The Witching Hour is upon us in this Halloween special, it's time to pull up a rickety, mouldy stool at the near-empty pub, the Brush, Nose and Bone. In this episode, we're joined by a master of horror, Keith Dozois of USB Escape to discuss all things horror in escape rooms. How does horror affect puzzles? What are our best (and worst) experiences with horror? And how do you make horror good in an escape room? As always, here are your recommendations for this month. Jamie - Ice Nine Kills (band), a metalcore whose recent output has been centred around iconic horror films, and was a big inspiration for Jamie's episode this arc. Mairi - Strange Jigsaws (game by fleb), a short digital puzzle game about solving 50 or so rather strange jigsaws. The prequel (20 Small Mazes) is free, if you want to see what sort of thing you're getting yourself into. Jon - Never Let Me Go (novel by Kazuo Ishiguro), a slow gentle book about a trio of young folks in the British countryside but they attend a very unusual school and are on an unusual life trajectory. Keith - Scarlet Envelope for their fantastic puzzle games (yay), and Curios' Albrecht Manor Letters, an epistolary horror experience through writing letters. Two fantastic Canada-based game creators. Hosts: Mairi Nolan, Jon Saunders, Jamie Gibbs Special Guest: Keith Dozois Editor: Jamie Gibbs All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom TLDR: The final episode in the VHS Nightmare arc has the four hosts chatting about all things horror game, and puzzle game design at a spooky pub. The Infinite Escape Room is a comedy escape room podcast where a group of friends make and solve audio escape rooms for one another. It's one part tabletop RPG, one part escape room with a bit of Monkey Island humour sprinkled over the top.

Safely returned from their doorless room, with a hairbrush in hand, the team are left with only one VHS tape, adorned with images of graves. It sends them to a London Garden Park, with a curious statue guarding the gate, it's amazing what they call Art these days... Puzzle Maestro: Jon Saunders Solvers: Jamie Gibbs, Mairi Nolan Special Guest: Keith Dozois of USB Escape Episode Art: Dom Jordan -Dom Jordan Illustration Editor: Jon Saunders All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom TLDR: The third episode in the VHS Nightmare arc follows the team and special guest Keith Dozois in an escape room set in a London graveyard. The Infinite Escape Room is a comedy escape room podcast where a group of friends make and solve audio escape rooms for one another. It's one part tabletop RPG, one part escape room with a bit of Monkey Island humour sprinkled over the top.

After missing their one-flight-a-day from the Australian desert, the gang decide to shelter for the night in an abandoned shack deep in the outback. Inside they find a VHS player, and three tapes. Last week the team tried to play a VHS tape and were transported to a sinister sewer to face a laughing clown, this week they find themselves stood in a room with no windows or doors, lit only by the pale glow of a television showing static. Until it doesn't. With 999 possible channels for the team to uncover, this won't be an easy task. Puzzle Maestro: Mairi Nolan Solvers: Jamie Gibbs, Jon Saunders Special Guest: Keith Dozois of USB Escape Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor: Jon Saunders All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom TLDR: The second episode in the VHS Nightmare arc follows the team and special guest Keith Dozois in a Ring inspired escape room. The Infinite Escape Room is a comedy escape room podcast where a group of friends make and solve audio escape rooms for one another. It's one part tabletop RPG, one part escape room with a bit of Monkey Island humour sprinkled over the top.

After missing their one-flight-a-day from the Australian desert, the gang decide to shelter for the night in an abandoned shack deep in the outback. Inside they find a VHS player, and three tapes. But this is no ordinary VHS player, as the moment the tape goes in the world shimmers in static and we find ourselves transported to... A sewer. There's distant crying coming from the darkness and a creepy red balloon hovering in the air. But there's no time for clowning around when there's a puzzle to solve. If you're playing along with the puzzle, check out this visual asset when Jon finds the compass. Puzzle Maestro: Jamie Gibbs Solvers: Mairi Nolan, Jon Saunders Special Guest: Keith Dozois of USB Escape Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor: Jamie Gibbs All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom TLDR: The first episode in the VHS Nightmare arc follows the team and special guest Keith Dozois in a maze-like sewer system inspired by Stephen King's IT. The Infinite Escape Room is a comedy escape room podcast where a group of friends make and solve audio escape rooms for one another. It's one part tabletop RPG, one part escape room with a bit of Monkey Island humour sprinkled over the top.

