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About Sherlocked
Step inside the Mystery
What we create
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Escape Rooms
In the heart of Amsterdam, inside the iconic Beurs van Berlage building, you will find three of our proudest creations.
For nearly a decade, our rooms have welcomed players from more than ninety countries. We build slowly, obsess over every prop, every cue, every second of sound design — because the goal isn’t just to be solved. It’s to be remembered.
The Architect is one of the pioneering escape rooms in The Netherlands, a classic mystery full of atmosphere, teamwork and twists.
The Vault is a riveting heist adventure, letting you star in your own action movie. Praised for its realism and originality, The Vault became arguably the first world-famous escape room.
The Alchemist is our attempt at creating real magic. David Spira of Room Escape Artist called it a “wonder factory, filled with technological marvels and jaw-dropping creations that I couldn’t believe they actually made”.
A genuinely astonishing experience. Nothing else comes close.- Room Escape Artist
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Home Mysteries
These award-winning, puzzle stories invite you to unravel immersive mysteries from the comfort of your home.
Designed for fans of rich narratives and clever puzzles, each game is a standalone adventure packed with intrigue and surprises.
The best thing that’s arrived at my door in years. Our family spent three evenings completely lost in it.— Home player, Amsterdam
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City Quests
After having created larger than life experiences inside our escape rooms, the next realm to enchant was the outside world.
Each outdoor escape room is a love letter to our city, blending real historical events with interactive storytelling.
We’ve lived in Amsterdam for years and still discovered places we’d never seen. Brilliant.— Quest player, Amsterdam
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Our Mission
To enchant the world
by making the impossible possible.
We want to challenge, surprise and inspire people, and to empower them as beings with impact.
Our Vision
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Magic
Magic
Part of our success thus far has come from people being touched emotionally by our experiences. By them coming with certain expectations and us going far beyond them.
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Empowerment
Empowerment
The biggest goal in what we make is to help people transform themselves, even a little, through meaningful, playful experiences. By showing people what they're capable of, we hope to inspire them to apply those positive characteristics in their daily lives.
Our Co-Directors
The Mystery Makers
Victor van Doorn
Co-Founder & Creative Director
Victor van Doorn is our co-founder and creative director. Since 2014, he’s shaped Sherlocked’s signature blend of adventure, realism and innovation, creating cinematic experiences that blur the line between fiction and reality.
Before Sherlocked, Victor was a filmmaker and also co-founded The Maker Store.
As a former TEDx speaker, Victor often speaks at industry events around the world, from the Immersive Experience Network in London to the Reality Escape Convention in Los Angeles.
Victor’s personal mission and that of Sherlocked align: it’s all about making the world more magical.
Francine Boon
Co-Director & Lead Experience Designer
Francine Boon is our co-director and lead experience designer, crafting immersive experiences that connect head, heart, and hands. A sociologist turned mystery maker, she joined in 2019 and co-created The Alchemist, praised as a "wonder factory" and a milestone in immersive storytelling.
Her earlier work includes leading the Rijksmuseum Escape Game and designing Palace Mysteries at the Royal Palace Amsterdam.
Beyond Sherlocked, Francine runs Studio Nox, illustrates, and develops creative self-reflection tools exploring the link between imagination and self-development.
A featured speaker at RECON, MuseumNext, and The Art Engager, she's driven by one question: how can we make the invisible tangible?
What sets us apart
The Sherlocked difference
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Immersion
We blur the line between fiction and reality, by making your story already start long before you actually enter our doors.
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Craftsmanship
We work together with the best in their respective fields, artists, engineers and craftspeople to make our vision a reality.
Storytelling
We make riveting stories to be experienced, not just listened to.
Innovation
We constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible, always starting from the question "what would be the coolest or most impactful thing to happen here?" and then working to get as close as possible.
The Sherlocked Experience
By the numbers
0Games hosted
0Players welcomed
47Experiences developed
237People employed
17Marriage proposals
1Wedding
6Couples forged
2Sherlocked babies
Honors & Accolades
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Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice
Consistently rated among the best experiences in Amsterdam, every year since 2014.
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Press Mentions
Sherlocked in the Media
Major Reviews & Features
Room Escape Artist
The Alchemist
Room Escape Artist's David Spira declared The Alchemist as capturing his #1 spot after 1,200 escape rooms, calling it "a wonder factory filled with impossible moments" that made him "weep with joy during the finale."
