Review: The Toymaker (Der Spielzeugmacher),Big Break Hamburg
Fun Factor 9
The Toymaker (Der Spielzeugmacher)
Big Break Hamburg
Brandstwiete 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
Date we played: September 12, 2025
Booking size 2 to 6 (we recommend 4 or 5)
Game time: 60 Minutes
Languages: German and English
Objective: You respond to a special invitation from the owner of a famous toy store. When you arrive, however, you learn that the Toymaker has passed away. You are greeted instead by the Toymaker’s enthusiastic assistant, who explains that your group was specially chosen by the Toymaker to help complete their final task – their masterpiece. Precisely what that is—and how you are meant to accomplish it—remains a mystery. What is clear is that the Toymaker’s spirit still lingers in the shop, and it seems they will not find peace until their last project is finished. Sounds simple… right?
Horror Theme: No.
Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
We had a lot of fun playing The Toymaker at Big Break Hamburg, and we enthusiastically recommend it with a Fun Factor of 9. That score reflects an explosion of puzzles, many of which lean toward the advanced side, combined with a whimsical and fully decorated, believable toy-store setting - amplified with real toys - and a storyline that fits naturally within the world the game creates.
Team Size & Pace
Although the room can technically be booked for as few as two players, we strongly recommend no fewer than four. There is a lot of content here—both in terms of puzzling and scavenging. As a duo, we were quite challenged and appreciated the additional time Big Break Hamburg thoughtfully provided us. Given the space and certain tasks, four might be the ideal number. With four to five players, teams will be far better positioned to divide tasks, manage the scavenging load, and fully enjoy everything this game has to offer.
Set Design & World Building
The toy store theme is exceptionally well executed. Rather than feeling like a single set dropped into an escape room, the shop feels like part of a larger domain that opens up organically as you progress. We’ve played many toy store– and toymaker-themed escape rooms, and this one stands out for how grounded and cohesive the environment feels.
One reason toy stores make such strong escape room settings is that puzzles, riddles, and games fit naturally into the theme—and Big Break Hamburg fully and effectively embraces that. The result is a space with props - that feel organic, playful, and immersive.
Puzzles & Gameplay
The puzzles are varied, tactile, and highly thematic, often making clever use of toy-like mechanics and physical manipulation of props. Several moments prompted genuine “wait… is that really happening?” reactions from us—followed immediately by big smiles and, in one case, applause.
There is a meaningful amount of scavenging in this room (something we admittedly don’t excel at), but it’s balanced by strong logic puzzles and inventive, organic physical interactions. The game also takes an unexpected turn midway through, revealing an entirely new series of challenges that fit perfectly within the story while still surprising us.
Without giving anything away, this room includes one of our all-time favorite set pieces. We won’t describe it. We didn’t photograph it. We’ll just say it completely caught us off guard—in the best possible way.
Accessibility & Player Considerations
A few notes worth highlighting, to keep in mind when selecting your team:
There are multiple color-based puzzles, so make sure your group includes someone comfortable with color identification. I have mild colorblindness, so I am sensitive to alerting groups to ensure they are covered.
There is minor climbing and movement through confined spaces, all of which is clearly disclosed on Big Break Hamburg’s website.
Staff, Hints & Logistics
The staff at Big Break Hamburg were welcoming, kind, and fluent in English. Pre-visit communication was excellent, including detailed instructions and photographs clearly showing where to enter—something we always appreciate, especially when traveling.
The hint system is delivered via an in-room monitor and worked smoothly.
As a side travel tip: in many European cities, pre-booking parking is well worth doing—we did so here, and we are glad we did.
Final Thoughts
This room has appeared in the global Top 100 for several years and placed #46 worldwide in the 2025 TERPECA rankings—and after playing it, we completely understand why.
As always, we only recommend escape rooms when we’ve had fun playing them—and we had loads of fun here. If you’re visiting Hamburg, we highly recommend playing The Toymaker at Big Break Hamburg. If you do, let them know you saw a Fun Factor Escape Room Review, and please drop us a note—we’d love to hear what you thought.
And most importantly… have fun!!