Escape room for two in Hongdae, Seoul: TOWERING at Cube Escape

Hongdae escape room café, a quirky Hongdae date idea

My husband and I were out on a date in Hongdae recently and had about an hour and a half before our dinner reservation. Too short for a proper café visit, too far to travel anywhere else, so I looked for something nearby and found Cube Escape Hongdae Branch.

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch

I love mystery/reasoning shows like The Great Escape and Devil's Plan, so I'd always wanted to try an escape room. The timing lined up perfectly, so I booked without a second thought and went for it.

Where is Cube Escape Hongdae Branch and how do you book?

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch is about a 5-minute walk from Hongdae Station Exit 9. There's a Hanaro Mart on the first floor of the building, so it was easy to find — you go in through the side entrance and take the elevator up to the 4th floor, and the shop is right there.

• Address: 4F Mugwang Building, 15 Yanghwa-ro 16-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• No parking / no deposit / pay on-site
• Arrive 10 minutes before your reservation time

What is Cube Escape Hongdae Branch like inside?

A waiting lounge that is roomier and cleaner than expected

Getting off on the 4th floor, you see the Cube Escape entrance right away. The gray brick walls and soft lighting gave it a classic escape room café vibe. The waiting area was bigger than I expected, so even with several teams around it didn't feel crowded, and there were plenty of tables set up.

Theme posters were plastered all around, so it was fun to browse while waiting. There's also a separate photo prop space, which is nice for taking a commemorative photo after escaping.

Lockers, chargers and slippers at Cube Escape Hongdae Branch

Before entering, Cube Escape Hongdae Branch has you store your phone and belongings in a locker — I switched my phone to silent before locking it away. Next to the lockers there's a charger, and slippers in various sizes were ready for us to change into comfortably.

We arrived 10 minutes before our reservation time, paid, got a brief rundown, and went straight in with no waiting.

How much does an escape room at Cube Escape Hongdae cost?

Payment is made on-site and there's no deposit.

• ₩45,000 for 2 (₩22,500 each)
• ₩20,000 per person for 3
• ₩19,000 per person for 4
• ₩18,000 per person for 5
• ₩17,000 per person for 6

For two people, it came to ₩45,000. TOWERING was easy enough that two players was plenty.

Why we chose TOWERING, the disaster theme with no horror

We picked the theme 'TOWERING' — a story about escaping a disaster in a high-rise building. Difficulty was medium, fear level was none, and the time limit was 60 minutes.

I was looking for something with no horror elements and moderate difficulty, so this fit the bill. No scares or jump-out moments, which I appreciated.

Before you enter: hint phone and electronic memo board

We got the basic explanation and safety notes before entering. The instructions were simple, not confusing at all, so even beginners could follow easily. Our personal phones went into the locker, and we were given a hint phone and an electronic memo board before going in.

The hint system lets you select a question number and see the hint immediately, which was much faster and more convenient than the old phone-call method. It also kept the game flow from getting interrupted.

Spoiler-free review: how hard does TOWERING actually feel?

A difficulty level beginners can clear comfortably

Overall, TOWERING's felt difficulty was about 2 out of 5 stars. The puzzle flow was natural and clues connected logically one after another, so there weren't many spots where we got badly stuck. There were almost no scare elements and the physical activity level was low, so it was easy to enjoy without pressure. Two players was more than enough to handle it.

• Felt difficulty: ★★☆☆☆
• Fear level: ☆☆☆☆☆
• Activity level: ★★☆☆☆
• Hints used: 2
• Escaped successfully with 16 minutes remaining

We used 2 hints and escaped with 16 minutes left. Finding clues together and piecing them together was surprisingly fun.

Escape reward: 2 mini yakgwa (Korean honey cookies)

In the past, you used to get a Polaroid photo if you used up to two hints, but these days you only get the Polaroid if you escape without using any hints at all.

Since we used 2 hints, we didn't get the photo, but we did get 2 mini yakgwa (Korean honey cookies) instead. Next time I really want to try going hint-free so I can walk away with a Polaroid too.

Verdict: a light couple's date in Hongdae, Seoul

TOWERING at Cube Escape Hongdae Branch was an escape room even beginners could enjoy without pressure. I liked that there were no horror elements, so anyone can dive in comfortably. Two people is plenty to play, and solving it together cooperatively was genuinely fun — I'd recommend this theme for a couple's date.

That said, people with a lot of escape room experience might find it a bit easy.

If you're looking for a light indoor date idea or a quirky activity to try in Hongdae, I'd recommend this Hongdae escape room café for a fun, easygoing time :)