Zoltar Spreekt

When we played Pray earlier this year we received some recommendations from the owner, one of which was this game. Unfortunately, back then it was only in Dutch, but they promised they would soon have an English version, which they did just in time for our trip.

Talking with the owners it was interesting to hear that they did not really expect international visitors and that was one of the reasons why they did not have it in English from the start. This is the reason why this room will not appear in Terpeca this year. I expect it to be next year though, based on the positions in the last update of the ranked playlist and escapetalk.nl.

In general, I try not to let my expectation run very high, even when I know it will be a good game, I prefer to go with an open attitude and let myself be (ideally positively) surprised. This was clearly the case in this game. While the owners are new to the industry, they had support from professional in the room and this really shows.

The set is very nicely done engaging the different senses and carefully built from the floor to the ceiling. Some rooms are just beautiful aesthetically speaking and this one is one of those. The game as such is very interesting, it is difficult to describe without entering into spoilery details, but it has a bit of everything. From more classic tasks to more fun ones. It is not always easy to have a room with such a broad variety and that still feels coherent. I really enjoyed the different moments of the games and their transitions. Definitely one of the strong points of this escape room.

Additionally, the topic is original and that is in my view always a plus. Only based on the image which represents the room I was expecting yet another fortune teller kind of game (in terms of story), but it was much more and I really loved not only the storytelling, but also the way in which the players are integrated into the story, making the passage from audience to protagonists.

I think it was unanimously our favorite of this trip and it is a room that should not be missed. Its location in Hilversum is quite ideal, as Hilversum is literally the center of a circle southeast from Amsterdam in which many of the top games of the country are located (e.g. The Dome in Bunschoten. Expedition Bermuda in Naarden, Corpse Inc in Baarn, Soup du jour/Poppet in Amersfoort), so make sure to include this game on your list.