Attention horror fans! ‘The Great Escape Game’ opens its doors to a first-of-its-kind in Sheffield - a gothic themed puzzle bar: The Haunted Hound.
Feeling apprehensive? Fear not! Sheffield Magazine was invited along to test out their cosy bar with a unique puzzle game, delicious ‘chilled’ cocktails and popular escape room ‘Run’ ahead of their full bar launch today!
The delightfully macabre décor - flickering lamps, cobwebs, “ancient” artefacts and eerie violin music - set the perfect ambiance for an enjoyable evening full of startling surprises.
The cocktail menu reflects the ‘haunted’ theme with a series of gruesomely beautiful, devilishly tasty, and reasonably priced creations. Likewise, the shot roulette, served in quirky skull glasses, is a fun addition to the interactive experience this venue offers.
After being presented with a delicious ‘Raspberry Reaper’ cocktail (complete with a syringe shot), the concept of the new bar was clearly explained. We were given pens and a cypher filled puzzle sheet to use in conjunction with various props around the bar. The aim of the puzzle is to “discover what happened to the previous Landlady and break the curse” host Khadija theatrically explains.
The puzzle itself was a good level of challenge while also being completely manageable after enjoying a few spirits. The new bar also offers the opportunity to play some popular paranormal board games and currently serves a good range of pizzas, with plans to expand the horror theme to some other culinary offerings later in the year.
Hosts Khadija and Sam’s enthusiasm for the new venture is infectious. They explained that the aim of the new experience is to give their escape room customers the chance to warm up their problem-solving brains and ice break conversations with their teammates over a drink. But the customer service, both in serving drinks, offering clues and generally being warm and welcoming is one of the real strengths of the experience.
The Great Escape Sheffield also has five escape rooms with varying degrees of peril and challenge. We successfully completed ‘Run’ (thankfully no cardio required) which is set in an abandoned orphanage and was a multi room experience that really got the heart racing – highly recommended.
Overall, ‘The Haunted Hound’ promises to offer something different to existing ‘Great Escape Room’ veterans whilst luring in new customers who will undoubtedly enjoy this unique and ghoulishly exciting venue.