Room Story - from The Escaporium
Well known alien hunter and conspiracy theorist, Professor Ross Well lives at 51½ George Street. After years spent collecting, and hunting evidence of extra-terrestrial life, he got his lucky break and came across a crash site up on the moors, complete with a live alien! He brought the alien back to his house with the intention of keeping him, but the mothership has tracked their friend down and arrived to collect him!
You begin your mission outside Professor Ross Well’s house – what you will find in there is anyone’s guess! But what you do know is that you only have one hour to return the alien back to the mothership, or our planet will be destroyed!
Your excellent investigative observation skills will be put to the test in Area 51½!
Key Stats
Review
When we last visited the Escaporium in December 2019, we chatted with the owners about their upcoming game Area 51.5 and loved the sound of it. This is therefore a game we’ve been aware of for over 6 years… so it’s about time we went to play it.
f This game is packed with puzzles so as a team of 3 we were given 75 minutes to complete the game rather than the standard 60 minutes (although we were proud to complete it in under 60 minutes with 16 seconds to spare!). I think this would be a very difficult game for beginners.
Initially, the game is linear as you gain entry to Professor Ross Well’s house and begin to explore. Your powers of observation are tested to help you gain entry and progress through the linear section which has predominantly padlock-based puzzles. As we’ve come to expect from The Escaporium, the room is well-themed and immersive.
You eventually reach a non-linear part of the game where you can split off and work on different puzzles simultaneously – and that’s definitely needed with the amount to solve in this room. The second half of the game relies less on padlocks, with lots more tech-focused puzzles in keeping with the alien theme of the game.
We had a couple of minor frustrations. There was a series of things to solve that weren’t necessary to complete the puzzles (they just gave you hints), but this caused a little bit of confusion and wasted time. This section also relied on a book clue mechanism, which made it harder to work on puzzles separately.
The ending of this game was a fantastic bit of showmanship and a great culmination of the game’s storyline. The final puzzle was entertaining and simple, yet difficult to complete under time pressure and gave that amusing/exciting sense of jeopardy. It was a really memorable sequence that made a lasting impression.
This is a fantastic, well-themed and puzzle-packed game that will keep even the most experienced of teams very busy for the full 60/75 minutes. We loved every minute and felt fully immersed in Professor Ross Well’s world. Definitely play it – but if you’re new to escape rooms, take a few people!
The team were Becky, Daniel and Beth.
Well known alien hunter and conspiracy theorist, Professor Ross Well lives at 51½ George Street. After years spent collecting, and hunting evidence of extra-terrestrial life, he got his lucky break and came across a crash site up on the moors, complete with a live alien! He brought the alien back to his house with the intention of keeping him, but the mothership has tracked their friend down and arrived to collect him!
You begin your mission outside Professor Ross Well’s house – what you will find in there is anyone’s guess! But what you do know is that you only have one hour to return the alien back to the mothership, or our planet will be destroyed!
Your excellent investigative observation skills will be put to the test in Area 51½!
Key Stats
| Room Name | Area 51.5 |
| Venue | The Escaporium |
| Location | Halifax, UK |
| Date | 30/12/2025 |
| Escape Time | 59:44 |
| Team Size | 3 |
| My Recommended Team Size | 3 - 6 |
Review
Our Rating | A puzzle-packed and immersive experience with a brilliant ending – we loved this game. |
When we last visited the Escaporium in December 2019, we chatted with the owners about their upcoming game Area 51.5 and loved the sound of it. This is therefore a game we’ve been aware of for over 6 years… so it’s about time we went to play it.
f This game is packed with puzzles so as a team of 3 we were given 75 minutes to complete the game rather than the standard 60 minutes (although we were proud to complete it in under 60 minutes with 16 seconds to spare!). I think this would be a very difficult game for beginners.
Initially, the game is linear as you gain entry to Professor Ross Well’s house and begin to explore. Your powers of observation are tested to help you gain entry and progress through the linear section which has predominantly padlock-based puzzles. As we’ve come to expect from The Escaporium, the room is well-themed and immersive.
You eventually reach a non-linear part of the game where you can split off and work on different puzzles simultaneously – and that’s definitely needed with the amount to solve in this room. The second half of the game relies less on padlocks, with lots more tech-focused puzzles in keeping with the alien theme of the game.
We had a couple of minor frustrations. There was a series of things to solve that weren’t necessary to complete the puzzles (they just gave you hints), but this caused a little bit of confusion and wasted time. This section also relied on a book clue mechanism, which made it harder to work on puzzles separately.
The ending of this game was a fantastic bit of showmanship and a great culmination of the game’s storyline. The final puzzle was entertaining and simple, yet difficult to complete under time pressure and gave that amusing/exciting sense of jeopardy. It was a really memorable sequence that made a lasting impression.
This is a fantastic, well-themed and puzzle-packed game that will keep even the most experienced of teams very busy for the full 60/75 minutes. We loved every minute and felt fully immersed in Professor Ross Well’s world. Definitely play it – but if you’re new to escape rooms, take a few people!
The team were Becky, Daniel and Beth.