3 min readA disastrous tear in space and time confronted five members of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Team, as they took on the ‘Worlds Collide’ Doctor Who Escape Room at Escape Hunt, Manchester.
Buried in the historic underground of The Corn Exchange, this Escape Room was a team-building challenge like no other – it puts YOU at the centre of a Doctor Who adventure. The well-designed format of the game invited our team to step through a door and into the future; as the Escape Room challenge begins in the recreated offices of Chronos Corp HQ. Whether you are familiar with Doctor Who or not, the inventive set-up offers an exciting experience for all.
The ‘Worlds Collide’ Escape Room is the result of the BBC coming together with Escape Hunt, creating an official Doctor Who immersive experience. Manchester was the first city in the UK to host the experience, with the game scenario first arriving at Escape Hunt here earlier this year.
Little wonder then that our team couldn’t wait to give it a try! Containing multiple interactive props from across time and space, the first room displayed an impressive attention-to-detail. The more we explored it, the more intriguing clues and inbuilt challenges emerged!
The Escape Room scenario in ‘World Collide’ is that billionaire Alastair Montague’s efforts to develop commercial time travel have caused a tear in the fabric of space and time… and we have the ability to fix it, with an hour to work out the puzzles and escape the room! If we don’t, then the terrifying Cybermen will break through the tear and the human race will be ‘upgraded’. Reassuringly, even those on the team not too familiar with Doctor Who still understood the premise of the game – underlining that this is an activity with something for everyone.
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Our introduction to the scenario via a recording of Alastair himself on a screen in the wall certainly heightened the tension in the room – giving the game momentum from the onset. Given just 60 minutes to save the universe, the Escape Room tested a range of skills through multiple challenges- some involving more practical ability, others requiring strategic thought.
For anyone considering an Escape Room challenge for a professional team, ‘Worlds Collide’ certainly is an activity that encourages people to try something different, whilst encouraging co-operation and teamwork in a unique way. But the diversity of tasks inside means that it will work just as well for groups of friends and family too! Filled with twists, turns and a little help from a Games Master over the intercom if you need it, ‘Worlds Collide’ is a high-adrenaline, fast-thinking challenge that brought us closer together.
The ultimate sign of successful teamwork? We managed to escape, in 53 minutes. But we aren’t giving any more clues – why not give it a try for yourself instead? ‘Worlds Collide’ at Manchester’s Escape Hunt is bookable online, and offers an immersive trip through time and space you are sure to remember. Highly recommended.
By Emily Oldfield