In this new series, we put our professional puzzle design experience to good use and look at escape rooms in film and TV as if they were real escape rooms. In this podcast we're looking at the escape room episode of Inside No. 9, "CTRL ALT ESCAPE". Follow Mairi, Jamie, and special guest Alex Hylands-White as they put the room through its paces and discuss what improvements they'd make to make it a better escape room. Alex brings a wealth of escape room experience through his work as a designer at Clockwork Dog and Marketing Director at COGS. COGS is a show control software and hardware platform used to create and manage interactive live experiences like escape rooms, haunted houses, and immersive theater. It allows operators to easily design automated puzzles, control effects such as lights and sounds, and manage hardware like sensors and locks through a user-friendly interface, all without requiring complex programming skills. Hosts: Mairi Nolan, Jamie Gibbs Special Guest: Alex Hylands-White, Marketing Director of Clockwork Dog and COGS Editor: Jamie Gibbs All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom

Pull up a stool in the Northern northern northern Australian outback! At this near-empty Pub the team wrangle over the concept of difficulty in Escape Rooms, what it is, whether it is simply a feature of good or bad design, whether it is changing and, inevitably, what even counts as an Escape Room anymore at all!   As always we come to you with humble recommendations to ease you into Autumn. Jamie - Thank Goodness You're Here! Cartoon style Steam game set in Northern England in which you help out the locals entirely by slapping things. Mike - Dungeon Crawler Carl books. Unapologetically trope-ridden fast food adventure books for when you'd like to read, but not to think. Jon - I Who Have Never Known Men. Utterly bleak dystopian sci fi novel, translated from French, that follows the first hand account of a young woman trapped in a cage with 39 other women for reasons none of them understand. You will be sad, but also know more. Jon (AGAIN) - Superliminal. Incredibly straightforward yet shockingly mind bending puzzle game that is all about changing your perspective. Think Stanley Parable if it looked better and were more optimistic. Genuinely moving and uplifting.   Hosts: Jon Saunders, Jamie Gibbs, Mike Collins Editor: Jon Saunders All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom

With just twenty two minutes and thirty seconds remaining before our flight from Australia Airport leaves, the team have no choice but to solve Jon's puzzle puzzle at the crossroads. Somewhere off Australia Road (which by the way, is the road in Australia, in case you were wondering), the airport awaits... But which way? "Struth Ruth, Bruce is coming babe." Puzzle Maestro: Jon Saunders Solvers: Mike Collins, Jamie Gibbs Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor: Jamie Gibbs Visual handouts to play along Tin Horses All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom TLDR: The second escape room in the Outback Odyssey arc centres on a postman called Bruce, the Tin Horse Highway, and many letters without addresses.The Infinite Escape Room is a comedy escape room podcast where a group of friends make and solve audio escape rooms for one another. It's one part tabletop RPG, one part escape room with a bit of Monkey Island humour sprinkled over the top.

With the team's outback getaway driver KO-ed outside the toilet, the team find themselves stranded in the outback, 45 minutes before their flight from "Australia Airport" leaves. Time is of the essence, and in this special the solvers will have a shared 45-minutes to solve across both parts of the Outback Odyssey arc. But before they can get back on the road they'll have to get through dozens and dozens of gnomes... in various state of undress (Jamie's exact words, not mine). Somewhere among these gnomes the key to escape lies. It's time to lock in and- "Gnome more Mr. Nice Guy". Puzzle Maestro: Jamie Gibbs Solvers: Mike Collins, Jon Saunders Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor: Mike Collins All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom TLDR: The first episode in the Outback Odyssey arc takes place in a field of gnomes in the Australian outback, featuring anagrams, rude gnome gestures, and a locked toilet.

This is the final week of our two-week summer break, where we recharge our puzzle batteries. But we won't leave you empty handed - here's a director's cut edition of a classic episode with new editing, music, SFX and commentary. This episode initially aired a little later than normal due to some technical gremlins, which meant it didn't get a fair shake before the following week's episode came in and pushed it out of the feed (people love that fresh content, yo). And it's a particularly fiendish puzzle from Mike that also uses a hefty amount of learning theory. Mike pulled a sneaky on us and had us doing a team building exercise (le gasp!). The original recording was 2 hours long. So as a special treat, here's a re-edited version along with the puzzle debrief and additional commentary from me (Jamie). Grab a glass of warm urine and join us as we attempt to escape the desert with a surprisingly Northern sounding Bear Grylls. Will we select the correct five items to enable our escape? And what's with that Morse Code, anyway? Special thanks to Patreon supporters Rachel, Howlfin and Will for making this episode possible. Puzzle Maestro: Mike Collins Solvers: Jon Saunders, Jamie Gibbs, Dom Jordan, Annekos Editor: Jamie Gibbs If you want to listen to the original episodes, you can find them here: Puzzle episode Pubisode   All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom   The Infinite Escape Room is a comedy escape room podcast where a group of friends make and solve audio escape rooms for one another. It's one part tabletop RPG, one part escape room with a bit of Monkey Island humour sprinkled over the top.

