2-hint escape room in Hongdae, Seoul: Monkey House at Cube Escape

Hi everyone :) It had been a while since I did an escape room, and since it's summer, horror themes caught my eye. I heard Cube Escape, an escape room café in Hongdae, has a wide variety of horror and mystery themes, so I went to check it out. Let me start this escape review by sharing which theme I played.

Mon–Thu 11:00–23:45 / Fri, Sat 10:00–00:05 (next day) / Sun 10:00–23:45

4F, Mugwang Building, 15 Yanghwa-ro 16-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Where is Cube Escape Hongdae Branch, and how do you find the entrance?

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch is about a 6-minute walk from Exit 9 of Hongik University Station. Once I actually arrived, finding the entrance was a bit confusing—using the Harmony Mart shown in the photo as a landmark, you need to walk a little further to the right to reach the building entrance.

Once you enter the building, there's an elevator further inside. Since Cube Escape is located on the 4th floor, I'd recommend taking the elevator up.

As soon as you get off on the 4th floor, the store entrance comes into view. You can catch a glimpse of the interior through the glass door, and true to a horror-focused shop, there's a strangely dark aura right from the entrance. Even before entering the reserved horror theme, the atmosphere alone made me a bit tense.

Waiting before entry: what to know first at Cube Escape Hongdae

Inside Cube Escape Hongdae Branch, there are tables where you can sit and wait. After your reservation is confirmed, you don't enter right away—instead, you sit at a table and get a briefing first. You need to arrive about 10 minutes before your reservation time. Once the game starts, restroom access is difficult for about an hour, so it's a good idea to use the restroom and drink water beforehand.

There are indoor slippers set up in one corner of the store, though wearing them isn't mandatory. If you're wearing uncomfortable shoes like dress shoes or heels, I'd recommend comfortably switching into the slippers before you start!

The escape-success photo zone at Cube Escape Hongdae

If you successfully escape, there's a separate photo zone where you can take a commemorative shot. It's stocked with picket signs printed with various phrases, plus props like a skull and a toy gun, making it fun to take a memorable photo after escaping.

How much does Cube Escape Hongdae cost?

The price at Cube Escape Hongdae Branch gets cheaper per person the more people you go with. Since the discount grows the more people join, I'd recommend visiting with a group of friends or a club.

Why Monkey House, out of the 6 Cube Escape themes?

Cube Escape Hongdae Branch has a total of 6 themes. Out of those, I chose the Monkey House theme. Since I don't have a lot of escape room experience, I figured a moderate difficulty would be best, so I decided on Monkey House, which is relatively low in difficulty.

How to earn an extra hint before entering Monkey House

Once you sit at the table, there's info about the escape-success prize, an explanation of the theme, and a QR code you can use to get an extra hint. If you complete the challenge via the QR code before entering without skipping any part, you get 1 additional hint. Since there are only 4 basic hints, anyone worried about escaping should definitely grab this extra hint before starting.

Monkey House difficulty and fear level: escaping with 28 minutes left

I managed to escape the Monkey House theme with about 28 minutes left! I used 2 hints total, but since the format is 9 puzzles over 1 hour, there was plenty of time—I think I could have solved it without using any hints at all. The difficulty wasn't too hard, so I'd recommend it to beginners trying escape rooms for the first time.

I was a bit nervous since the fear level was labeled as high, but personally it was less scary than I expected. If you were hoping for something truly terrifying, it's not quite that intense, but if you want to enjoy a calm, mild horror atmosphere while playing, Monkey House seems like a good fit.

Which Cube Escape Hongdae theme to try next

After escaping Monkey House, which is relatively easy but rated high on fear among the 6 themes, the posters for the other themes suddenly looked scarier—but it also gave me the courage to consider the Organ Trafficking theme, which I hadn't been able to pick before. Next time, I want to try escaping while saving my hints a bit more.

At first I was worried about not escaping since hints aren't unlimited, but because there were relatively few puzzles, 4 hints were plenty. I think the most fun way to play is to check the time and use hints appropriately when escaping starts to feel a little tough near the end. If you're looking for a horror escape room café in Hongdae with manageable difficulty, I recommend Cube Escape~!