SOS

Escape Boats in Dublin is the only company in Ireland that has ever produced a TERPECA finalist. With their game SOS, they made it to 145th place in 2019 and repeated that success in 2021, ranking 179th.
Escape Boats currently operates three escape games across two ships in Dublin (SOS and Convicts) and Galway (The Inspectors). Apart from the museum ships in Hamburg – the Cap San Diego and the Rickmer Rickmers, where Hidden operates five games – I haven’t played any escape rooms on real ships, which always makes the experience feel special.

The Zorg Ella, moored at Charlotte Quay Dock in Dublin, is a nearly 110-year-old potato barge originally from the Netherlands. It has since been beautifully restored and transformed into an escape attraction, complete with authentic, vintage nautical props that create a wonderfully immersive atmosphere. The attention to detail is outstanding.

There isn’t a huge amount of space on board – the games are officially designed for 2–6 players (SOS) and 4–10 players (Convicts), but I’d personally recommend playing with three or four people. That way, it feels comfortably cozy rather than crowded.

The gamemaster runs the experience from the wheelhouse – quite the office view! After a short briefing, you enter the game directly through this area. The available space has been used very cleverly, making the setup both functional and immersive.

The puzzles are fairly classic in style, yet smartly constructed and perfectly integrated into the theme. The game flow is mostly linear and smooth, keeping players continuously engaged. We only needed one hint toward the end when we got briefly stuck.

What truly stands out is the dramatic finale – immersive, original, and nearly one of a kind. We had a fantastic time on board, and the hosts were genuinely delightful. Anyone visiting Dublin should absolutely add Escape Boats to their must-play list.

SOS was, by the way, my 3,000th escape game – and truly something special. Thank you for the wonderful time on board!