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Bloodstone Keep

H
Jan 4
2 min read

Escapist (Hamilton, New Zealand)

Time limit: 75 minutes

Player limit: 2-6

Difficulty: Hard (5/5)

Date visited: December 2025

We were very fortunate that the earlier session of Bloodstone Keep was not booked out on this particular morning, so we were able to go straight into it after completing El Dorado. This one had a vampire theme and was considered spooky but not frightening, with darkness and atmosphere but no real scares.

Here are my thoughts:

The theming was again very strong, with quality wooden decor that included real furniture and realistic props. It felt very clean and we could tell it was well maintained.
Most of the room was very dark, so we played with small flashlights and a lantern, which was great for the mood but I've learned is not for everyone (especially those who struggle to read in low light).
The room had a fun assortment of puzzles that ranged from padlocks to mechanical and hi-tech. It's a multi-linear room, which allowed us to divide and conquer.
Like El Dorado, the puzzles here fit the theme well, and were mostly in line with the story. I liked how the puzzles progressed the narrative and taught you more about the villain and what happened in the past.
The level of difficulty was definitely higher, but it was fair and not too bad. We got stuck on one puzzle that we thought we had gotten right and asked for a confirmation, but it turned out we were wrong and had to try again. That particular blunder prevented us from hitting the leaderboard again.
The ending to the game was really cool. Memorable endings always enhance the overall experience, and this was certainly one of the better ones we've seen.
For a 75-minute room, I did expected there to be a few more puzzles and would have liked more spaces, though this is from an enthusiast's perspective and I think the amount of content would have satisfied most casual teams.