The Steampunk Express

The Imaginarium (Scarborough, Toronto, Canada)

Time limit: 75 minutes

Age limit: Recommended 16+ (due to difficulty)

Player limit: 3-6

Difficulty: 5/5

Awards: TERPECA Nominee (2020-2021, 2025), Best of Morty (2023-2024)

Date visited: July 2026

Our second game at The Imaginarium was The Steampunk Express, rumoured to be the most difficult escape room in Toronto! To be honest, I wasn't sure we could handle it. If you've read the review for our first game, The Grand Wilshire Hotel, you'll know that we played it ZERO air-conditioning in the humid Toronto summer heat and barely made it out alive. As solid as that game was, it was sadly impossible to truly enjoy it.

We took a moment to gather ourselves and rehydrate (courtesy of the kind but also very sweaty staff) before heading into The Steampunk Express, which we knew would be an even bigger challenge because the puzzles were going to be tougher, and, more pertinently, as a "train", the space was going to be smaller and even stuffier! Did we survive?

• Again, barely. The accumulated heat exposure from the back-to-back games took a real toll on us and I was stunned that our brains still functioned enough to make it out. We were sweating profusely by the end and were never so glad to literally "escape" an escape room.

• Now, putting aside all the extraneous circumstances, how was the room itself? Great! The theming and atmosphere were solid, with several "carriages" of space and decor that resembled an old-school train but with some modern additions. Not all of it fit together thematically, but the focus of this room was not the decor. I understand it was originally a "bought" room but The Imaginarium made significant changes to create a completely new experience.

• The puzzles were the main attraction and they were extremely diverse and challenging. The game was semi-linear in the sense that we progressed through the carriages, but the puzzles themselves were mostly multi-linear and in some cases multi-step, so it was a very busy room. We naturally split up at various times to work on different puzzles, but kept constant communication in case we needed help, or had information that could with other puzzles. There was a lot of tech, but also some more traditional elements that required us to be more hands on.

• The varied puzzles included the usual observation and hunt and seek, but also practical problem solving, listening, process, pattern recognition, complex logic, tactile, memory, and team work. There was no writing equipment at all, so it was an extra challenge trying to remember everything, which was not easy when we were already so flustered by the heat. If the humidity wasn't already bad enough, we found ourselves having to scramble back and forth trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together, sometimes literally (as there was a jigsaw of sorts to solve).

• The signposting was sufficient but not particularly strong, though I presume it may be intentional to make the room more challenging.

• We did encounter a couple of tech issues — one compartment opened before it should have and confused our approach, and the jigsaw was supposed to have two affixed pieces to start off with but one had been dislodged, making it exponentially more difficult.

• We ended up escaping with 10 minutes to spare, but we did need a bit of help. We asked for one hint midway through the game when we thought we were missing a requisite tool, but it turned out we just didn't spot it hiding in plain sight (though to be fair we usually don't like to pull at wall props out of fear of breaking them).

• The second bit of assistance was the slightly broken jigsaw, which we spent ages on but just couldn't figure out. Drenched in sweat by this point, we asked the GM for a hint but he said it was just something we had to figure out through trial and error. Even though he assured us we still had plenty of time left at that point, we were so flustered and hot from huddling in the cramped space that we couldn't be bothered anymore. So we gladly agreed when the GM offered to come in and do the puzzle for us — and even he struggled for a while (because of the dislodged piece), and was dripping in sweat from just the 3 minutes he was in there with us 🥵.

• I would like to think that, in normal, air-conditioned conditions, we would have enjoyed The Steampunk Express a lot. We love great sets, immersion, and storytelling, but we also really like puzzle dense rooms that push our team's capabilities. This room fell in the latter category. Even though the puzzles were a bit all over the place, they did provide a wonderful challenge and were fun despite the sweltering heat.

PS: We played at the start of July and I heard they have since "fixed" the air-conditioning (as of late July) and it's much better than before, but it's still unnaturally warm in the lobby and Steampunk in particular, so more work probably needs to be done. I really feel for the owners, the staff, and the players because it's brutal for everyone and the business, yet there's only so much they can do as it seems to be a building issue. Hope they can get it resolved soon because it's a room I would recommend to enthusiasts looking for a challenge.

Escape time: 65 out of 75 minutes

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

Verdict: A challenging multi-linear, puzzle-dense room with solid theming, tech, and lots of different types of puzzles that test a wide range of skills. Great for experienced teams and enthusiasts who like to test themselves.

OVERALL RANK:

H	E	Z	J
A-	A-	A-	A-