Major Mindgames, Horsham’s only escape room venue, has launched a new room with another to follow before the end of March 2024.

The first new room – The Haunting – is a mystery set in a haunted house. Opened on 3 February 2024 the room promises all sorts of spooky challenges and Sussex Local decided to give it a go! Finding something to entertain the whole family when the weather isn’t great can be problematic so an indoor activity where we could work as a team whilst having some fun seemed ideal.

Without giving anything away, there are plenty of puzzles to solve (and a lot of locks!), the atmosphere is certainly creepy and groups can tackle more than one puzzle at a time so everyone can be involved. We loved the story (see below) and were pleased that our host David gave us a few hints along the way. We escaped with just two minutes left on the clock! Highly recommended.

THE HAUNTING

In The Haunting, teams of up to 8 players venture into a haunted house and work with the spectres that dwell there to solve a cold case… and free the spirits that torment the derelict mansion. Major Mindgames trialled this room in October 2023 for the Halloween period and, due to popular demand, it’s returning as a more permanent room.

The back story:

This is a story of poison and poltergeists….

Back in 1924, a gruesome murder took place at the Abbey and, shortly after the events of that fateful evening, the Knottoosh family reported strange and unpleasant ‘happenings’ in the house, terrifying them from their sleep, so they moved out. The house fell to rack and ruin over the years, and is now condemned.

The house is to be turned into high end apartments, even though local urban legend claims spirits are at unrest in the dilapidated building: the spirits of the victims roam the corridors, desperate for their souls to be freed… but there’s no chance of that until the truth finally comes out.

You represent paranormal investigators hired by the construction company to enter the Abbey and banish the spirits for good. And to do that, you’ll need to know what really happened on that fateful night.

Rumour has it that a team of investigators got close to the truth a few years back, but no-one has been back into the Abbey since they mysteriously disappeared.

If you fail… then, like many who have gone before you… we may never see you again.

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The second new room – The Show Must Go On – will be a comedy adventure set in a TV studio and will open on 2 March 2024.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

In The Show Must Go On, teams of up to 8 players fill in for the stars of hit TV shows, solving puzzles to help them get the shows to air in time for the commercial break.

The back story:

Something weird is going down in the TV world. It’s prime time, and all the big stars from MMGTV’s hottest shows have mysteriously vanished. Are they on strike? Did they all decide to take a minibreak together? Maybe they all got hit by the same suspiciously convenient ‘tummy bug’? Or could it be a case of mass kidnapping? Who knows, and frankly, who even cares!?

The only thing that really matters is that the show has got to go on!

You’re just a random group of folks just chilling by the stage door, minding your own business and hoping for an autograph. Next thing you know, the TV big shots are looking to you for help. Out of nowhere, you’re being whisked away into the TV, about to take centre stage as the new stars of the show.

You haven’t been told much about your mission, so there are going to be a few surprises in store. But if you can make it to the commercial break in each show, you’ll win the hearts of millions of viewers.

The nation is counting on you…

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These two new games represent the sixth and seventh escape rooms launched by Major Mindgames since it opened in Swan Walk in Horsham less than two years ago, in August 2022.

They join the popular game The Super Pack, which has been running since April 2023, and is a comic caper set in the city of ‘Cosmopolis’, where the players must form a crack team of superheroes, to foil the plans of a dastardly villain.

Major Mindgames is in the Swan Walk centre in Horsham and is open seven days a week. Each escape room can accommodate up to 8 players.

Find out more and book online at www.majormindgames.com

Discounts of 10% are available to all players during the week; and from Monday to Wednesday groups of 5 or more players can play for the price of 4. Check out www.majormindgames.com/secret-discounts to access the savings.