[187] The Cipher Room: Mr Pepper's Toy Shop

Date: 22/01/2023

Company Name: The Cipher Room

Room: Mr Pepper's Toy Shop

Cost: $57 per person (Team of 4)

Time Allowed: 60 Minutes

Website Link: https://www.cipherroom.com.au/ourgames

Location: 31-35 May St, St Peters NSW 2044

Best Parking: Street Parking is best or Parking lot 2-6 Princes Hwy, Alexandria NSW 2015

Succeeded: Yes

Rating: 

• Hospitality/Gamesmaster: 8/10
• Room Quality: 10/10
• Immersion: 9/10
• Puzzle Design: 10/10
• Fun Factor: 10/10

Overall: 9.4/10

Room Description:

Your business card might say ‘Real Estate Agent’, but that’s only part of the story. You work for S.C.A.R.E. (Supernatural Consultancy And Real Estate) a quirky agency that specialises in haunted properties. 

One day you’re sent to inspect a dilapidated and abandoned toy shop. Tucked down an alleyway in the old part of town, the shop has been empty for over 70 years. Lately, however, strange noises and lights have been reported coming from inside. It’s your job to venture in and discover the truth. 

Is it really haunted? Why is it locked up? And what happened to the owner, Mr Pepper?

Comments:
Kyle: Plunged straight into my all-time favourites, Mr. Pepper's puzzles, in line with The Cipher Room's esteemed reputation, maintain an outstanding standard. They present a delightful mix of challenge and diversity, incorporating elements of hunt and seek for an added layer of enjoyment. The seamless integration of props into the room theming enhances the overall immersive experience. Despite its inherently dark theme, the game cultivates an eerie atmosphere rather than relying on outright fear. Unlike scenarios with NPCs jumping out at you, the focus is on immersing players in Mr. Pepper's world. While not shying away from well-timed jump scares, the overarching intent is to craft an engaging and immersive journey rather than relying on constant frights. There is one particular exhilarating moment throughout that creates a profound sense of euphoria, you won't miss it and I can honestly say I have never encountered anything like it before. Having completed this room, I wholeheartedly recommend it to fellow Escapers, encouraging them to explore the unparalleled quality that defines The Cipher Room.

Josh: This room had been on my list for quite some time, since I first started researching the hobby. This did not disappoint and even though it was only our third room as a group at the time it, to this day, remains my favourite. Enter into Mr Pepper's Toy Shop at the Cipher Room. The toy shop has been abandoned and you are immediately thrust into this eerie, creepy and ominous location. If you don't love a scary Escape Room then perhaps be a bit wary of this one, however there is no jump scares or people waiting to pop out and surprise you. Instead it is all about the atmosphere created. I can only promise that if you can brave your fears to enter into this spooky toy store you will NOT be disappointed. While trying to avoid spoilers, I'll run you through some of the room highlights. The puzzles are fantastic, the room doesn't just rely on its atmosphere. All the puzzles make sense within the space and fit the abandoned toy store vibe. The train puzzle is still one of the most memorable puzzles I think we have completed in any room. All this is to say though that the thing that makes Mr Peppers, and indeed any Cipher Room game, special is the WOW moments. There is two major moments that stand out within this haunted toy store and to spare the spoilers that is all I'll say, but they are otherworldly. How the Cipher Room manages to create the final jaw dropping finale is well and truly beyond me but it is still the greatest thing I have seen in an Escape Room to this date (Dec. 2024). 

The Simon WTF are you doing moment of the Game: It's difficult to be critical of our friend here today, mostly as the aura of the room and how amazing it was are my lasting memory. So let me give you an insight into the Boys as a whole. I mentioned two moments above as the WOW moments of the game. One of them involves the lights going out. When the lights came back on the 4 of us were huddled together as tight as can be. I'd love to say this was the only time the 4 of us would cuddle together out of terror in escape rooms, but I'd be lying. It becomes a common trope for the 4 of us and I think its a great metaphor for how close we are as friends. It's also why we're an effective group.

Simon: You know when you watch a horror movie and you are disappointed with it because all it did was rely on cheap jump scares to give it that horror tag and built no atmosphere? This room is the exact opposite of that! This room is something special! The shear level of immersion is brought on so intensely by the settings and props in the room and the creepy atmosphere remains through out the entire experience. As a person who is most creeped out by dolls, toys and children with dolls and toys in horror movies, this room had me completely immersed from the start. You genuinely feel as though have just stepped into the shop of a seriously deranged owner. There are many moments where the puzzles are not purely centralised to one area, instead they incorporate many parts of the room. The way the narrative unfolds in the room is genius and I was amazed and creeped out at the same time. Additionally, every single puzzle fits with the theme of the room. There is a real sense of purpose with the puzzles and nothing is just in or a part of the room without a reason. The puzzles were fairly challenging with the added sense of fear due to the atmosphere. I will never forget the ending of this room, it absolutely blew my mind. The Cipher Room is an exceptional escape room company and deserves all the accolades they achieve. This escape room is firmly entrenched in my top 5 escape rooms.