Daejeon space escape room: Martian cleared, no Polaroid, Cube Escape

Just as I was getting sick of the same old date of dinner and then a café, I wanted some fresh immersion and a shot of adrenaline. So I headed to a well-known escape room café in the busy Dunsan-dong area of Daejeon: Cube Escape Daejeon Dunsan Branch (큐브이스케이프 대전둔산점).

Where is Cube Escape Daejeon Dunsan Branch, and how is parking?

Cube Escape Daejeon Dunsan Branch is on the 5th floor of the building across from Dunsan Core Tower, and the building has its own underground parking. It was very easy to find, and by public transport it's close to Galma Station, so access is great. In Dunsan-dong, where parking is a fight, it's rare to find a place you can comfortably visit by car.

Step inside and the soft, mysterious, slightly eerie interior really builds that thrilling escape room mood. The waiting area has little mini puzzles written on every table so you never get bored, which made it a perfect warm-up for the brain before going in.

Themes at Cube Escape Daejeon Dunsan Branch, and why we chose Martian

Cube Escape Daejeon Dunsan Branch runs six themes: Organ Trafficking, Obsession, Titanic, Martian, Cinderella and Catacomb. We picked "Martian", the top-difficulty theme, a mystery/adventure set in space and about surviving the unknown.

I've always liked space settings and thrilling stories, so I chose it without hesitation. But it's the highest rating, a full 5 stars of difficulty, so the nerves kicked in before we even started.

Briefing and storing your belongings

Before you go in, a staff member explains the theme, the precautions and how to open the locks. When our reservation time came, we listened to the staff's friendly briefing, then stored our smartphones and belongings safely in the lockers and went in. There are also comfy slippers inside for visitors who came in uncomfortable shoes, which was a thoughtful touch.

How hard is the Level 5 Martian theme, really?

Martian is a high-difficulty theme set in something like a spaceship cockpit, where you have to combine clues and devices logically. The moment the door opened and we stepped inside, the immersive interior caught my eye and made me gasp. It felt like walking into a real spaceship cockpit or some unknown base, and the realistic set was a huge visual treat.

At the start, we were overwhelmed by the scale and the unique atmosphere and blanked for a moment on where to even begin. The wall of Level 5 was definitely no pushover. It wasn't just about opening locks; higher-level puzzles were waiting, where you had to logically combine various clues and devices around the room.

Using the hint phone and how the puzzles are built

Whenever we got stuck, we used the hint phone eagerly, and after seeing a hint I'd think, "Ah! How did I miss that?" There were clever points hidden everywhere that made me slap my knee.

Locks and mechanical devices were mixed in a nice balance, and the thrill and sense of achievement every time we solved one was beyond words. It's a high-difficulty theme so we did use quite a lot of hints, but we still got the joy of a dramatic escape within the time limit.

Escaped, but missed the Polaroid: one hour well spent

We escaped Martian within the time limit, but we went slightly over the hint limit, so we didn't get the honorable Polaroid photo. Still, it was an hour where I lost track of time and ran my brain at full power. Feeling like a space survivor inside a tightly woven storyline was a fresh experience, and it relieved my stress completely.

Who is Cube Escape's Martian for?

If you're looking for an unusual date in Dunsan-dong, Daejeon, or want to put your heads together with friends for a thrilling sense of achievement, I strongly recommend taking on the "Martian" theme at Cube Escape Daejeon Dunsan Branch. Next time, I'll definitely come back to beat the other popular themes I haven't tried yet.