Kid-friendly escape room in Hongdae, Seoul: 50-minute Cube Escape

Why we went to Hongdae for a real escape room with a kid

During summer vacation, I wanted to do a proper escape room with my son. We'd actually already tried one in Ilsan last year, but it turned out to be pretty different from what I pictured as a "real" escape room. Instead of finding clues and opening locks around the room, it was more about scribbling on a screen with a laser pointer thing. My son had fun in his own way, but inside I was thinking, "This isn't quite the escape room I had in mind..." It wasn't cheap either, and I felt bad that I hadn't shown him the real thing.

So this time I really dug into reviews. That's how I landed on Cube Escape Hongdae Branch. It's located between Hongdae and Hapjeong, so it comes up first when you search "Hongdae escape room," and it has tons of reviews too, so I went in thinking, "Let's actually do this properly this time!" There's a big supermarket called Harmony Mart on the ground floor, so finding the place was zero trouble at all.

Choosing a theme for a child: no horror rooms at all

I'd recommend booking ahead at Cube Escape Hongdae Branch, since popular themes can fill up. There's a range of difficulty levels, and some themes have horror elements. But we ruled out anything scary, no question. Partly for my son's sake... but honestly, I really can't handle scary stuff myself. Anything that looked dark or eerie even from the poster got crossed off. I'm not sure anymore if I was taking my kid or my kid was escorting me, but either way, mom had to not be scared first.

So the theme we landed on was "Hansel and Gretel." Being based on a fairy tale made it feel low-pressure to do with a kid, and best of all, it wasn't a horror theme — perfect. Hansel and Gretel has a 60-minute time limit and is rated medium-low difficulty. But there was one problem I hadn't anticipated: the last time I did an escape room was almost 15 years ago.

First-timers at Cube Escape: how the room starts

Going in with zero idea how escape rooms work these days, I had no clue what to do at first. The moment we walked into the room, my son and I just stood there blinking, laughing, "So... what do we do now?" There were clearly a bunch of objects around us, but I couldn't even tell which ones were puzzle clues and which were just decoration.

So right after starting, we picked up the intercom. Luckily, a staff member came in and kindly walked us through how to get started. People without much escape room experience might not even know what counts as a clue in the first place — and that was exactly us. Once we got the hang of it, things gradually started clicking.

And this is where it actually got fun.

"Is it this?" "No, mom, look over here." "Wait! I think this number connects to the one from earlier?"

My son and I got into it, excitedly hunting for clues together.

Hints with a child along: up to 8 instead of 4

Normally Cube Escape gives you 4 base hints, but seeing that we'd come with a kid, the staff let us use up to 8. I'd been worried about getting stuck partway through with my son, so having more hints available put my mind at ease. Of course, we didn't just burn through them — my son and I agreed to only check a hint when we were truly stuck.

60 minutes, 11-12 puzzles: how hard was Hansel and Gretel?

There were roughly 11-12 puzzles to solve in 60 minutes, and they varied a lot. Some clicked instantly — "Ah, this is it!" — while others had us both staring, going, "How on earth are we supposed to solve this?" What was fun was that my son spotted things I missed, and I solved things when he got stuck. And that click of a lock finally opening after a struggle — that satisfaction! I get now why people love escape rooms.

The result... escaped in 50 minutes using 3 hints! Thinking back to how lost we were at the start, we did pretty well together, and I felt oddly proud. I was also impressed that my son didn't just jump to asking for hints — he kept saying "let's think about it a bit more" and stuck with the puzzles.

What made this escape room work with a kid

What I loved most about doing an escape room with my son wasn't just successfully getting out. It was the fact that for 60 minutes, we were staring at the exact same puzzle and thinking it through together. These days, when we go somewhere together, it's usually a movie, an exhibition, or food — mostly activities where we're each just "watching" or "consuming" something in the same space.

An escape room is completely different. Having a shared goal of getting out together within 60 minutes meant the conversation never stopped. "Why is this here?" "Do you remember what we saw earlier?" "Mom, I think I've got it!" — and every time we solved a puzzle, we'd both shout "Yes!" at the same time. That small burst of joy was really something. I came in thinking of it as just another indoor activity in Hongdae, but I left thinking it's genuinely a great experience to share with your kid.

Is Hansel and Gretel right for beginners and elementary-school kids?

I dug through reviews before going, and there's clearly a reason so many people choose this place. I liked how patiently they help first-timers so you don't get lost, and I felt proud that I got to show my son the real fun of an escape room — finding clues in an actual physical space, unlocking locks, and moving into the next room. The facility was also really clean, which I appreciated. Dusty places tend to set off my allergies a little, but there was none of that at all — we had a genuinely fun time playing.

"Hansel and Gretel" was a great difficulty level for first-timers or an elementary-school kid to try casually. Not so easy it felt flat, but not so hard a beginner couldn't touch it — a nice balance.

Once we'd escaped safely, it's funny how greedy people get. Before going in, we were worried, "What if we can't get out?" — but the second we stepped out, my son and I were already saying, "Should we try something a bit harder next time?" This wasn't the kind of outing where you just watch and leave — it's 60 minutes of nonstop talking and teamwork. This Hongdae escape room date was really satisfying. If you're looking for a different kind of indoor activity to do with your kid around Hongdae or Hapjeong, I'd recommend it. I'm planning to take my son back soon to try a harder level 🩵