’
Dark Lord Resurrection was invented due to popular demand – when playing the original Prophecies Quest escape room, “so many players were disappointed they had to be the good guys. They wanted to be the baddies,” said director (and head warlock for magical objects), John Millar.
So a new challenge was born – in which players solve puzzles to find the right incantation, retrieve hidden artefacts and create a spellbinding potion – all with the nefarious goal of resurrecting the Dark Lord. If players are successful, they can bring the Dark Lord back and rule the world. If they fail, they’ll be brought down forever by the Department of Magic.
While the new game, and its predecessor, have proven a great hit with those that love all things witch-y and wizard-y (they’ve been a natural fit for Harry Potter enthusiasts) they’re by no means just for lovers of fantasy.
“It’s a bit like the original Crystal Maze,” said John, “because the tests are logic-based, and skill-based, the game is enjoyed by anyone who likes a challenge.” He added that while the games are best enjoyed by people 10 and above, “because they’re logic based, sometimes the young ones can think about them in a way that’s more straight-forward than us adults,”, they’re also good fun for a family of all ages.
“It’s an amazing experience that will appeal to everyone looking for something a little bit different.”
Dark Lord Resurrection is the latest attraction from the owners of Department of Magic and Monkey Barrel Comedy.
Advanced booking is available now at DepartmentOfMagic.com, with prices ranging from £14 per person for groups of five to £20 per person for groups of two.