Seance

The Cool Space (Sydney, Australia)

Time limit: 60 minutes

Age limit: Recommended for 16+ (mild horror themes, jump scares, live actor)

Player limit: 2-6 (Recommended 2-4)

Difficulty: 4/5

Scare factor: 2.5/5

Date visited: October 2024

I had heard a lot of good things about Seance, a unique escape room where the players are sitting down for the entire 60-minute experience (more or less). As with most people, I was sceptical as to how the game designers could make this a fun and engaging experience. E is not a fan of occult themes and had to work that day, so I took Z and J by myself, even though the room was recommended for age 16+. But I emailed the creators of Seance in advance, and in their own words, if you are “ok with darkness, a few loud noises and a creepy atmosphere”, then you should be fine to play.

Seance was also our first “live actor” experience, something we weren’t very sure about either. But if you are like us, be rest assured that the live actor is really only at the very beginning to get the ball rolling, and there’s not much interaction after that, so you and your team are mostly left to your own devices to figure things out.

Well, the three of us had an absolute blast with Seance. It is an ingenious escape room that makes use of a tiny space (the table sits a maximum of 6 players, though I would suggest 3 or 4), making everything you can see or touch around you a potential puzzle, clue, or some other part of the game. I loved the progression and discovering new things and surprises in the same space as the game moved along.

The sound and lighting also play a big role in not just creating atmosphere and immersion, but also the puzzles. That is why, despite only getting up from our seats a couple of times (mostly because the kids have short arms), we were engrossed in the experience the entire time and never felt bored or restricted. The seance theme was truly perfect for a game like this. I wouldn’t classify it as particularly difficult — a solid challenge for one adult and two pre-teen Mensa kids who have done a few rooms.

In terms of scares, I personally felt they were rather mild, and I was more impressed with how cool they were than anything else. When I asked the kids if they were ever scared, they both said, “Not really” (which probably means yes, lol). I also think the occult element wasn’t very heavy and that even someone like E (who is generally against occult themes, horror rooms, and live actors) would have had a great time in this room.

The game’s creators and our GMs, Josh and Daniel, two very impressive young guys who previously worked as GMs for The Cipher Room and Next Level Escape, were kind and generous enough to give us a behind-the-scenes tour after we completed the room, demonstrating how they pulled off the magic. They also gave us a rundown of how we performed relative to other groups of 3 and all groups in general (we slayed).

The Cool Space has delivered a fantastic first game and we can’t wait for their next one, an ice cream parlour-themed room that will hopefully be arriving soon. The advantage of Seance is that it uses so little space that it saves a lot of room for a couple of bigger, more traditional escape games they are planning.

Escape time: 45 minutes out of 60

Rating: 9.4

Player	Theming	Atmosphere	Puzzles	Creativity	Fun	Average
H	9	9	8	10	9	9
Z	9	9.5	9.5	10	9.5	9.5
J	9.5	10	9.5	10	9.5	9.7
Rating						9.4