Ctrl Alt Reboot

Escaparium (Laval, Canada)

Time limit: 99 minutes

Age limit: Recommended 10+ (Under 16 requires adult)

Player limit: 4-8

Difficulty: Hard

Awards: TERPECA Top Rooms No. 5 (2025), Best of Morty (2025), Golden Lock Award (2026)

Date visited: July 2026

Ctrl Alt Reboot was our second game at Escaparium Laval. I'll be upfront: This is now my No. 1 escape room of all time, alongside Magnifico (which I initially ranked lower but after much though and reflection I now have them as 1A and 1B). So what makes Ctrl Alt Reboot so good?

• Everything! It's almost unfair to call this an escape room. This was like stepping onto a 200-million-dollar blockbuster film set where you are playing the main character, or a Universal Studios experience where you are not sitting on a ride but exploring an entire world on foot while solving puzzles and tackling challenges along the way.

• There are multiple live actors playing different roles starting from an in-character intro, and includes a unique and memorable hi-tech companion that also acts as your in-character game master.

• The set was absolutely massive, both in terms of floor space and vertical space, all utilised to maximum efficiency. It's definitely one of the biggest escape rooms we have played to date. We traversed enough sections and areas throughout the experience that it felt like a genuine sci-fi journey.

• The theming was over-the-top incredible. Given the quality of the build, the floor-to-ceiling (extremely high ceilings, by the way) decor, and the plethora of futuristic props ranging from hand-held size to room-size, the budget for this game must have been absolutely insane. It's no surprise that Escaparium has 20 full-time and 5 part-time staff building rooms.

• The only problem with the set applies to those who have played their previous game, Rain Corp, which from what I understand was set in the same space and has a similar footprint. While the game itself is almost entirely different, having familiarity with the layout could affect that element of surprise you get from discovering new areas.

• The tech and special effects were another highlight. This is an incredibly cinematic game, full of scenes and technological interactions you might see (or have seen) in a sci-fi action movie. And they're not there just for the spectacle — they are integral parts of the story and advance the plot, which was surprisingly engaging and easy to follow. This was amazing considering there was very little reading or expositional dialogue throughout the entire game.

• The tech also extended to the excellent puzzles, which were super diverse, mostly mimetic and intuitive, and entirely in line with the narrative. Every puzzle served a purpose and made sense in the space and the story. There was one especially cool gadget that we had to carry with us throughout the game and came in clutch multiple times. However, I do think it is a legitimate criticism that some players find it too repetitive, or is too predictable of a special item in that it magically comes in handy every time you get stuck.

• Another point to note this that this game does have a surprising amount of profanity, though it all comes from a very cute storytelling mechanic. There is a warning on the website but those who don't read it might get a bit of a shock, especially if playing with kids.

• I would be remiss not to mention the climax of the game, which is hands down one of the most ambitious and enjoyable endings I've ever experienced in an escape room. The high-octane, action-packed idea was impressive but the execution was perfection.

• In the weeks after playing Ctrl Alt Reboot, I keep asking myself: What makes it the best game I've played to date? Is it the scale? The scope? The spectacle? I remember at first just being awe-struck by the immersive set, tech, effects, and cinematics, but soon I was also sucked into the story, the clever puzzles, and the gameplay design. More than any other game, it blurred the line between escape room and theme park attraction, transporting me back to the imagination of my childhood, one wow moment after another.

PS: In hindsight, I would recommend playing Ctrl Alt Reboot just before Magnifico or even after it. After all, it is Escaparium's newest game and arguably most spectacular. As a relatively new game, it came in at No. 5 for the 2025 TERPECA rankings, while Magnifico repeated as No. 1, but some notable names in the international escape room community (such as Heiner of https://escaperoomers.de/) have ranked it even above Magnifico! I actually locked in the order of our games at Escaparium before the 2025 TERPECA results were announced. Had I known how highly rated it was going to be, I definitely would have scheduled it as one of our last games!

Escape time: 94 out of 99 minutes

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

Verdict: An epic sci-fi action masterpiece with breathtaking sets, over-the-top tech, and jaw-dropping special effects, interwoven with innovative, mimetic puzzles and intriguing twists and turns. It's my favourite experience to date.

OVERALL RANK:

H	E	Z	J
S	S	S	S