Sherlocked: The Alchemist

By | October 13, 2022

by Sherlocked (website)

Damrak 247, 1012ZJ

Amsterdam

4-6 players

Languages: EN, NL

Winner of a 2023 TERPECA award90 mins
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Overall rating

Rated between 4.5 and 5 out of 5

based on ratings from 11 users
combined with 4 pro reviews

Your review

Player reviews

caroline354 expert rated this:Rated between 4.5 and 4.5 out of 5
Team size: 2 Outcome: Successful escape!
quite difficult
Billa Babybel experienced rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 5 Sep 2024 Team size: 2 Time taken: 75:00 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulhi-techimmersive

Just fantastic. The set is amazing. A must for any escape room enthusiast.

fullfrontalnerdity rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Christoph expert rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 3 Aug 2024 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
immersivestory-drivenbeeindruckend
Tim (Escape Witchers) expert rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 10.07.2024 Team size: 5 Outcome: Successful escape!
hi-techimmersiveepicquite difficult

Amazing game, with a beautiful backdrop, special effects and very versatile, modern puzzles. Super nice hosting and debriefing!

🔐James Bloodworth expert rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 20 Apr 2024 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulhi-techimmersive
I’d heard some buzz around this games as to how beautiful it was and they were not lying.  One of the most beautiful and ornate games I’ve ever played.  The care a thought that’s gone into every element is very much on show throughout.  It’s hard to put into words without giving spoilers easily one of the best escape experiences I’ve had for a while.  From the fabulous opening to the transition between spaces to the way the story was delivered whilst playing the game.
  I like Escape Rooms to give a sense of story, wonder, exploration and this delivers in spades.  If I was nit picking then I could say that there aren’t many puzzles but the ones that are there are multi-layered in their approach and solution.  Sign posting and flow was excellent and I don’t think there were any points where we stood around looking confused.  Hints were delivered by a device you take in with you.  Any trip to Amsterdam should include this fabulous experience.  The finale is very well done although (nit picking again) it’s primarily a viewing experience but nothing I’ve seen before in an Escape Room.This game ranked at only 31 at least years TERPECA which means the games above it should be something else as this was amazing.
Anonymous expert rated this:Rated between 4.5 and 4.5 out of 5
beautifulimmersiveintensequite difficult
This game must be played if you are in Amsterdam, the production, the setting... just get it booked.
Countless never-before-seen moments, only let down by some of the puzzles being given away by dirty finger contact meaning you know what's what quicker (however, finding what is what on a chart is not usually that fun so maybe it did us a favour?).
Puzzles with enjoyable steps that can be done by a big team, and the game ends with one of the best finales I have epxerienced.

Lucy (The Detol Crew) experienced rated this:Rated between 4 and 4 out of 5
Played: 14 Apr 2024 Team size: 5 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulepicbroken tech
Would have been a 5 star review if everything had worked properly! Such a shame as we felt we really didn’t get the full experience that we should have done if everything was working. Our game was delayed while the host tried to fix something, a mechanical element broke mid game when we tried to use it and the host couldn’t fix it, and a digital element broke just before we were due to get to that part of the room, which the host was unable to fix. So we missed out on a couple of puzzles, and the ending didn’t feel quite like it was meant to happen the way it did. That being said, the production design of the room was epic, the use of space again was amazing, and the variety of puzzles was fantastic, and our host was super lovely too and explained everything to us at the end.
olf expert rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 02 Oct 2023
Anonymous rated this:Rated between 5 and 5 out of 5
Played: 12 Oct 2023 Team size: 4 Outcome: Successful escape!
beautifulimmersivemagical

We were absolutely blown away by The Alchemist. 

The experience starts with a contextual introduction, and a great example of how well thought out every element of the game is; a smart twist on locking your possessions away. Magical moments follow magical moments and every puzzle feels logical, unique and realistically integrated into the story. The Alchemist doesn’t shove its story down your throat, but gently pushes you towards understanding what has happened in the space, to a point where understanding the context of a puzzle and the story is necessary and a wonderful moment when you finally figure it out. Plenty of non linear sections will benefit larger teams, but with moments that bring everyone together in combined objectives.

It’s really a masterpiece and an absolute must play. We’ve played all the big hitters on things like the TERPECA lists, and this is absolutely my favourite escape game experience. It takes the immersive route that many games are leading towards and brings that to a purer puzzle-centric experience.

Horror escape games tend to have higher rankings than non horror, like this game, because it’s a lot easier to make someone feel scared and immersed with a feeling of fear. This game manages to make you feel something with a feeling of wonder. A ridiculous production quality at every level, a tonne of wow moments, and a finale that left our experienced team with our jaws wide open.

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Reviews by escape room review sites

The top rooms in the Netherlands tend to sell out weeks or months in advance, and even booking six weeks ahead of time we were very fortunate to be able to grab a weekend slot for The Alchemist. Because although it wasn’t the game for which we’d decided to visit the Netherlands, for me it was the exquisite highlight of the trip.
The experience here is carefully crafted from the start, including the briefing and even the confirmation email, which are used to set up the story and the scene. Sherl...

Back then when I started playing escape rooms regularly and people would ask which were the best ones, a game regularly mentioned was The Vault. It’s therefore not surprising that in the first Terpeca awards that game made it into the Top 10.

Many years passed until Sherlocked announced a new room was coming and given the groundbreaking nature of The Vault, expectations were of course high. It was quite a wait but as the saying goes: “Good things take time, great things take a little longer”. I am glad it took longer, as this game is certainly a great thing.

A fundamental component of every great game is the start, and when you start a game like this you can be certain that you are up for a ride. The game takes place in a beautiful setting, in which it’s enjoyable just to be there.

This is one of those games where you will play and then want to play again just to go back and see what you missed. Every single item in this game has been hand-crafted for the world they have created and the attention to detail is incredible

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