Behind the Build: Creating *Squid Happens*

12/08/26

Escapism Chester's Biggest Adventure Yet

There’s something magical about walking into an escape room for the very first time. The lights, the sounds, the atmosphere – everything feels like you've stepped into another world. But what most people don't see is the months of planning, building, testing, problem-solving, and the occasional panic that happens long before the first team walks through the door.

On **24th August**, we're opening the hatch to our brand-new adventure: **Squid Happens**.

Before you race against the clock to escape a sinking underwater base, we thought we'd take you behind the scenes and show you what it really takes to build an escape room from start to finish.

## It All Starts With an Idea Every escape room begins with one question: **"What's a story people will want to live?"**

We wanted to create something cinematic, immersive, and packed with tension. After countless brainstorming sessions, one idea kept surfacing… An underwater research base. A desperate escape. A giant Kraken. The concept quickly evolved into a high-stakes survival mission where every second counts. >

**A monstrous Kraken is crushing your underwater base, and the submarine is your only chance of survival. With the hull's integrity rapidly failing, you have just 60 minutes to power up the sub, unlock the weapons systems, load the missiles, and fire before the creature tears through the last defences. Solve the puzzles, restore critical systems, and work together—because if the hull is breached, the ocean will claim you all.**

Once we had the story, the real work began.

## Designing the Experience An escape room isn't just a collection of puzzles. Every puzzle has to make sense within the story. Instead of simply opening padlocks, players would need to repair damaged systems, restore power, activate submarine controls, and prepare the vessel for launch. Every challenge needed to feel like part of operating a real submarine rather than solving random riddles. We sketched layouts, mapped player flow, and worked out exactly how the tension would build throughout the hour. The goal? To make players forget they're standing in Chester and convince them they're hundreds of metres beneath the ocean.

## Building a Submarine... Without Building a Real One Once the plans were complete, the workshop became our second home. Walls were framed. Curved submarine interiors were built. Control panels were designed. Steel effects were painted. Pipes, valves, warning lights and industrial details slowly transformed empty rooms into an underwater military base. The challenge wasn't simply making everything look good. It all has to survive thousands of players pulling levers, pressing buttons, spinning wheels, and generally trying to save humanity. Everything needs to be robust enough for daily use while still looking like it belongs on the ocean floor.

## Lights, Sound and Special Effects Atmosphere is everything. A submarine should never feel quiet. Every light, flashing warning beacon, alarm, hydraulic hiss and distant groan of metal has been carefully chosen to make the world feel alive. Then came our favourite part... Bringing the Kraken to life. Without giving too much away, expect moments that make you genuinely question whether you're still safe inside the base.

## The Puzzles Designing puzzles is a balancing act. Too easy, and there's no sense of achievement. Too difficult, and the experience becomes frustrating. Every challenge has been built to reward communication and teamwork. You'll need to share information, think under pressure, and work together to restore vital systems before the submarine—and everyone inside it—is lost forever. As always, we've spent countless hours testing every puzzle to make sure they flow naturally while still delivering those satisfying "Aha!" moments.

## Testing... Then Testing Again Before an escape room opens, it gets played over and over again. Friends, family, experienced escape room enthusiasts and complete beginners all put the room through its paces. Sometimes they solve puzzles in ways we never expected. Sometimes they completely ignore the clue sitting right in front of them. Sometimes they manage to break something we were convinced was indestructible. Every test teaches us something new. We tweak puzzles, improve clues, refine timings, and fix the little details that players will hopefully never even notice. It's an endless cycle of improving the experience until we're confident it's ready.

## The Final Countdown As opening day approaches, the workshop slowly transforms into a finished adventure. Paint dries. Props find their permanent homes. Electronics get their final checks. Every button, light and sound effect is tested one last time. It's one of the most exciting—and nerve-wracking—parts of creating an escape room. Months of planning all come down to one moment... Opening the hatch for the very first team.

## Ready to Dive In? We can't wait for you to experience **Squid Happens** for yourselves. Whether you're an experienced escape room veteran or taking on your very first mission, this is one of our most ambitious rooms yet. The Kraken is closing in. The hull is failing. The submarine is your only hope.

**Squid Happens opens on 24th August at Escapism Chester.**