Escape room in Daejeon: handcuffed in Door of Wailing at Cube Escape

Is Cube Escape Daejeon Dunsan Branch easy to find?

Cube Escape Daejeon Dunsan Branch has a big escape room café sign up on a building in Dunsan-dong, Daejeon, so once you know the location it's easy to spot. My friend and I wanted to do something a little different, so I searched for escape rooms in Daejeon, and this is where we ended up.

The entrance lists all the themes currently running: Door of Wailing (통곡의 문), Obsession, Titanic, Cinderella, The Martian and more. Plenty of variety, so you can pick by taste or difficulty.

What's the vibe inside? Full escape room mood from the moment you walk in

Inside, the walls were packed with theme posters and Polaroids taken after games.

The brick-walled corridor with dim lighting felt like walking into a secret hideout 😳

One side of the waiting area was decorated with a moon, skulls and masks. We hadn't even started and it was already kind of creepy, which got me nervous.

There were also puzzles on the waiting table to solve while you wait. Number patterns, words, pictures, all sorts. I thought they were just a warm-up, but this is where the brain work started. Comparing answers with my friend kept the wait from getting boring.

Cube Escape Daejeon Dunsan Branch hours and prices

Hours and prices were posted by the counter. There were signs and decorations on the wall too.

• Hours: Mon–Thu 12:00–23:00
• Hours: Fri–Sat 11:00–24:00
• Hours: Sun & public holidays 11:00–23:00
• Prices: 2 players ₩45,000, 3 ₩60,000, 4 ₩76,000, 5 ₩90,000, 6 ₩102,000, 7 ₩119,000

The more players, the cheaper it gets per person.

There was also a notice for ₩1,000 off per person when paying in cash.

Elementary, middle and high school students get ₩2,000 off per person, games starting before 13:00 get a 20% early-bird discount per team, and playing two or more games in a day gets 10% off per team. They had various other discount events too.

Where do you leave your stuff? Lockers for each theme

Each theme has its own lockers, so you can stash your phone and belongings before going in.

The handcuffs and other gear used in the game were laid out separately. Looking at it all before heading in, it slowly sank in that we'd picked Door of Wailing.

How hard is Door of Wailing? 4.5 stars, and much harder than expected

We picked Door of Wailing, difficulty 4.5 stars, and we failed to escape. I figured 4.5 stars meant pretty hard, but it was way harder than I expected, hahaha.

Handcuffed, hunting for clues with a light in the dark

Door of Wailing is dark and creepy throughout. You start out handcuffed, so you're immersed right away. In the dark you sweep a flashlight-like beam around, look over the surroundings, find clues and solve puzzles. Not being able to see makes you focus harder, and with the time ticking down you get more and more frantic.

Hints all the way, and we still failed T_T

When we cracked a puzzle it was a real "So that's what it was!!" thrill. But the joy didn't last. Stuck again, hint, think again... we kept taking hints, but 4.5 stars is no joke. In the end, we failed to escape T_T Still, it wasn't that failing made it unfun; if anything it made me want to try again next time.

Polaroid photos if you escape

After the game, the Polaroids covering the walls caught my eye again.

If you escape within 60 minutes, you can take a photo.

They had headbands and fun props for the photo too. It would've been nice to get a shot here after a success, but we'll leave that for next time 🤭

On one side there were several types of phone charging cables too, handy for charging while you wait.

Verdict: Door of Wailing at Cube Escape with a friend

Door of Wailing has you hunting clues with a light in a dark space, and starting in handcuffs makes it far more immersive than an ordinary puzzle game. It's scary, then thrilling when you solve one, then you're stuck again and both of us are losing it. We took hints and still failed to escape, but that made it even more memorable.

Next time we plan to try a different theme. We failed this time, so the goal is to escape within 60 minutes, no excuses!!