Hello, one pie please! What’s that you say? The proprietor of this shop has vanished? And we need to solve these puzzles to find him? I suppose dinner can wait!
- Location: Battersea (nearest train station Battersea Park)
- Players: 2-5
- We played: March 2019 as a team of 4
Great things about Pie and Mash Shop
- Is this the world’s only pie and mash shop themed escape room? We love it when a room has a unique theme, and this one is nicely London-specific (or at least UK-specific). It’s also executed very well, with sweet little details helping to create the atmosphere of a traditional East London pie-ery. It’s a relatively low-tech room with a few surprises and laughs in store, and one that had us talking about our favourite touches after the game was over.
- In addition to the inspired theming, Pie and Mash Shop has a background narrative that is gradually developed – although the puzzles are still the focus of the game.
- Although this room didn’t take us much over half an hour, we were kept very busy and active during that time. The structure of the game moved from non-linear to linear, so in the early stages there were enough puzzles that could be solved in parallel to give us all plenty to do, while later in the game we were brought back together to complete the room. The range of puzzles is good, and includes some enjoyable communication tasks to get players working together.
- Our friendly host was attentive while we were playing and offered us a subtle clue exactly when we needed it.
On the other hand…
- There could be a few too many padlocks and combination locks in this room for some people’s tastes, and although the various methods of obtaining codes for those locks are fun, there are certainly moments where you’ll have one code and various potential locks to use it on.
- This room doesn’t really build as much suspense or urgency as it could, and we felt that its climax came a little too soon – a couple of puzzles before the end.
Who should try this room?
Don’t go if you’re hungry – there are no edible pies in this room. We think most teams of 2-4 players would enjoy Pie and Mash Shop, and it’s suitable for beginners and experienced escapists (but not young children).
Our rating – 8/10
Unlock & Roll 