My friends and I have done a few escape rooms recently. For some time now, they have been one of my favorite ways to switch off from work, exercise my brain in a different way than sitting at a computer, and spend a few hours in a completely different reality. And I have to admit that it had been a long time since an escape room had drawn me in as much as Beneath the Surface by Lost in the House in Brno.
This game impressed me so much that, two weeks after our first (unfinished) visit, we returned to finish what we had not managed the first time. And even on our second attempt, we got stuck on exactly the same puzzle as before. But let’s take it one step at a time.
Before I get into the game itself: a few words about escape rooms in general
Before I describe how the whole thing went, let me make a brief detour. Escape rooms are a relatively young phenomenon, but they have spread around the world at lightning speed.
The very first modern escape room was created in Kyoto, Japan, in 2007. It was the work of then 35-year-old Takao Kato and his company SCRAP. The inspiration came from computer games—specifically from the genre of so-called “escape the room” adventure games, which had been around since the late 1980s (the 1988 text adventure Behind Closed Doors is generally regarded as the first game in which the protagonist is trapped in a room and tries to escape).
Escape rooms arrived in Europe four years later, in 2011, thanks to Hungarian Attila Gyurkovics and his Parapark. Interestingly, he knew nothing about the Japanese boom—he was simply looking for a new team-building idea. Escape rooms took off in the Czech Republic shortly afterward, and today you can find dozens or even hundreds of them in some of our major cities. I have played a few myself, so I dare say that Beneath the Surface is among the very best experiences available here.
And now back to Brno.
Lost in the House: three escape rooms, two houses, one brilliant creator
The operator Lost in the House has a total of three escape rooms spread across two houses in Brno:
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Beneath the Surface – the one we played (and the subject of this article)
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Missing – located in the same house and basement as Beneath the Surface
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Isolation – in the second house, reportedly the most difficult of them all
From what I have read and learned, Missing is the easiest one (although “easy” is a relative term here), while Isolation is the most challenging. It lasts a full 140 minutes and has a difficulty rating of 9/10—and if it follows the example set by “Beneath the Surface,” it is certainly among the most difficult escape rooms I have ever seen in the Czech Republic.
I admit that we originally wanted to start with Isolation. Fortunately, we chose the “milder” Beneath the Surface, which gave us a chance to familiarize ourselves with the creator’s style before tackling the biggest challenge. We have booked Isolation and are really looking forward to it. I will definitely write a separate article about it.
Arriving at the house: the atmosphere begins outside
You arrive at a completely ordinary house in Brno bearing the sign “Escape Room – Lost in the House.” Even from the outside, it is clear that the house is not normally inhabited. There is tall grass in front of it, the plaster is peeling in places, and some of the windows are boarded up with plywood. It starts to feel pretty creepy before you even ring the bell.
Once they let you inside, you find yourself in a small courtyard with a bench and a table. You can sit down there, receive an introduction to the rules of the game, and the lady (or young women—they are extremely pleasant) explains what awaits you.
And now for what makes Beneath the Surface such an exceptional game.
The game takes place in complete darkness, with only flashlights
This is the first major difference from most traditional escape rooms. The game takes place in complete darkness, where all you have is a flashlight and your own ingenuity.
On top of that, there is spooky, atmospheric music, high-quality sound effects, and sets crafted down to the smallest detail—cobwebs, old letters, wooden mechanisms. The atmosphere is absolutely intense. As soon as you step inside, you become completely immersed and have no idea what awaits you.
And there really is a lot. I was surprised by how many rooms there are. Several times during the game, we felt we were close to the end—only for another door to open onto yet another space.
Incidentally, the official information on the website mentions 90 m² of playing area and several rooms. That is a truly impressive scale. And as the game’s motto says: “You never know which door will be the last.”
The story: 1914, the mining town of Minetown, and a mystery beneath the surface
The entire story of the game is set in 1914 in the fictional mining town of Minetown. As they did every day, groups of miners headed down into the mine for their shift. But none of them knew that deep beneath the earth’s surface, they would discover something that would change their lives forever.
One hundred years later, an unfortunate accident leaves you inside the home of one of the miners—and the only way back to the surface leads through a house full of traps.
That is the overall premise. And it is very well executed. You gradually unravel the entire story, uncovering the mystery of what happened here room by room, while trying to discover what actually befell the miners underground.
The key to the game: read, read, and read again
If I had to give just one piece of advice to anyone planning to play Beneath the Surface (and indeed any of the other games by Lost in the House), it would be this: read all the texts really carefully. Every sentence, every word.
There are red books placed around the house, containing various clues. And this is the crucial difference compared with other escape rooms: every sentence has a purpose. Nothing is there just for fun. Everything has a reason for being written there.
We made this mistake twice. The first time, we failed to read some passages properly and got so badly stuck on one task that we simply ran out of time later. We made it through roughly 50–60% of the game—and yet if we had read all the texts properly, we would probably have gotten much further.
And when we charged in the second time, full of enthusiasm and convinced that “we’ll breeze through the first half”—we got stuck on the same task as before, and then, in the second half of the game, on another task for exactly the same reason. We had completely overlooked something in one of the books because we thought we were already done with it. Yet it still contained one more piece of information that would have immediately set us on the right track.
So I repeat: read. Then read again. And then think about it carefully.
