Hell in a cell

Are you brave enough to tackle No Way Out’s terrifying escape rooms?

When escape rooms first made their appearance in the UAE, most of the themes were pretty PG. We were detectives on a mission; adventurers in a jungle; or divers stuck in a submarine. Oh, how that’s changed. It’s not enough to feel the thrill of simply making it out in an hour. Now we genuinely have to feel petrified. Case in point, the brand-new escape rooms at No Way Out. They’ve ditched the family-friendly themes in favour or horror plots. First up, Maniac, Dr Hannibal Lector’s dungeon.

Staff lead us into a room like lambs to slaughter, hoods pulled over our heads so we can’t see the cages we were being stuffed into. As soon as the cell doors are locked, our hoods can be removed, but most of us are paralysed by fear – fear of being alone in the dark, in a confined cell. The premise of the game is that participants are being held captive by a cannibal killer and have to solve various puzzles to out-maneuver the captor.

We knew we didn’t have much time until he would return, ready to rip the flesh from our bones in cannibalistic glee, so we hurriedly tried to free ourselves from the cells. We tore the room apart solving riddle after riddle, and swiftly moving from a cell to a nightmarish kitchen, and ultimately into the main room of horrors. By some happy twist of fate, we made it out with all our limbs intact. Fantastic riddles, frightening sound effects and an excellent use of a talkative plate made this one of the best rooms we’d done in ages.

Business Centre, Cluster M, JLT, Dubai, Sun to Wed noon to 11pm, Thur to Sat 11am to 1am, from Dhs125. Tel: (055) 6793362. Taxi: JLT. nowayout.ae