You know, I didn’t bring my laptop with me because it would be too cumbersome. But now, I remember how much I hate typing on my phone. It takes so much longer!

Day 2 the jet lag is definitely catching up. We are so tired. Copious amounts of coffee and tea have been consumed. But it’s been a fun day!

Canadian Bumpkin Status: 40%

I feel like the Netherlands…. is not a country in a big hurry…unless you are on a bike. I tried to go to the Torture Museum, but the door was locked. There I was, waiting with another family who were shocked to learn there were escape rooms in Amsterdam, when we were told by a local that despite the advertisement, the museum opened up when it pleased. In general, that was the kind of vibe I got from Amsterdam as I watched the city slowly wake up. Although, it may also be affected because a lot of the Netherlands is on vacation right now.

I didn’t even realize this till now, but I don’t think European toilets have hot water taps. Also, I have to keep remembering to call them toilets and not washrooms. I mean…. technically the prior one makes more sense.

Frizz Status

I desperately miss my mousse. I feel even frunpiee than usual, especially with the giant rain coat I had to buy to deal with the weather. It is a glorious rain coat though.

The Escapes!

Today was our day in Amsterdam to experience the glory that is Sherlocked. I had 3 reasons to be excited:

1. My friends could finally play The Vault and I could talk spoilers with them.

2. I got to play The Architect, Sherlocked’s first game and one I had to miss the last time I came.

3. We would get to play Sherlocked’s new game, The Alchemist, which is currently still in Beta.

Wait, there is a fourth reason! I would get to meet Viktor, the owner of Sherlocked, in person finally!

My friends very much enjoyed the Vault, which I played before. I have to say I was relieved to see they had just as much fun with it as I did. It really was ahead of its time 7 years ago when it first came out and it really, really is still a gold standard of a complete escape experience. From beginning to end, it is still a unique and immersive experience.

Sherlocked- The Architect

On the Architect, you play a group of… investigators? I never completely picked up on that. Anyway, you are a group of people attempting to figure out if the mysterious architect of the building was part of a secret society. Our host, Sam, was well versed in Errol’s ways by this point and did a great job guiding us.

The Architect is Sherlocked’s very first game created, as I learned, around 2014 when escape rooms were just starting to get popular. That makes this room almost 10 years old!

I say this because for a 10 year old room, it still holds up. The puzzles are classic escape puzzles but make sense to the story there are a couple of really fun experiential moments that…I still haven’t really seen in North America. There is a very tactile feel to Sherlocked’s games. Part of it is their location, which is in an enormous old stock exchange in the heart of Amsterdam. They really do use this historical location to their full advantage, including antique props and very manual sets. Sometimes this meant some interactive pieces were… definitely more sensitive/tricky to manipulate, but 10 years on I am shocked they are still working.

It was very interesting playing the Vault before the Architect. The Vault clearly rivals the Architect, but The Architect is still a lot of fun and I could see the seeds of what would become Sherlocked staples: a cohesive and complete flow, a plot intertwined with real history, and big reveals.

It was also very satisfying of course because I got my second Sherlocked pin!

Sherlocked: The Alchemist

Full disclosure: not only did we play a Beta version of this game, but I also gave some light consulting on the project when it was still in its alpha stages. Our host for this one was Ibrahim, who had the double duty of guiding us and making sure the room functioned.

Our first thoughts as we played: wow. This. Set. Is. GORGEOUS. I am serious, if you get a chance to play this, take a couple of minutes and really take in the set. The amount of detail and craftsmanship is simply astounding.

The Beta we played is about 90% of the way there. One thing our game was missing a bit was a full beginning and end, which is something of a Sherlocked staple. We were told though that these were in the works. As with the beta testing of any game, the primary focus is to make sure the core game works.

And for us? IT DID! There is another great reveal at the climax of the game that I was so glad I got to see. With some tweaking and finessing, I am so excited for what the Alchemist could be. Even without the tweaking, it is a very solid game and I am super excited to seeing how it evolves.

Even better?! I GOT THE NEW SHERLOCKED PIN!

Escape Diva Time

After our Sherlocked games, Viktor met with us and invited us to a local apple pie restaurant he haunts. There was an almost panicked moment when we were told the kitchen was closed, but they showed us mercy and I proceeded to enjoy some of the best apple pie I have ever eaten.

Escape enthusiast meetups are one of my favourite parts of my escape room trips. We discussed the new game with Viktor, who diligently took notes as we threw out opinions around. We talked about the future of the industry and regional trends. We made fun of Errol’s sister, but that always happens.

It was a lot of fun too to listen to the behind the scenes talk for the games we had played, though of course the designers didn’t reveal all of their secrets.

Afterward, the rest of the crew went to do Logic Locks The Catacombs, which I had also played before. So while I waited I sat at a nearby restaurant and decompressed with some wine and blogging. I also got to reminisce as this was the same area I had my canal picnic the first time I came to Amsterdam.

When the team finished, I got to hear their hilarious stories but also compare notes of the differences between our plays. It’s been five years since I played, and a lot of little narrative bits seem to have changed. It’s always interesting to hear how a room has evolved, and I am pleased to see Catacombs still packs a punch!

And the location is still appropriately ominous…

Netherlands Trends

We have been noticing that crawling is a very popular thing in Netherlands escape rooms. Almost every room so far needs to require it!

The other interesting thing about the Netherlands (and maybe Europe overall), is that there is a dedicated GM per game. It was always such a load off our minds to call for a hint and have the GM already know exactly where we are. There are definitely rooms like that in North America, but the one GM for several rooms is still the main method.

Now…to get back to my hotel and crash hard. Tomorrow is another marathon day.