Mindworks: Smuggler’s Ruin | Review

‘After a riotous run in with the local constabulary, your stalwart band of smugglers have had your precious barrels of gin seized! Rumour has it that your booze is in the possession of the crooked Commissioner of Worthing, and he’s secretly storing it somewhere at the town hall…”

Date Played: January 2026
Time Taken: 30 minutes 46 seconds
Number of Players: 4
Difficulty: Easy-Medium

We decided to kick 2026 off right, with a trip to Worthing to tackle all 4 rooms at Mindworks. We kicked the day off with Smuggler’s Ruin, which promised an historical, pirate themed adventure and is one of their easier rooms, so it was a great way to get into the swing of things!

The Game is Afoot (Already!)

We were led into what we assumed was the briefing room by our gamemaster Fogg, who was absolutely fantastic. He was charismatic, engaging, and brought brilliant energy to the whole experience. The room itself was nicely decorated and thematic, setting the scene for our hunt for the hidden gin. We settled in, eagerly listened to the briefing and were poised for Fogg to open the door… Then he told us the game had already begun.

I have to say, this was a brilliant moment. We all looked around at each other, slightly baffled, because there was nothing obviously puzzle-like in the room at all. No visible padlocks, no clear starting point, nothing screaming “solve me!” It wasn’t distracting in the slightest during the briefing, which I think is a real achievement. It meant we could focus on the story and instructions without our eyes wandering to work out what we needed to do first, but also set us up for a really satisfying first puzzle as we had to work out where to even begin.

Smuggling Secrets

The puzzles themselves were straightforward but satisfying to solve. There was a great mix of styles, with physical puzzles, lateral thinking, and logic all making an appearance. I particularly enjoyed that the room didn’t require any prior knowledge, and actually subverted some assumptions we had due to knowledge we already possessed. It’s always nice when a room catches you out by doing something a little different to the norm.

One of the standout aspects was the hidden secrets throughout the room. There were two hidden passages that were revealed during our playthrough, both of which we absolutely weren’t expecting. There had been no evidence of them beforehand, and the mechanisms for opening them were well hidden but easy to trigger once you knew what you were doing. The first one in particular was somewhere completely unexpected, and I think we all let out a little gasp of surprise when it revealed itself. These moments of discovery were genuinely exciting and added a real sense of adventure to the experience.

The room also did well for our team of four. Everyone was able to split up and participate, at least for the first half. We weren’t stepping on each other’s toes or fighting over who got to do what, which can sometimes be an issue with larger teams in smaller spaces.

Walking the Plank

However, the room wasn’t without its issues. For a narrative led, pirate themed experience, it wasn’t really that piratey. As a whole, the theming felt quite loose, and there wasn’t much of a narrative driving us forward. It felt more like we were just solving puzzles in a themed space rather than going on a journey, which was a shame.

The room was also looking quite tired and worn in places. I know these things happen with high traffic rooms, but it did detract slightly from the immersion. Additionally, we felt like we didn’t use everything. There were a few points where there was a puzzle with a clue for how to solve it elsewhere, but we didn’t necessarily need to use it. I’m not sure if we skipped a couple of things or if some elements just weren’t essential to the solve.

From the halfway point onwards, the experience became much more cramped. The additional spaces had much less room, and the puzzles became very linear, meaning we were standing around watching one person work rather than splitting up as we had been. For a team of four this felt a bit frustrating, though I imagine for a pair it would have been absolutely fine. We also completed the room very quickly, in just over thirty minutes. We didn’t feel like we were racing through or that we were particularly speedy, so it was a nice aperitif but may be disappointing if this was your only room for the day.

Accessibility

There are some dark areas and small spaces in this room, but not everyone needs to participate in these sections. There is also a colour based puzzle, so bear this in mind if anyone in your team has colour blindness.

Smuggler’s Ruin | The Verdict

Overall, Smuggler’s Ruin had some really fun moments. The hidden passages were genuinely exciting, the puzzles were varied and satisfying, and Fogg was an absolutely brilliant gamemaster who really elevated the experience. At thirty pounds each, I think the price is reasonable, though our quick completion time did make it feel slightly disappointing value for money. However, I suspect that’s more down to our experience level than the room itself.

I wouldn’t recommend travelling to Worthing specifically for this room, and if you’re only doing one room at Mindworks I’d suggest looking at their other offerings first. However, if you’re planning to do multiple rooms there, I wouldn’t tell you to skip it either. It has enough charm and some clever moments that make it worth including in a multi room visit, especially with such fantastic staff running the show.

Smuggler’s Ruin can be booked in Worthing by heading to their website here.