The Alchemist won a Golden Lock Award.
Room Escape Artist
The Vault
An early influential review that established our reputation internationally, praising our heist experience for its coherent narrative, immersive gamemastering, and use of the Beurs van Berlage's real vault spaces.
The Vault won a Golden Lock Award.
Room Escape Artist
The Vandermist Dossier
In-depth Hivemind review of The Vandermist Dossier, our first Home Mystery, co-produced with Diorama, highlighting its impressively layered narrative, polished puzzling, and the way story and evidence unfold through seemingly ordinary documents.
It was honored with a 2022 Golden Lock Award for tabletop games.
Room Escape Artist
The Medusa Report
Review by Hivemind of The Medusa Report, a narrative tabletop sequel to The Vandermist Dossier, highlighting its challenging yet fair puzzles, remarkably authentic Cold War-era documents, and exceptional bonus puzzle arc.
The game later received a 2024 Golden Lock Awards honor in the tabletop category
Room Escape Artist
The Lost Cabinet
Described as "the close-up magic of escape rooms," this review praised the tabletop experience as intimate, intricate, and impressive-comparing it to a real-life version of The Room with beautiful, exquisite construction.
Read reviewRoom Escape Artist
The Architect
Review of Sherlocked's first room, highlighting the immersive cold-start approach and the massive office set inside the Beurs van Berlage that helped define Dutch escape room standards.
Read reviewReview the Room
The Alchemist
British enthusiast reviewers called The Alchemist "A Masterpiece" with stunning detail, technomagic, and a spectacular ending. They noted it as one of their most magical adventures yet.
Read reviewReview the Room
The Architect
Praised for its blend of tactile challenges and clever tech, with puzzles that maintained interest throughout and immersive onboarding that stayed in character.
Read reviewDutchReview
The Vault
Feature article describing how Sherlocked "took our breath away," focusing on The Vault's heist experience and the incredible use of the Beurs van Berlage location.
Read ReviewThe Logic Escapes Me
Sherlocked
International enthusiast review declaring both The Architect and The Vault as "two of the finest experiences" they'd had, praising the immersion and site-specific worldbuilding.
Read reviewCultured Vultures
Sherlocked Feature
One of the earliest press reviews, published shortly after Sherlocked's 2014 launch. The review evaluated puzzles, atmosphere, and story, helping establish early buzz.
Read ReviewPodcasts and Audio Interviews
Reality Escape Pod
The Wonder Factory
Victor and Francine discussing The Alchemist, their creative partnership, and Sherlocked's influence on the Dutch escape room scene through actors, cold starts, and historical building settings.
David Spira shared why The Alchemist became his #1 game.
Phil Edwards / YouTube
The Secret Economics of Escape Rooms
Documentary episode by journalist Phil Edwards about the financial realities of high-end escape rooms. Victor and Francine discuss Sherlocked’s budgets, rising costs, near-bankruptcy moments while building The Alchemist, and the challenge of creating ambitious, art-driven experiences under financial pressure.
WatchMuseoSpace
Gamifying the Museum: How Play is Shaping the Future of Cultural Spaces
Podcast-style panel from MuseoSpace, featuring Francine Boon discussing how gamification and escape room storytelling can transform museum visits into interactive experiences. She shares examples from Sherlocked’s work for the Rijksmuseum, the Royal Palace Amsterdam, and the Het Spoorwegmuseum.
Panel DiscussionImaginary Worlds Podcast
Unlocking the Door Between Escape Rooms and Immersive Theater
Featured Victor and Francine discussing authenticity in escape room design and how far creators can push immersive experiences, alongside other industry leaders.
ListenFuture of Storytelling
How to Design an Escape Room
Victor presented design principles and methodology for creating compelling escape room experiences, drawing on Sherlocked's decade of work.
WatchThe Art Engager Podcast
Engaging Museum Visitors
Francine discussed transforming museum engagement through immersive storytelling and game design, sharing insights from the Rijksmuseum Escape Game (10,000 participants, 9.4/10 rating) and Palace Mysteries project.
ListenAwe Academy
What Is Awe to a Mystery Maker?
Francine reflects on awe, play, and experience design through the lens of her work as Sherlocked’s co-director. She discusses how mystery-making can help people feel wonder, connect more deeply with stories and spaces, and engage with museums and immersive experiences in more human ways.
