We’ve been to Casa Loma – Toronto’s very own castle – a few times, including for Halloween’s Legends of Horror, a festive visit in the lead up to Christmas or just to enjoy the view of the city’s skyline from the top of the Baldwin Steps, but never before have we indulged in one of its interactive escape rooms. That all changed last month when we got to experience the brand new The Dragon’s Song game, where we had to find the last dragon egg and save the city from an evil army and the dragons from extinction…

Escape rooms have exploded all over Toronto during the past couple of years and we’ve done a few of them, but the one that everyone talks about is the Escape Casa Loma series. The reason it stands out is due to the immersive experience that has been created with the help of live actors, fantastic theming and an over 100 year old castle setting. As our guide said to us when we got there ‘you can’t build a set like Casa Loma’.

Last month we were lucky enough to be invited by the makers of the games, Secret City Adventures, to try out The Dragon’s Song, their newest escape room. The Dragon’s Song is their first game that has two difficulty ratings, one for kids (8+) and one for adults. In case you were wondering, we did the adult version.

The premise of the game is that you need to find the last remaining dragon egg in order to save dragons from extinction. Of course the egg is hidden in an abandoned tower, deep in the dark forest which is rumoured to have belonged to a group of powerful sorcerers who studied both magic and science! Oh and you only have an hour. So not an easy task but with the help of our fellow teammates we did it!

I won’t go into any more detail about the game as I don’t want to spoil it, but I will say that it is definitely one of the best escape rooms we’ve done. The set was perfectly designed so you really felt like you were in an abandoned tower – helped by the fact that it is in an actual tower, in an actual castle. The actors add another level to the experience as they guide you through the story, providing just enough advice to keep everything moving along. They never broke character and were an integral and fun part of the story. I liked that they challenged us to rethink how to approach each puzzle, but without giving anything away or ruining the fun. They really are what makes this escape room different from any others that we’ve done.

So if you’re looking for something different to do this holiday season or for the perfect gift, I would highly recommend checking out The Dragon’s Song escape room. Tickets are available on the Secret City Adventures website and I would recommend booking in advance if you have a specific date in mind. Each game can accommodate 12 people.

Now if you’re thinking, I don’t have 12 friends or family that will come with me and I don’t want to do an escape room with a bunch of strangers, I get you. I felt the same way and to be honest that was what has put us off going before. Fortunately though I didn’t need to be worried. The games are set up in a way that it works great for this type of situation. In each room there are a selection of smaller games, so it’s essential that everyone splits up into smaller groups  to complete all the games and the game as a whole, so your group can stick together. Although we found in reality, we didn’t always end up working together because we both tended to gravitate to the challenges that are best suited to us.

Emma

Thank you to Secret City Adventures for hosting us on this experience. As always, all our opinions are our own.