The End - Colab Theatre

I really want to enjoy The End.

Colab have produced some of the most fun site-specific events in London, over the many years these stalwarts of the genre have been operating. They’ve managed to deliver a rolling series of productions, all of which have been toward the more hands-on, participatory end of immersive experiences, in venues small and large – both their own and pop-ups in other buildings. The End, though, is the first ‘traditional’ escape room I’ve been to that they’ve created – though there is a degree of live actor involvement which sets it apart from many others.

We’re led, blindfolded and with headphones on, into the dark. There’s a ticking bomb, giving us an hour to escape from our captivity. We’re going to have to figure out what’s gone wrong and how the eponymous End of the World has been brought about.

There’s a moment, as our group scramble about in a messy storage lock-up, that I fear the whole thing is going to take place in that three-metre by three-metre space. I’m glad when it turns out that there’s more to it. But the thing is, I’ve no idea how that turns out to be the case. Whatever my teammates did to progress remains a mystery to me. This continues throughout, at least insofar as knowing much about what is going on and what other people are doing to solve puzzles.

There’s a joyful moment that forces us all to work together, with a format that will be familiar to anyone who has played the collaborative phone game, Spaceteam. There are plenty of chunky switches to flip and buttons to toggle – though it’s a shame that clicking on screens with a mouse provides an all-too-easy backup option. As my companion points out, we spend our workdays clicking away at monitors! This collaboration high point, however, only leads to disappointment. Despite having just been shown that we can only progress if we communicate well, we enter another room where we separate into our different corners. I’m back to rummaging through drawers for random codes to hammer into keypads, or keys to remove padlocks. Each time, it feels like we have overcome the barrier before we’ve even begun to wonder what it impedes.

There’s a dump of exposition towards the end that I’m assuming is a summary of information we might (or might not) have uncovered as we worked our way through the printed and audiovisual materials present. I’m honestly none the wiser about what’s going on after receiving this download. I leave befuddled, somewhat charmed by the technical ambition of the world we’ve been dropped into, but ultimately underwhelmed by escaping a cage whose purpose and constraints I never begin to understand.

Review by Ben Ross

Step into the apocalypse with The End, a thrilling immersive escape room just 10 minutes’ walk from London Bridge Station. This is not your average puzzle game — a live actor guides your journey, making every choice feel critical as you navigate the final days of humanity.

Set in a bespoke apocalyptic bunker, you and your group of up to 6 players will work together to solve intricate puzzles, make impossible decisions, and uncover the dark secrets threatening what remains of the world.

With a difficulty of 4/5, this experience is perfect for those who love a challenge.

THE END
Colab Tower
21 May to 1 August 2026 (selected dates)