Below Zero

Crypto Escape Rooms (Newmarket, Canada)

Time limit: 60 minutes

Age limit: Under 12 requires adult supervision

Player limit: 4-8

Difficulty: 7/10

Awards: TERPECA Top Room No. 43 (2019), TERPECA Finalist (2020-2024), TERPECA Nominee (2025), Golden Lock Award (2019)

Date visited: July 2026

Our second room at Crypto Escape was Below Zero, ranked the No. 43 game in the world by TERPECA back in 2019. Did it live up to its reputation?

• Below Zero was another strong room, and I can definitely see how this would have been considered one of the best games in the world in 2019. The theming was more basic by Crypto Escape 's current standards, but the futuristic set still holds up really well and the tech must have been way ahead of its time.

• In this post-apocalyptic tale, you and your team have been woken up early from cryosleep by the system's AI to repair damage to the facility... but there might be more to the story than meets the eye.

• The puzzles were probably the weaker aspect of the room. It's not that they were bad — there were just a lot of process puzzles that became somewhat repetitive after a while. Many of the puzzles included minor variations so you had to complete them multiple times. It felt a bit like time padding, since once you figure out the gist of the puzzle it's not that hard to solve all the variations.

• Quite a few of the puzzles required teamwork, so 4 players is the recommended minimum and I think the perfect number, as having more could mean the extra players are left without much to do.

• Despite the weaker puzzles, this game felt more memorable than The Lost Shipwreck because of an amazing animatronic and a couple of really cool moments. I liked how it kept a lighthearted vibe and was sprinkled with humour all throughout despite the high stakes. There's even a crucial decision you'll need to make at some point!

Escape time: 27 minutes and 25 seconds

Theming	Atmosphere	Puzzles	Creativity	Fun
A-	A-	B	A-	A

Verdict: While it may be slipping further and further back in the TERPECA rankings as the years go by, Below Zero remains a fun and lighthearted game with some memorable moments and effects.

OVERALL RANK:

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