ListenKamp Vuur Podcast
Als je zelf enthousiast bent, gaan anderen aan
Dutch-language podcast where Victor discusses how enthusiasm is contagious in experience design and shares how deliberately blurring the line between fiction and reality is at the heart of what makes Sherlocked's immersive experiences so memorable.
ListenLiveLife Indo
LiveLife Event Appearance
Indonesian creative collaboration platform event page documenting Francine Boon's participation in a session on experience design and gamification. She shared insights from Sherlocked's museum projects and immersive storytelling techniques with the local creative and event planning community.
ListenConference Talks & Speaking
RECON Los Angeles
Building Impossible Machines
The co-directors presented practical lessons for managing contractors and building "impractical things" through their experience creating The Alchemist. The talk covered the business side of creative collaboration.
MuseumNext London
Unlocking Curiosity: Transforming the Rijksmuseum
Francine presented how Sherlocked partnered with the Rijksmuseum to create an escape game that attracted 10,000+ visitors in nine weeks, with a 9.4/10 rating. She shared eight key design tools for creating museum experiences.
TED x Haarlem
Making the World More Magical
Victor shared his personal story of "escaping" the school system as a teenager and how that creative hacker mindset led to founding Sherlocked. He discussed why people pay to be locked up and the power of wanting to break free.
Television Appearances
DWDD
First Escape Room Feature
Victor and Tristan introduced escape rooms to Dutch television, bringing a mobile escape room to the studio where presenter Evi Hanssen attempted to escape live on air. The appearance sparked massive interest, within four months, 200 new escape rooms opened in the Netherlands.
WatchDWDD
The Break-In Room
Two of Sherlocked’s founders returned to launch The Vault and its new "break-in room" concept-reversing escape room mechanics to have players break into a space rather than escape.
WatchKlokhuis
Escape Room - Sherlocked
Sherlocked hosted The Legendary Dutch Children's Show ‘t Klokhuis In their special episode dedicated to the concept of escape rooms. Not only did we introduce a young audience to our world of puzzles, games and adventure, we also showed how we develop our experiences.
WatchMagazine and Online Features
Het Parool
Een middagje de escaperoom in
Magazine feature following a team through The Alchemist, with interviews of our co‑directors about the Dutch escape‑room boom, “optimale frustratie” as a design principle, DWDD exposure, and the evolution from The Architect to The Vault and The Alchemist.
ReadTED x Haarlem
Closer to Modern Dissidence
Extended interview exploring Victor's "benevolent creative hacker mindset," his philosophy on systems, creativity, and why he founded Sherlocked to create experiences that mobilize creativity and strength in people.
ReadMuseoSpace
Living in the Kaleidoscope
In-depth profile of Francine discussing her "kaleidoscope state" philosophy-embracing multiple roles and disciplines. Covers her sociology background, museum work, The Alchemist creation, and views on creativity and hormonal cycles' influence on work.
ReadAntroposofie Inspireert
De Escaperooms
Dutch spiritual/cultural magazine profile exploring Victor's philosophy of bringing magic and enchantment back to the world through extraordinary experiences. Victor discusses his journey from escaping the school system to creating escape rooms.
WatchZoku
Escape Loft Collaboration
Feature on the partnership between Zoku hotel and Sherlocked to create an overnight escape room experience during pandemic restrictions, merging hospitality with gaming.
READCollaborations
Partners in Wonder
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2019
Rijksmuseum Escape Game: "In de Schaduw van Rembrandt"
A story-driven museum adventure that drew 10,000 visitors in nine weeks and earned a 9.4/10 audience rating, our first major institutional collaboration.
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2024–25
Amsterdam Royal Palace: Palace Mysteries
Designed for Amsterdam750, Palace Mysteries turned the Royal Palace on Dam Square into a living mystery, guiding students through puzzles and hidden stories inside the historic palace.
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2021–22
Zoku Amsterdam: Escape Loft
During COVID restrictions, we partnered with Zoku Hotels to transform hotel lofts into 30-40 minute in-room mystery games. The collaboration created safe, private overnight escape experiences that showcased Zoku's hidden design features.
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2018
Climate Change Escape Room: Blue Mirror
A deep-dive creative collaboration exploring the intersection of immersive theatre and escape room design, one of our most experimental early projects.
Visit Us
Beurs van Berlage
Damrak 247
1012 ZJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Beurs Hotline (Urgent matters):
+31 (0)20 261 6433
