Studio Escape (Osaka, Japan)
Time limit: 60 minutes
Age limit: None
Player limit: 2-4
Difficulty: Medium
Date visited: December 2024
There aren’t many escape rooms in Japan that are playable by English speakers, but one of the few that do exist — in Osaka’s bustling Nipponbashi district — is among the best in the world. Studio Escape, co-founded and operated by twin brothers Edd and Ben Daggers (one a comedian and the other a magician), offers games that are unsurprisingly hilarious and filled with magical moments. What I didn’t expect, however, was how beautifully designed, intricate, clever, and narratively driven they are.
Two of their rooms, For Queen and Country and Shadow Zen, are the top-rated Japanese games on Morty and repeat TERPECA nominees, with Shadow Zen recently honoured as the 95th best room in the world, becoming the first Japanese escape room to rank in TERPECA’s prestigious top 100 list. Unfortunately, a burst pipe above the Shadow Zen premises flooded the room, rendering it unplayable until at least Spring 2025, and leaving us extremely disappointed.
On the positive side, this allowed us to play all three of their available rooms in one day, and first up was their newest offering, Madame LeClaire and the Séance of Death, a murder mystery set in early 1900s New York. This room was originally set up as a pop-up attraction in Osaka’s St. Regis Hotel, and it was so successful that the Daggers decided to make it a permanent room at their main venue (only Shadow Zen is at a different branch).
Madame LeClaire turned out to be an astounding experience that immediately rocketed up my list of favourite rooms. The thing about Studio Escape is that they don’t have a general reception area — you simply wait in the stairwell outside your scheduled room, and the “experience” essentially begins as soon as you enter.
The first thing I noticed about Madame LeClaire is the cinematic aesthetics of the design and props. Studio Escape calls itself “experiential cinema”, a perfect description. We’ve been to many rooms in Australia that are extremely well-designed, with high quality props crafting incredible realism and immersion, but Studio Escape’s rooms have that added “cinematic” quality” that make you feel like you’re in a movie. The rooms are absolutely stunning to look at, with impressive attention to detail that covers not only the furniture and objects but also the sound design and written materials. If you see a newspaper, every article is a real article specifically written for the game. If you see a booklet, every page can be flipped through and read.
The other thing that sets Studio Escape apart is the narrative. Many escape rooms have a general “theme” and puzzles that vaguely align with that theme, but Madame LeClaire immerses you in a murder mystery from start to finish, traversing multiple twists and turns along the way. Yes, there are puzzles, but every puzzle is directly relevant to the story and not gratuitous, making it feel like you need to solve them to progress the story as opposed to simply escaping the room. Rarely do I think the story of a room plays a big role, but it certainly does in Madame LeClaire and is one of the best things about it.
The tech in Madame LeClaire is also insanely good and implemented with clever subtlety, hidden out of sight while delivering many “wow” moments. Even the hint system, if you can even call it that, is delivered in line with the story and removes all interaction with the gamemaster, ensuring that the immersion is never broken. I know all of this sounds a little vague, but that’s only because I don’t want to give anything away — you simply need to experience it for yourself.
On the whole, Madame LeClaire is a masterclass in game design and storytelling. It does have some occult themes, and an occasionally spooky atmosphere and potentially a couple of minor jump scares, though the vibe is fun and I believe it’s a game that can be played by anyone. This story-driven puzzles mean some of the puzzles might come across as too straightforward or simple for pro players, but Studio Escape’s focus is firmly on delivering immersive experiences as opposed to anything too challenging or frustrating. We absolutely loved the TERPECA-nominated Séance in Sydney, and while Madame LeClaire is perhaps not quite as unique, it is arguably just as good (if not better).
PS: As an added bonus, you can enjoy a custom cocktail or mocktail at special bar immediately after you escape the room!
Escape time: 45 minutes out of 60
Verdict: A gorgeous, spellbinding room with a brilliant mystery at the heart of the experience, bolstered by impressive tech and a genius ending.
Rating: 9.25
Player | Theming | Atmosphere | Puzzles | Creativity | Fun | Average |
H | 9.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
E | 9 | 9 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 8.6 |
Z | 9.5 | 10 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.6 |
J | 9.5 | 10 | 10 | 9.5 | 10 | 9.8 |
Rating | 9.25 |
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