Wonderland [深處]

Stupid Particle - Anhe Original Branch (Taipei, Taiwan)

Time limit: 60 minutes

Age limit: 12+ (ages 12-15 require an adult)

Player limit: 5-6

Difficulty: Hard

Date visited: April 2026

We're back in Taiwan!

The last time we were in Taipei, we booked exclusively rooms that could be played in English except for one — 顛倒の室 (The Upside-Down Room) at Stupid Particle. The English-playable rooms were a mixed bag, partly because of poor translations, so Stupid Particle actually turned out to be one of our best Taiwan experiences.

Since I am fluent in Chinese and E and the kids can understand it (and can slowly read a few Chinese characters to a fairly low level of reliability), we thought we would just tackle the best rooms in Taipei this time without regard to English compatibility. And the best place to look for rooms in Taiwan is Escape Bar, the local equivalent of Morty. They even hand out their own awards, though the latest edition was 2024.

The first room we played on this trip was 深處 (given the English name Wonderland, even though the Chinese means something more like “The Depths" or "Deep Within"). We were recommended this room by our GM during our last visit to Stupid Particle as its puzzles are said to be "language agnostic".

So how was it?

• Wonderland turned out to be a very good room, but unfortunately not playable by foreign players. While the puzzles indeed did not rely on any written languages, the room itself did rely heavily on being able to understand spoken Mandarin due to the many audio recordings, both as prompts and part of the puzzles themselves.

• The story is interesting — the players are a group of orphans who have been accepted by a "new home" and will be taken to a "Wonderland" where there is unlimited food and fun. But what secrets lie behind its doors?

• Wonderland felt bigger than a typical Taiwanese escape room due to the number of different spaces we have to traverse. While each space was not particularly big (with a couple feeling slightly narrow or cramped for 5 people), they added up to what felt like a spacious game.

• The theming was solid and varied across the different spaces, especially once the story takes an expected sinister turn. Nothing jaw-dropping or visually stunning, and some of the props were showing signs of wear and tear, but it was clean and comfortable.

• Excellent use of tech throughout the room. No massive, complex contraptions or hi-tech magic or lighting/sound effects, but all the tech that was used was practical and well-hidden.

• The puzzles, like all of the puzzles designed by Stupid Particle, were excellent. Since there was no language element, most of the puzzles involved symbols, observation, deduction, and ciphers. It's a difficult room overall, with a few potential trip-up puzzles, but nothing that was frustrating or did not make sense.

• Our GM accompanied us for the first part of the room (as a character), but we then had to communicate using a walkie talkie, which we didn't love as it's never super clear due to static and poor reception. We didn't end up having to ask for a hint, but were given clarification at a couple of points.

• For more advanced teams, there's a bonus puzzle towards the very end, but you must collect the necessary props along the way in order to solve it. As we made it to the end with more than 10 minutes to spare, we were able to complete the bonus puzzle in the nick of time (we may have even gone over by a little bit), ensuring that we got the "good ending."

• What elevated Wonderland above just another solid escape room was the narrative thread that ran through the room and held the entire experience together. A common thing for Stupid Particle rooms is a long debrief where you go through the story behind the room you just played and discover all the hidden meaning and symbolism.

• The debrief for Wonderland was incredible. The revelations were especially impressive because every aspect of the room suddenly made perfect sense. Everything we did and every puzzle we solved symbolised something and was significant to the story in some way. It was all so cleverly tied together and truly underscored the amount of thought that must have gone into designing the story and puzzles. Even the Chinese name of the room had a double meaning. It genuinely left us utterly impressed.

Note: This room was located at a different location to The Upside-Down Room.

Escape time: 60 minutes

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

Verdict: While had fun while playing Wonderland, it was the post-game debrief that tied everything together and elevated the room above a typical escape room experience.

OVERALL RANK:

H	E	Z	J
B+	B-	B+	B