No-horror escape room theme in Hongdae: Towering at Cube Escape

The weather's been so brutally hot lately 🥵 Too hot to walk around outside, but going to yet another café felt boring too! While looking for something different to do indoors in Hongdae, I decided to try an escape room again for the first time in a while 🔐 I visited Cube Escape Hongdae Branch, and after some deliberation over which theme to pick, I chose 'Towering.' Here's my review!😊

Where is Cube Escape Hongdae Branch, and what are the hours?

• 📍 15 Yangwha-ro 16-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (Mugwang Building, 4th floor)
• ⏰ Mon–Thu 11:00–21:45 / Fri–Sun 10:00–00:05
• ✅ Reservation required!
• 🅿️ No parking

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch sits right between Hongik University station and Hapjeong station. Especially on a hot day like today, playing in a nice cool indoor space made it a great option for an indoor date or indoor activity in Hongdae ❄️

Inside Cube Escape Hongdae Branch: mood and waiting area

Inside Cube Escape Hongdae Branch there are tables and chairs, so you can sit comfortably while waiting for your escape room session. Check out the eerie 👻 atmosphere of the store in this clip first 🎬✨

There were also scary props scattered around that caught my eye 👻 Seeing these before even starting the escape room already got my nerves up a bit..😱

While looking around the store, I spotted some celebrity signatures! It really felt like a well-known escape room spot 👀✨

After successfully escaping, it'd be a shame to just leave, right? haha

They also have a commemorative escape sign ready for photos, perfect for a proof-of-escape shot 📸

What discounts does Cube Escape Hongdae offer?

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch runs various ongoing discount events like early-bird, closing-time, student, and group discounts, and it's also a partner store with the Welfare Club benefit card, so it's worth checking whether a discount applies before you visit 👍

Theme lineup at Cube Escape Hongdae: mostly horror

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch is known for its variety of high-quality themes and immersive storytelling.

They especially have a lot of horror themes, so if you love scary escape rooms you'd probably enjoy it even more. Escaping the heat in midsummer with a chilling escape room indoors sounds pretty great too, right? 🥶👻

There are also recommendation guides for anyone unsure which theme to pick, which was helpful haha

Towering: difficulty level and 60-minute time limit

The theme I picked was Towering!

• ⭐ Difficulty: Medium (★★★★☆)
• 👻 Fear rating: None
• ⏰ Time limit: 60 minutes

Since it has no fear rating, I decided to give it a shot even as an escape room beginner haha

After finishing, you also get a prize based on whether you escaped and how many hints you used 🎁

Before you go in: lockers, chargers and slippers

Before starting, a staff member comes over and explains the precautions carefully. Before entering the theme room, you have to put all your personal belongings in a cabinet.

There's also a phone charger on one side of the store, so you can charge your phone while playing 🔋

Slippers are also available for anyone whose shoes are uncomfortable, haha

A first-time escape room player takes on Towering

Honestly, I barely have any escape room experience, so I was a little nervous even before starting.

And sure enough... the moment I entered the theme room, I got stuck right on the first puzzle 😂 So I ended up using a hint right from the start. But as I worked through the puzzles one by one using hints, it was surprisingly rewarding and fun 🔎✨

Towering has no fear rating, so there were absolutely no jump scares or scary effects popping out. It's also not a super physically demanding theme, so it's fine to visit wearing a skirt on a date.

Using hints wasn't difficult either! You can use hints directly through the phone the store provides, which was convenient 📱 Especially for beginners, rather than getting stuck on one puzzle for too long, using hints appropriately seems like a fun way to enjoy the experience.

So did I manage to escape?

Did we escape? The result and the prize

True to my beginner status, I used hints from early on... 😂 but I still escaped successfully! 🎉🎉 And I got oatmeal cookies as an escape prize. The escape itself was already satisfying, but getting a little prize on top made me even happier 😆

Is Cube Escape Hongdae a good indoor date in Hongdae?

If you're planning a date or a hangout with friends in Hongdae, I'd recommend adding an unusual indoor activity like this instead of just going to cafés or restaurants. Especially in this brutally hot summer, spending time in a nice cool indoor space and having real fun made it even better haha

Since I tried a no-fear theme this time... next time I'm thinking of gathering a bit more courage and trying one with a fear rating 👻🔥 If you're looking for a Hongdae escape room, indoor date, indoor activity, or unique date idea, go make some different memories at Cube Escape Hongdae Branch 🔐✨