The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience — Attraction in London

Overall a great concept, some excellent games and lots of fun (also we had a great Maze Master nicknamed "Prejudice"), but for £69.99 per person we felt our experience was below par and very very rushed - to the point that during one of the games we were asked to abandon it and move on because another group wanted to get into the next section. Firstly we all arrived on time and waited in the bar until we were taken to an area where we were asked if we would like to spend another £15.99 to upgrade to a 'Mega Crystal' - when we declined the host continued to question why we declined and even during the experience in the Medieval area and Futuristic area whilst she was resetting games she continued to ask why we did not upgrade to the Mega Crystal which was awkward. There was not much enthusiasm by our host at all (not to be confused with the Maze Master who was fantastic) - as soon as we were taken to the initial briefing room/waiver room all she said was something like "here is the video, watch it". The first area is the Medieval section - which is well themed and has some challenging games! Very good fun and everything went well. Although the "bow and arrow" game was difficult - without giving too much away - there should be a few extra arrows as there is only just enough to complete the game not allowing for any mistakes. The next section you go downstairs to a colder section in the Medieval area where our team leader was asked to choose game type. She selected a team member and was asked to put a hat and gloves on. She entered the room but then was immediately told to come out because the room had not been "reset" from the last group. So that was a bit messy. This also happened on two other occasions! Again, without giving too much away - after we entered the Industrial section, we played a game where you had to use an electromagnet to slot pieces of a track together, once complete the track you push a button which allows the crystal to run along the track. But unfortunately, the game had not been reset correctly and the crystal got caught in the first piece of track which was already put in place by the staff. So that was disappointing, but the Maze Master let us have a Crystal as it wasn't in our control. After this section, we had to descend a ladder but as soon as we got the bottom we were told we had to go back up the ladder because we had only played 2 games in that section and we were supposed to have played 3. So, we all headed back up and then I was selected to play the 3rd game which was a "Physical". I was asked to remove my shoes and then entered a room with lots of obstacles (soft play type obstacles) - but approximately 15 seconds of being in the room - I was asked to come out because another group were behind us and needed to get into the Industrial section. So this was abandoned and just as I was about to bring back one of the "blocks" I had to remove from the wall the host shouted to me "leave all the blocks where they are" - I presume this was so it made resetting everything much easier for her.

(All in all, I only managed to play 1 game plus this "abandoned game" during the whole game (we were a group of 6)). So one full game for £70 wasn't great.

After the experience, you are taken back to the lockers and the shop area (you do not get a crystal for taking part automatically). But only one photograph taken (which was blurry), but other groups had 3 photos and at the very least 2 photos. This was disappointing because we were told that 2 photos on a USB are £15. But since we only had 1 photograph we had to get our photo printed for £10. So we ended up with one poor quality photo at the end. I asked if we could get another photo quickly and was told we would have to pay again for the entire experience if we wanted a 2nd photo. (I didn’t think this was a very fair comment).

On a positive note, the décor and games were well-engineered and very fun - but I feel our experience was hampered by numerous mistakes and unprofessionalism. I feel customer interaction needs much...

My family enjoys games and experiences that make you think and work together as a team, and we have enjoyed escape rooms and also Monopoly Lifesized, but we just enjoyed an experience that will live long in our memories. I was a big fan of the original Crystal Maze television programme and always fancied having a go, but I was too young to apply. However, I put that right on the occasion of my daughter’s birthday by taking my wife and two children to play The Crystal Maze Live Experience, in central London. You never know what to expect at places like these, and you just hope they will offer value for money and a good time, and The Crystal Maze London ticked every box and more. We cannot recommend it highly enough. After registering and signing waivers, you meet your Maze Master. Ours was Homa Way (home-away) who was dressed in PE gear and whistle to don the role of referee. The host of these games who can make or break the experience Homa was simply brilliant. He was funny, clear and concise, and very supportive throughout, which of course is just what you need to calm the nerves. Anyone familiar with the TV show will know that you work your way throughout four zones in the maze: Medieval, Industrial, Futuristic and Aztec, playing a variety of games ranging from: Mental, Physical, Mystery and Skill. I won’t spoil the surprise, but all of the games resembled the great TV show, and you race against time to complete the challenge in each room in order to win a crystal. Each crystal buys you five seconds of time inside your final challenge, the Crystal Dome, where you must collect as many silver tokens as you can in your allotted time. Our experience had a bit of everything: crystals gained in triumph, the frustration of some near misses, and even a lock-in, but we somehow managed to accumulate 11 crystals in our hour inside the four zones. Then it was on to the Crystal Dome. The fans start, the tokens fly, and you scramble like mad to gather as many as you can and slot them in the small box. When you exit the Dome, you wait as your total is revealed on the screens above, and we were delighted to say that we ‘smashed it’, cheered on by Homa our host. We trotted off to the bar to celebrate! Anyone looking for something different on a day out in London (they have a venue in Manchester too) will find it hard to beat The Crystal Maze Live Experience. I hope we get the chance to repeat it...

Crystal Maze Review As a child of the 90s the Crystal Maze first captured my imagination so when I found I could be on the Crystal Maze it became a dream. Needless to say my expectations were sky high.

On arrival the staff are friendly and welcoming: the staff efficiently get the boring but necessary paperwork out of the way.

Up the stairs acts as a warm up (and this is absolutely necessary) and the lobby area is well laid out. It was a quiet evening but the bar was well stocked if closed on this occasion. Excellent facilities and all kept clean and tidy. Lockers are provided with combination and key locks for your liking and there are plenty to choose from.

Our Games master today was the Toymaker: she had a task that meant living up to the likes of Richard O’Brien or Ed Tudor Pole. All throughout they managed the group well, kept in character with excellent wit and charisma and plenty of gently insulting the guests - in true Crystal Maze style. An impressive performance all the way through to the end and really made the event and captured the original essence of the 90’s TV show.

All of the games were exceptional quality (no spoilers) and all in the spirit of the original show. The setting was more than I expected: each zone incredibly armospheric. It genuinely felt like I was on the show all the way through.

The only criticism I have is the number of of puzzles which may have relied on colour to solve. Whilst I did mention this at the desk I was either incredibly lucky to not get a puzzle or this was well managed: hard to know as beyond being asked at the front desk I was never asked about it again. A check before we started the game would have sufficed to give me the assurance I would be able to access and assist in any game.

Overall this experience was everything I expected and more. The quality of the sets and games, the performance of my host all made for an excellent visit. Exceptional all the way through from beginning to end.

Unlike other escape rooms, I feel there were other games that did not get played today so a repeat visit is definitely on the card. I will be back!

Make sure you wear good quality shoes - you may be on your hands and knees!

If it is warm it is worth bringing trousers to...