Nottah Temple is now operational at Hatton Country World and is the third room added to Tulley’s Escape Room.
The new experience, which welcomed guests for the first time in August, invites teams of between two and eight people to crack codes and solve puzzles as they try to escape from the mystical tomb deep in the jungle.
Players follow in the footsteps of their long-lost relatives Lord Archington Harrow (the world-famous explorer) and his wife Lady Bessie, who discovered the temple in 1824.
But after their ancestors unleashed Queen Conteptua’s curse, players must return the stolen treasure to Queen Conteptua and lift the curse!
The Nottah Temple is aimed at adults and youth (Image via Chalmers News PR)
… or in our case, solve about 85 percent of the puzzles and fail to leave the room within the allotted hour…
But our inability to escape did not spoil our experience in the slightest as the three of us were invited to Hatton to try out the newest addition to Tulley’s.
Upon our arrival on Wednesday evening (the escape rooms are open beyond most of Adventure World), we were greeted by our friendly and dedicated host who looked after us throughout the evening.
After initially telling her that it was our first time playing, we learned that Nottah Temple was the most difficult of the three rooms and were advised to expect not to be able to complete every single challenge given our experience level.
While this was a little daunting at first, it actually turned out to be excellent advice as all three of us got lost in the fun of the tasks without focusing too much on the ticking clock in the corner.
We were allowed to buy drinks (three Peronis) on site and take them into the room while we worked our way through the various tasks and puzzles.
The Nottah Temple opened for the first time in early August (Image via Chalmers News PR)
We found the puzzles really exciting and tested us in different ways. The room was fantastically decorated to maintain the rainforest atmosphere, but what really made the day for us was the enthusiasm of our host.
She helped us flesh out the story and keep the room themes, and gave us thoughtful hints when we got stuck (not just telling us the answers). She really helped us enjoy our evening. And she stopped us staring at a single padlock and screaming for 40 minutes!
The temple itself was divided into several rooms and you had to solve certain puzzles to unlock the next doors.
But the obstacles in the later stages linked back to the information you had gathered at the beginning. It was clear that the whole experience was very well thought out and not just a beautifully decorated set!
Even for us as a group of three there was plenty to do and if we had been a larger group the later levels might have been easier as they were the most time consuming. The puzzles were also obviously suited to a range of different abilities which again made it fun for everyone in the group.
We later learned that only one group (a couple) had managed to complete the room on the opening weekend.
We were also told that a couple who claimed to have completed over 100 rooms together had solved fewer puzzles than we had.
While it’s hard to ignore the fact that our host was probably flattering us newbies (or pointing out how little the couple in question had evidently learned in the countless hours they’d spent escaping elsewhere), it was still reassuring to know that we’d managed it well!
In the discussion afterwards, we all agreed that we would return to Hatton to try the other two rooms. Our first impression of escape rooms gripped us.
I would therefore like to strongly encourage you to follow my example and give Tulley’s a chance!
The Nottah Temple is aimed at adults and teenagers and can be booked here.