First visit: 50–60% completed and time ran out
When I left after our first visit, I was a little disappointed. Not because we had failed to finish—that is simply part of escape rooms. But I was really upset that I had not found out how the story continued and what else was still waiting for us. Because, as I wrote, everything is so cleverly designed that you want to know what happened and you simply want to finish the game.
I just could not let it go. About two weeks later, we went back, and the entire time leading up to it, I kept thinking about it and looking forward to returning. I do not like unfinished business.
Second visit: my seven-year-old daughter in the starring role
On our second visit, one friend could not come, so there were not four of us as there had been before. To increase our numbers, I brought along my seven-year-old daughter Leia.
At first, she was unsure whether she really wanted to go and whether it would be too scary for her, but in the end, she decided to join us.
And I have to say that she handled it without any problems. At first, she stayed close to me and was a little afraid of the darkness and the spooky atmosphere, but after two rooms, she settled in and began actively helping us. Of course, I gradually explained some of the tasks to her and tried to nudge her so that she could also work out the solutions.
In my opinion, the game is difficult for children under the age of twelve. It is officially recommended for players aged 12 and over when accompanied by an adult, so with a seven-year-old, we were slightly outside the recommended age range. But if the parent is patient and the child is not afraid of the dark, it can be managed without any problems. On the contrary, she had a great experience and was very happy that she had joined us.
In fact, I then thought of a little “joke.” In one room, there was a blanket on the floor, and I bent down toward it, suddenly jerked upward, and jumped back as if something had frightened me. Leia and my friend’s girlfriend Andrejka got scared and jumped too. We were still laughing about it on the way home because they had not expected it at all. The atmosphere is so powerful that people immediately fall for something like that.
And note—officially, there are no jump scares. The game is atmospheric and mysterious, but it does not rely on jump scares. So if you are afraid of them, you can play it without worry.
What makes the game so exceptional
Having played several escape rooms, I can tell you that Beneath the Surface ranks among the very best you will find in the Czech Republic. And that is mainly due to the following:
Original wooden mechanisms. The game elements are literally custom-made for the individual puzzles. There are no stereotypical locks with standard codes—here, the puzzles are often connected to moving wooden mechanisms that you must assemble correctly and “bring to life.”
High but fair difficulty. Although the game is officially rated 8/10, its difficulty does not come from an excess of brainteasers but from a combination of thinking, reading, cooperation, and attention. No dirty tricks, no dead ends where you have no idea what the game expects of you. Everything has a reason and follows a logic.
Atmosphere down to the last detail. The darkness, music, sounds, wooden sets, cobwebs, old letters, leather-bound books, broken dolls—everything fits together, and you truly begin to feel like a miner in 1914.
A story that draws you onward. It is not merely about solving puzzles. It is a genuine story that gradually unfolds. And you want to know how it ends.
Practical information: time, age, number of players, price
For completeness, here is a summary of the game’s basic details as listed on the official website:
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Game duration: 101 minutes
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Number of players: 2–5 (ideally 4–5; groups of 6 only by prior arrangement)
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Difficulty: 8/10
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Recommended age: 12 and over when accompanied by an adult
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Area: approx. 90 m²
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Jump scares: no (atmospheric game)
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Heating: yes, the rooms are heated during the game, and warm vests are also available
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Payment: cash or QR code at the venue
The staff will be happy to help you during the game via walkie-talkie if you get stuck. But I would say this: treat the hints more as confirmation that you are on the right track. They are not there to give you the solution—they are there to make sure you are heading in the right direction. If you make a mistake somewhere, you may encounter further problems in the following steps.
My strongest recommendation: book two consecutive time slots
I will tell you this straight away. Unless you are seasoned escape room professionals, I recommend booking two consecutive time slots.
Yes, I know it costs more money. But in my view, it is worth it for two reasons:
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You have enough time to genuinely solve the game and do not have to leave feeling that you missed something.
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An escape room this well made deserves your support—so that the creator can continue devising and improving his games.
The lady told us that 20 to 30% of teams do not manage to finish the game in time. That is quite a high figure and shows how challenging the game is. It was genuinely very difficult for us—but in a good way. There was no frustration from absurdly designed puzzles, only the joy of finding the solution.
I myself am planning to book two consecutive time slots for Isolation, because it is officially even more difficult. And judging by Beneath the Surface, I do not believe we would manage it on our first attempt.
In conclusion: it is worth traveling halfway across the country
This game is truly phenomenally well made. None of the escape rooms I have visited had such ingenious puzzles, such an atmosphere, or such a brilliantly interconnected story. It is obvious that the creator put an enormous amount of work into every tiny detail—and the result is on a completely different level from the average competition.
An hour and a half (101 minutes, to be precise) passes in the blink of an eye. You never stop, solving one task after another, and you simply live the story.
If you enjoy escape rooms and want to experience a truly creepy, atmospheric game without jump scares, then Beneath the Surface in Brno is an absolute must. And even if you are not from Brno or the surrounding area—do not hesitate to travel halfway across the country. I would travel anywhere for this level of quality, and I genuinely recommend it to anyone with some escape room experience or anyone who simply wants to try something new and exceptional.
And now I am getting ready for Isolation. Once we have completed it, I will definitely write a separate article about it.
Useful links:
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Official website: ztracenivdome.cz/pod-povrchem
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Reservations: directly through the website or the Reservanto system
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Facebook: facebook.com/ztracenivdome