This is the start of our two-week summer break, where we recharge our puzzle batteries. But we won't leave you empty handed - here's a director's cut edition of a classic episode with new editing, music, SFX and commentary. Sometimes, an episode as such an impact on us that we talk about it months or even years later. Groundfarce is one of those episodes. What started out as a simple spatial puzzle quickly devolved into a mud slinging match with zingers such as "Left isn't a cardinal direction!" and "I've left the shed and my eyes appear to have stopped working". We cut a fair amount from the episode in the original airing because things got a little heated. But as a special treat, here's the whole thing with additional commentary from me (Jamie). Grab your trowel and bring a map as Jon takes us through a surprisingly complex English garden puzzle. Special thanks to Patreon supporters Brett, Bettina and Matthew for making this episode possible. Puzzle Maestro: Jon Saunders Solvers: Mike Collins, Jamie Gibbs, Dom Jordan Editor: Jamie Gibbs If you want to listen to the original episodes, you can find them here: Puzzle episode Pubisode All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom   The Infinite Escape Room is a comedy escape room podcast where a group of friends make and solve audio escape rooms for one another. It's one part tabletop RPG, one part escape room with a bit of Monkey Island humour sprinkled over the top.

Does adapting escape rooms to audio make them more accessible … or more exclusive? Join Jamie, Mairi and special guests Dani and Bill from Escape This Podcast as we discuss accessibility in game design and what it means for creating escape rooms of the ears, the eyes, and all the senses. Why a hotel? Turns out Australia has an interesting drinking culture around hotels, but you'll just have to listen to find out more about that. As always, we come to you with some recommendations for the month ahead. They are: Mairi - Signing up to vote in this year's TERPECAs. Or just using the site to find some cool escape rooms near you. Bill - Novelty Automation in London, UK. A museum collection of satirical, home-made arcade machines. Dani - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and in particular pay attention to it's clever feeding of information in character dialogue. Jamie - Another podcast: Today in History! Which does exactly what it says on the tin. Short, snappy episodes about what happened on that day in history.   Hosts: Jamie Gibbs, Mairi Nolan Guests: Bill and Dani of Escape This Podcast Editor: Jamie Gibbs All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom

In the most long overdue cross-over since Eastenders made a Bastard episode with Neighbours (true story), we finally welcome our natural ancestors from Escape This Podcast and take them... to their own studio. But all is not well, they are locked out, Jon has beaten them to it and is about to takeover the (podcast) world. Join Mairi, Jamie, special guests Dani and Bill from Escape This Podcast and a very, very special cameo, as they try to take down the plummy giant, Lilliput style. Puzzle Maestro: Jamie Gibbs Solvers: Mairi Nolan, Dani Siller, Bill Sunderland Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor (and self impersonator): Jon Saunders Visual handouts to play along Mixing desk Poster Notepad All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom Check out Escape This Podcast on their website, or wherever you get your podcasts usually!

In this episode, Jamie joins forces with two very special guests in order to take on a rogue Mike and Jon who are concocting a podcasting takeover of epic proportions. Their target - the enormous Escape This Podcast skyscraper that dominates the Sydney skyline. The date - the Australian national podcasting festival. Expect improv, terrible puns, and a cameo from a man pretending to be the Mayor of Sydney. In this episode we're joined by special guests Dani and Bill from Escape This Podcast. Puzzle Maestro: Mairi Nolan Solvers: Jamie Gibbs, Dani Siller, Bill Sunderland Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor: Mike Collins All links to our social media profiles over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom Check out Escape This Podcast on their website, or wherever you get your podcasts usually!

Join us in the once watery depths of the former English Channel, now a desertified wasteland! The team discuss whether live actors have a place in Escape Rooms at all, chew over their best and worst experiences of this ever popular feature, and whether the rooms that feature them heavily even count as Escape Rooms at all. As ever, we come to you with some recommendations for the month ahead.   Bailey - The Tiny Chef Show (Stop motion tiny chef. Adorable and wholesome in equal measure) Mairi - Jet Lag The Game (Imagine some comedians playing Hide and Seek...using continents.) Jamie - Tom Bates (Very British animation about a tiny man and his horse called Nigel) Jon - Going for a walk in the woods and leaving your phone in the car (because a lot of the modern world just sucks)   Hosts: Jamie Gibbs, Mairi Nolan, Emma Bailey, Jon Saunders Editor: Jon Saunders All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom

