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The Lost Island of the Voodoo Queen

Aug 30

3 min read

Escaparium (Laval, Canada)

Time limit: 75 minutes

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

Player limit: 3-8

Difficulty: Expert

Awards: TERPECA Top Rooms No. 25 (2021), No. 31 (2022), No. 28 (2023), No. 37 (2024), No. 78 (2025), TERPECA Finalist (2020; No. 83), Best of Morty (2023-2025)

Date visited: July 2026

This was our penultimate game at Escaparium Laval. The Lost Island of the Voodoo Queen is one of their older games (having debuted on TERPECA back in 2020), but it has remained in the top 100 every year since, a remarkable achievement considering how far escape rooms have come during that time. Back in 2021, it even had the distinction of being Canada's top-rated room. So what did we think of it?

Voodoo Queen was another certified banger from Escaparium. As expected, everything about it was top-notch. The set, the puzzles, the effects, and even the game master presence was designed to perfection. Apart from one space in the game being a bit too dark to see and read for my old eyes, there wasn't anything to complain about.
The game started with a brief intro from our game master and some creepy animatronics, and soon we were led onto what looked and felt like a real pirate ship. In fact, according to the Reality Escape Pod episode I listened to, it IS a proper ship they bought and repurposed for this room! Most pirate rooms try to simulate a part of the exterior or interior (or both) to varying degrees of success, but Escaparium actually gives players the real deal.
And that's not all. Escaparium goes the extra mile by also employing some amazing special effects as well as clever lighting and sound to make the ship's environment and crew seem more authentic. In terms of creating a realistic pirate ship atmosphere, Voodoo Queen was heads and shoulders above anything else we had played to date.
As the name of the game suggests, there is indeed an island — a stunning island that is so big and well-themed that you can actually explore it like a Disney theme park attraction. In short, ff all the "pirate ship" games we've played, this one had a set was most like a pirate ship. Of all the "island" games we've played, this one had a set was most like an island.
The puzzles were really fun and diverse too, making the most of the maritime and voodoo themes to deliver engaging, diegetic brain teasers that kept the immersion intact. Some parts of the game were linear and required teamwork, while other parts allowed the team to work on different puzzles at the same time. One thing Escaparium always does really well is finding ways to convey the narrative to players without requiring an excessive amount of reading or listening. Most of the exposition just comes in the flow of the game.
The integration of the game master into the game was another stroke of genius. As one of their older games, the live actor's physical presence is not frequent, but Escaparium found an immersive way to still let them guide the gameplay and offer assistance when needed.
Despite the name, Voodoo Queen is not a scary game. Some midly creepy atmosphere and moments, but not much more than that. It's a game that everyone — with perhaps the exception of really young kids — will be able to play and enjoy.
Having said all this, Voodoo Queen was probably our least favourite of the 7 Escaparium games we played (if you include Escape Plan at their Dorval location). Part of it is because it is an older game, and as such it doesn't have as many jaw-dropping moments as their newer games. Moreover, the game flow was not as "managed" as their newer games, so the game felt too short as we finished with 25 minutes to spare. Another reason is that we played it immediately after the astonishing The Forgotten Cathedral, and I think we would been blown away by it more had it been the first or second game we played at Laval, instead of the second last. It's kind of crazy to say that, because it still ended up in our team's top 10 out of the 42 rooms we played in Canada! That's how high of a bar Escaparium has set for the industry.