A Challenge from the Crafting Genius
Real Escape Game Asakusa (Tokyo, Japan)
Time limit: 60 minutes
Age limit: Under 12 requires adult
Player limit: 2-4
Difficulty: Expert
Awards: TERPECA Nominee (2025), Golden Lock Award (2026)
Date visited: July 2026
After tackling Escape from the Haunted Manor, we went to a nearby convenience store to cool off in the air conditioning and grab an ice cream before returning to Scrap Asakusa to tackle A Challenge from the Crafting Genius, our first "hall type" escape room. We were initially not interested in this type of game, but its 2025 TERPECA nomination and personal recommendation from puzzle designer and fellow escape room enthusiast Matthew Stein, who gave it a Golden Lock Award, convinced us to give it a try. Was it any good?
Absolutely! Our first hall type escape game exceeded all expectations. This was a fun, super challenging experience that repeatedly made us say, "How did they think of that?"
Before the game started, we were guided upstairs into a small room with a bunch of props in a big box on a large playmat. There were two sets of equipment, presumably to accommodate two groups, but fortunately we were the only ones who had booked the slot that day.
All instructions were provided in English. This included an intro video that explained the rules and gameplay, and a tablet that told you what you had to do next and where you would enter your solution to each puzzle.
So this was not a typical escape room. There's no theming or atmosphere, just puzzles. And we had no idea how much we would enjoy it.
To complete the room, we had to solve 12 puzzles in 60 minutes, which ensured a frantic pace as all of the puzzles required "crafting" of some kind. The props included wooden boards and blocks, strings, canvas, and tape, and we had to manipulate them in increasingly creative and clever ways to reveal the word or number code.
You are allowed to ask the tablet for preset hints (I believe up to a maximum of 3 per puzzle?), which I would recommend you take advantage of if you ever get stuck on a puzzle for more than a couple of minutes, or else there's just no way you'll have enough time to escape.
As a puzzle experience, this was an incredibly satisfying hands-on game that pushed our brains to the limit. The way the game designers created 12 very different puzzles that utilised the same set of props in such a wide variety of ways was pure genius.
I would also recommend playing with four players given the difficulty and nature of some of the puzzles. Three was a bit of an awkward number as some puzzles required four sets of hands for maximum efficiency. Two players might actually be better than three as there were some puzzles that could be modified for two-player teams.
We did pretty well, needing only a couple of hints for the first 11 puzzles, but ended up failing on the final puzzle, which was diabolically difficult. Anyone who actually solved it within the time constraints deserves a round of applause. For those who want a clue, I would simply say you need to pay real close attention to every prop and item you come across throughout the game no matter how irrelevant it might seem at first glance!
In all, our first hall type escape game was a huge success, and we are definitely open to playing more of these in the future.
Escape time: Failed!
Theming | Atmosphere | Puzzles | Creativity | Fun |
C | C | A+ | A+ | A- |
Verdict: The "hall type" escape game is a very different experience to a traditional escape room, but lovers of challenging and clever puzzles should definitely give the aptly named A Challenge from the Crafting Genius a go — you won't regret it!
OVERALL RANK:
H | Z | J |
A- | A- | A- |
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