Exitus Escape Rooms: Coco Loco | Review

Coco Loco Review | It’s time to take over the family chocolate factory. What will you give up for the perfect chocolate?

Date Played: October 2023
Number of Players: 2
Time Taken: 31 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy

I was only passing through Cardiff on my way to The Locksmith’s Dream, but I can’t pass up an opportunity to visit a new city and not play an escape room whilst I’m there. Just a quick glance on my Welsh friend Armchair Escapist‘s blog and I found the highly rated Coco Loco right there in the heart of the city and, as luck would have it, they had a slot open for that evening. Plus, our very own Georgie is a fan of Exitus too, and so that’s a thumbs up from me.

Exitus gets bonus points from us for being quite simply one of the nicest groups of people running an escape room I’d ever met. It was a very casual atmosphere when we went in. There’s a bar (called the Locked Inn), and someone was sitting at it, a dog was wandering around, and a group of people were sitting on sofas chatting away about everything and anything. We got roped into conversation and it was very quickly apparent that everyone there was a part of the family that run it. Yes, even the dog, whose name is Watson by the way. By the time we left we were running quite late for our dinner reservation, but it ended with hugs and promising to come back some time in the future. Just, really nice, you know? You can tell when people own and operate escape rooms out of pure love for the industry, and Exitus has that in bucketloads.

But the team aside, how was the room? Absolutely delightful.

We were asked about allergies with a knowing wink, which is my second time being asked that before an escape room, before being led into the space and being given our brief in character. The space itself is meant to be a chocolate factory complete with “ye olde” cabinets, steampunk-esque pipes from the ceiling, peculiar contraptions and some historical chocolate-themed things on the walls. It’s a large space, so there’s plenty of running around, but not so large it felt empty. Delightfully, the room even smelled like chocolate, so no expense spared when it came to making this one feel even more like the real deal.

There were a range of puzzles to tackle. With just 2 players, I find it a little harder to say whether something is linear or non linear because we completed everything together. There was plenty of rushing around, passing each other things, and squealing with delight when we discovered something new. One area might have suffered from having low light, and that same area also has some accessibility issues, so you probably want to make sure at least one of your party has good sight and is able to climb. But besides this, we felt like everything else clicked into place for us quite nicely. We took zero clues, and sped through at a comfortable pace.

The real magic moment of Coco Loco isn’t any one puzzle, or the decor, but it’s something I’ve been hinting at in this review but haven’t outwardly said yet and that’s… Well… Chocolate. A chocolate themed room has to involve chocolate, right? From using it in a creative way to solve a puzzle, to one of the most delightful endings in a room I’ve played for a while, Coco Loco really ticks the box here.

The Verdict

Having played exactly zero other escape rooms in Cardiff, I can say this is my favourite game in Cardiff. Which might sound silly, but having spoken to many other enthusiasts who are familiar with the city, Coco Loco consistently comes up in the top three, if not as the very best room there. So you know what, I’m happy saying it’s my favourite room in Cardiff.

It’s fun, silly, light-hearted, the team are great and the puzzles are super fun. I’d recommend this room for just about anyone, but particularly family groups or teams with under 18s in them. There’s no way you’ll leave without a smile on your face, and there’s plenty of room in the venue for a fun debrief at The Locked Inn after. Apparently the room can take up to 8 people, but we sped through it with just 2. I’d say 4 is probably the maximum you’d want to bring in. It’s a large space but purely in terms of puzzle content, there may not be enough for 8 players to do. So for me, my recommendation is a team of 4.

Coco Loco can be booked in Cardiff by heading to Exitus Escape Rooms’ website here.