Shadow Zen

Studio Escape - Daikoku-cho (Osaka, Japan)

Time limit: 60 minutes

Age limit: 10+ (ages 10-16 requires an adult)

Player limit: 2-4

Difficulty: Easy

Awards: TERPECA Top Room No. 95 (2024), TERPECA Nominee (2023)

Date visited: July 2025

With a trip to Europe or North America out of the question for the foreseeable future, our only chance to play a room in the 2024 TERPECA Top 100 was to head to Osaka, Japan, home of Studio Escape and the world’s 95th ranked room, Shadow Zen!

As many of you may know, a burst pipe above Shadow Zen flooded the room around the end of last year, shattering our dream of playing it. When it was finally revived in April 2025, we knew we had to go back to Studio Escape, especially after experiencing the magic of their other three rooms in December. And so we shuffled our itinerary around so that we could visit Osaka for a couple of days before flying back to Sydney after visiting Taiwan.

Well, I am ecstatic to report that, despite sky high expectations, Shadow Zen not only delivered but also surprised me in ways I had not anticipated. Located at a different venue to all their other rooms (it’s about a 20 minute walk between the two venues), Shadow Zen is tucked away in an assuming building on an ordinary street across from a park. Passersby would never suspect that one of the best escape rooms in the world is inside.

Like Studio Escape’s other experiences, Shadow Zen essentially begins as soon as you enter the front door, as there is no waiting area — just a couple of benches where you could put away your belongings and sit to watch the intro video. And that’s where the magic and surprises begin — immediately! Those who have played it will know what I mean 😉.

Shadow Zen comes across as more than simply an escape room. It’s an experience that impresses, surprises, and amazes in various ways. As Studio Escape puts it, their rooms are “experiential cinema”. More than feeling like you are on a movie set, you feel like you are a part of the movie. The room’s owners and designers, twins Ben and Edd Daggers, are like master filmmakers who know confidently and precisely what they want the audience to see and feel — and have the skills and tools to execute it.

If you’ve seen photos of the interior posted by other players, you will already know how sublime the theming and atmosphere is. The initial part of the room is designed to look like a narrow alleyway in 1920s Japan, complete with all the cultural splendour you might expect to see in a historical photo or painted postcard from that era. The gorgeous sets, with genuine and authentic props, extend all the way throughout the entire experience, along with masterful lighting, tech, and special effects. You could even see the attention to detail that has been put into the design of the beautiful colour palette.

But of course, simply being aesthetically pleasing isn’t enough. Shadow Zen’s puzzles are also really cool, varied, and novel. There’s your standard hunt and seek, but also an assortment of brain teasers and fun task-based challenges. Critically, almost all of the puzzles, in one way or another, help you gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Japanese culture and history.

Having said that, the puzzles were probably the weakest part of Shadow Zen because of how easy they were. We knew that the puzzles leaned more towards beginners when we stepped in, so we made sure we took our time and experienced every puzzle together as a family. There were even times when I stopped to read the materials just to appreciate the amount of effort and attention and detail that permeated every element of the room. And yet, we still managed to finish the room with 15 minutes to spare. I’m glad the room has an upper limit of 4 players, because many of the puzzles really only need one or two sets of hands, which is why I think a couple might enjoy it even more than a family. I do feel like Shadow Zen is a bit of a conundrum in the sense that enthusiasts who play it will likely find it not challenging enough, while novices will love it but develop unrealistic expectations for future rooms.

A lot of escape rooms leave me impressed, but few have me wondering how they managed to pull off some of the things that they did. Shadow Zen is one of these rare rooms. And to be honest, I’m still in awe over how they crafted certain aspects of the game.

Escape time: 45 minutes out of 60

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

Verdict: Beautiful and meticulous, Shadow Zen oozes an overwhelming vibe of professional craftsmanship and thematic harmony, bolstered by world-class technical brilliance and ingenuity. An unforgettable room that ought to be experienced and savoured. 

OVERALL RANK:

H	E	Z	J
S	S	S	S

PS: It is a little hard for me decide whether I liked Studio Escape’s Shadow Zen or For Queen and Country more. The former is more culturally distinctive, surprising, and aesthetically brilliant, but the latter is more challenging, adventurous, and humorous. Perhaps I should say that For Queen and Country is the better escape room, but Shadow Zen is the more unique experience, and the one I would recommend to foreign visitors if they could only pick one.