With water (for coolant) and petrol (for fun) secured, the team need only the ice cream van keys to see them on their merry way. Surely the Ice Cream Man will have them, and, oh look, he's just over there... Puzzle Maestro: Mairi Nolan Solvers: Jamie Gibbs, Jon Saunders, Bailey Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor: Jamie Gibbs All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom

On the hunt for some water to help power our only means of escape: an old ice cream truck, the team take refuge inside a toilet block. Again..? Yes! Look, we like toilet blocks on this podcast. But this toilet block turns out to be used for something quite unexpected. Get in, get the water, and get out. Just don't, whatever you do, use a black light in here. Puzzle Maestro: Jon Saunders Solvers: Jamie Gibbs, Mairi Nolan, Bailey Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor: Jamie Gibbs All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom

After being a little too successful at getting the sun to rise, Great Britain has turned into a scorching hot warzone of the delicious ice-cream-y kind. As the group head south to the beach, they soon encounter the aftermath of a great fight. Tanks retrofitted to fire lollies litter the street, unexploded cookie sandwich mines lay in wait, and there... Tucked away under a small patch of shade... Is one final ice cream van. Will we be able to escape into the ice cream van in time?! Puzzle Maestro: Jamie Gibbs Solvers: Jon Saunders, Mairi Nolan, Bailey Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor: Mike Collins All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom

Join us all at The Drunk Druid for a chat on all things Puzzles vs Narrative in game design. For this episode, we're joined by the fantastic Nathan and Marcus who are hosts of the Aurelius Whitlock's Murder Museum podcast, and designers on hugely popular video game, Rise of the Golden Idol. Enjoy! As always the team have recommendations for your better enjoyment. This month, they are!   Jamie Death and other detailsMandy Patinkin being Poirot on a cruise ship. What's not to like. Mike James Lee - How I think CreativelyYT video - Frankly terrifying Youtuber giving advice on creativity as if he's cast himself in Sin City. Nathan Blue PrinceHonestly the entire team lost their minds so completely as soon as this game got mentioned that I was sick a little in my mouth.  Marcus Elyot - 30 Puzzle Design LessonsAnother YT video - Frankly obscenely wide ranging and deep (and I mean deep, like, Oceangate deep) on puzzle design. Mairi Uketu Strange PicturesAN ACTUAL BOOK. ACTUAL PROPER CULTURE. THANK YOU MAIRI, THANK YOU. Oh wait it's by a Youtuber. However, a Youtuber that wrote a book that Mairi polished off in a single sitting. And, frankly (my word of the day), I have never met someone as easily distracted so, hats off Uketu. You broke Mairi. Recommendations summarised by the editor, Jon; who was, by the end, so utterly enraged by having this entire set of show notes accidentally deleted that he really went off on one and then began writing about himself in the third person. What a guy.

Having begun the ritual to bring about the rising of the Sun, the team must now complete it. To do this, they step, in pairs, into the most hallowed structure of the ancient Druidic religion, the Portaloo. Maybe leave your UV torches at home, folks. In this episode, we're joined by Marcus Richardson and Nathan Hicken, the fantastic hosts of the murder mystery podcast Aurelius Whitlock's Murder Museum. Puzzle Maestro: Mairi Nolan Solvers: Mike Collins, Jamie Gibbs, Marcus Richardson and Nathan Hicken Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor: Jon Saunders All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom Check out Aurelius Whitlock's Murder Museum on: Apple Podcasts Spotify ...and wherever you get your podcasts usually!

The sun is setting at Stonehenge, and we must bring it back with out wits, a wasp and a jam sandwich! Part 2 in the Summer Solstice series finds the gaggle of puzzlers at Stonehenge just in time for the sun to rise. The only problem is, if they don't perform the ritual correctly, the sun might not rise at all. In this brain-melting, time travel twisting episode, we'll have to master the past, present, and future if we want to make it out in time. In this episode, we're joined by Marcus Richardson and Nathan Hicken, the fantastic hosts of the murder mystery podcast Aurelius Whitlock's Murder Museum. Puzzle Maestro: Mike Collins Solvers: Jamie Gibbs, Mairi Nolan, Marcus Richardson and Nathan Hicken Episode Art: Dom Jordan Editor: Jamie Gibbs All links to our social media profiles and our Patreon programme over at https://linktr.ee/theinfiniteescaperoom Check out Aurelius Whitlock's Murder Museum on: Apple Podcasts Spotify ...and wherever you get your podcasts usually!