Area 1: The Portal

Project Immersive (Brisbane, Australia)

Time limit: 50 minutes

Age limit: None (under 14 requires adult)

Player limit: 2-6

Difficulty: Medium

Awards: TERPECA Nominee (2024), Best of Morty (2023-2024)

Date visited: September 2025

On the last day of our trip, just before our flight back to Sydney, we left the Gold Coast early and headed back to Brisbane to visit Project Immersive, who have the top two rooms in the Brisbane/Gold Coast region on Morty. So, did we leave the best for last?

Heck yeah! True to its name, Project Immersive was a truly immersive experience and the most polished of all the games we played on this trip.

The experience begins essentially as you pull into the parking lot, in an industrial area south of Brisbane’s CBD. The giant warehouse the games are based in was formerly an actual lab facility, so much of the layout and set design was already built-in. On top of that, a lot of their props were sourced from film sets, so you could genuinely say that their games have “movie-quality theming.”

To add to the immersion, even the design of the waiting area aligned with the theme and the GMs were in character from the beginning all the way through to the end. And I have to say, their live acting was some of the best we’ve seen in an escape room.

More specifically, how was the first game we played there, Area 1: The Portal?

• This was a really cool and really fun room that made us feel like we were in our own sci-fi thriller. We played the role of contractors sent in to Area 1’s research facility to investigate the disappearance of its lead researcher, and the story would soon take an unexpected turn.

• The set design was very impressive, among some of the best we’ve seen in Australia thanks to the realistic-looking props, special effects, and high-tech wizardry. The floor-to-ceiling theming reminded me a lot of Earthrise One, one of my favourite games in Melbourne.

• The sound also played an important part of the experience. The prompts and hint system were integrated into the gameplay, leaving the immersion intact. And if you ever actually needed GM intervention, you can be sure that they will remain in character.

• The puzzles were fantastic too, especially as they were all there to advance the narrative. As creative and innovative as they were, none of the puzzles felt gratuitous, unnecessary, or convoluted. There was one particular puzzle we had never seen before and was truly a “wow” moment.

• As good as the game was, we felt there was one thing they could have done that would have taken the game over the top and into god-tier territory. Unfortunately, despite a bit of teasing, it never happened, though that does not take anything away from this fantastic experience.

Escape time: 38 minutes out of 50

Theming	Atmosphere	Puzzles	Creativity	Fun
A+	A+	A-	A	A

Verdict: An incredibly immersive, polished experience with amazing set and sound design, fuelled with creative puzzles that make sense in the space and the story. Without a doubt one of the best escape rooms you can play in Queensland.

OVERALL RANK:

H	E	Z	J
A+	B+	A+	A+