The Forgotten Cathedral

Escaparium (Laval, Canada)

Time limit: 90 minutes

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

Player limit: 4-8

Difficulty: Hard

Awards: TERPECA Top Rooms No. 4 (2023), No. 3 (2024), No. 8 (2025), Best of Morty (2023-2025), Golden Lock Award (2024)

Date visited: July 2026

Our second day at Escaparium Laval started off with The Forgotten Cathedral, one of my most anticipated games ever since I started researching the best escape rooms in the world 2 years ago. We were supposed to play this one just before Magnifico, but since we booked the room so long ago (like 8-9 months in advance) — before Escaparium updated their systems — they ended up with a double booking and asked if we could shift our schedule around to accommodate. Did the game live up to the hype?

• Yeah, The Forgotten Cathedral proved why it has been in TERPECA's Top 10 ever since its launch in 2023. From the awesome opening to the ridiculous set and superb puzzles, this game was something else.

• Without giving too much away, this game had one of the coolest, cleverest intros to an escape room we've experienced, one that began the myth building even before before we stepped onto the set. It immersed us into the world right away, built up the story and tension, and even had the naive J asking, "Is what they're saying true?"

• The most impressive thing about this room was of course the set. Though it doesn't have the largest footprint compared to some of Escaparium's other epic rooms, it is in my opinion their most spectacular, both from a visual and design standpoint. It was as though they had built a real gothic cathedral (inside and out) on the massive Escaparium lot, complete with super high ceilings, beautiful coloured-glass windows, and authentic church decor. It was less of a Disney-style set and more like the set of a gothic horror movie, and it was clear they spared no expense to make the cathedral as authentic as possible.

• The hidden tech and sound and lighting effects were of course brilliant, but what made the game truly stand out were the cool reveals and surprises that elevated the immersion without feeling fake or tacky. The audacity to even try creating some of its insane props and effects was already impressive, but Escaparium managed to pull off these set pieces at a very high level through incredible craftsmanship and technical expertise.

• The puzzles were also some of Escaparium's best, remaining thematic and diegetic throughout, which was very difficult for a cathedral-themed room. They were challenging but adequately signposted, creating a level of difficulty that was just right — it kept us thinking without ever resulting in too many failed attempts or tipping over into frustration.

• Our live actor and GM did a fantastic job from start to finish. As with all of Escaparium's games, they built the GM's presence and hint system naturally into the gameplay, such that you are interacting with them as in-game characters as opposed to an external staff member or dealing with pre-recorded messages, keeping the immersion intact.

• Despite appearances, this is not a particularly scary game. Maybe a mild jump scare or two, but it relies mostly on atmosphere to deliver creepy vibes as opposed to genuine terror, so pretty much anyone can play it. That said, I loved the slow build-up of tension, and that ominous feeling that something wild could happen every time we solved a puzzle.

• All of the above culminated in what amounted to a near-religious experience for our team. This game wowed us numerous times and had us constantly oohing and aahing as we explored the cathedral and its secrets. This was one of the best escape rooms we've played to date and as at the date of this review is Z's No. 1 game of all time.

Escape time: 77 minutes and 33 seconds out of 90

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

Verdict: A jaw-dropping experience from start to finish, filled with incredible moments and reveals, perfectly balanced puzzles, and thrilling special effects, all delivered through one of the most breathtaking escape room sets ever built.

OVERALL RANK:

H	E	Z	J
S	S	S	S