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Pac-Man meets Jumanji at HintHunt’s multi-level mission room
Be it family fun, a first-date spark or friends’ game night, the challenge is on
Last updated: Friday, 12 June 2026
The team behind Africa’s best escape rooms has launched a new game that’s the first of its kind. Called Bomb Time, it’s a mission room (not an escape room). Best described as Jumanji meets arcade nostalgia – 8-bit graphics, neon-lit mazes and pulsing 80s electronic sounds.
Inside, five fast-paced zones throw you into laser beams, memory challenges and, of course, a final boss battle; where teamwork quickly turns into competition, friends chase scores, dates get tested under pressure, and families end up working together in ways they didn’t expect.
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Caption: Our team was the first to play! Image: CapeTownMagazine.com
HINTHUNT'S NEW MISSION ROOM
What are mission rooms? Unlike an escape room, where you solve puzzles to get out, a mission room is about scoring points and progressing through levels that get increasingly difficult.
The focus is on teamwork and quick reactions rather than cracking complex clues, which makes it easy for kids, parents and even oumas to get involved.
FAST-PACED & EASY TO PLAY
In Bomb Time, you and three other players move through five timed zones. You get 10 minutes in each room, gaining points that determine how much time you’ll get in the final boss battle room. The better you play, the higher your points, and the more time you’ll have in the final room to defeat the boss and win.
It’s fast-paced, replayable and built for teams who thrive under pressure. And because it’s physical – with jumps, squats and ducks galore – it’s also a surprisingly fun workout for friends. That’s what makes it catnip for padel players, runners and Hyrox lovers who get a thrill out of turning everything into a challenge.
You’ll feel the nostalgia as soon as you start playing. Image: HintHunt
INSIDE THE 8-BIT WORLD
Bomb Time begins like an arcade game. Within seconds, it glitches and, just like Jumanji, you’re “sucked” into an 8-bit world, the pixelated style of early console games.
Gamers will absolutely nerd out. Think pixel art, the manic maze energy of Pac-Man, final bosses like Donkey Kong, and electronic bloops and bleeps straight out of the 1980s.
DESIGNED TO FEEL HYPER REAL
The HintHunt team spent two years researching mission-style games across Europe and the UK, followed by a year of design, to get Bomb Time just right. Built by a production company responsible for internationally renowned TV shows, everything is designed to feel hyper-real.
UV lights flood certain rooms, making neon targets, beams and markings glow as they would on a film set, while reactive sound effects trigger instantly when you score or miss. You’re not walking into a game; you’re stepping into a world.
Without giving too much away, the ending is cinematic and explosive. Image: HintHunt
5 IMMERSIVE ROOMS
The first room, Echo, tests your memory with flashing patterns and vanishing cues. It feels manageable at first… until the game’s pace starts increasing.
From there, teams need to dodge lasers in the Laser Room. Awkward first dates don’t stand a chance here; there’s no time for it. You’re ducking and pivoting to avoid breaking the beam, often looking ridiculous, which breaks the ice instantly. Dinner dates don’t show you much, but this will reveal how someone reacts when things go wrong.
Precision replaces speed in the third room, Labyrinth, which demands full-team coordination through a giant Pac-Man-style maze. And in Pixel, lights flash in rapid-fire sequences, and accuracy is everything.
There are phone holders on the walls in each room, making it easy to capture content while you play; perfect for photo dumps afterwards. Imagine the pictures and reels for your feed or bachelorette party albums.
Finally, you reach the boss level.
Awkward first dates don’t stand a chance here; there’s no time for it. Image: HintHunt
HOW TO CLIMB THE LEADERBOARD
The real hook is that it turns everything into a challenge you can improve on. Bomb Time is built for replays; there’s always a chance to go faster, score higher, or beat your last run. Why chase a PB outdoors when you can set one indoors and laugh about it afterwards?
Some zones are randomised, making each round play out differently.
Your team’s final score goes onto a leaderboard, which tracks daily, monthly, yearly and all-time rankings. That means even after you leave the room, you’re still competing against other teams – competitive teams can return to beat their own score or knock a rival team off the top spot.
Every mission is a chance to climb higher and beat your best score. Image: HintHunt
CHALLENGE EACH OTHER
Teams enter the first room every 30 minutes, which means groups of up to 160 players can play per day. Corporate teams can split into smaller groups and compete against each other, while friends can challenge rival teams, and serious contenders can chase top-tier status.
Bomb Time doesn’t just end with a bang; it leaves you wanting another round. Ready for your next mission? See what other worlds await you in HintHunt’s escape rooms.
PLAY BOMB TIME AT HINTHUNT
HintHunt Africa is open: Monday to Thursday, 10am - 7pm; Friday to Saturday, 10am - 8.30pm; Sunday, 10am - 5.30pm
Find it: Watershed, 17 Dock Road, V&A Waterfront
Book: Via HintHunt’s website
Contact on: 021 001 4215, capetown@hinthunt.co.za
Follow: Right now on Instagram at @hinthuntafrica
By Khadeeja Adams
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MORE EXCITING THINGS TO DO
HintHunt’s escape room Marble is being dubbed “the best escape room in Africa”.
Cape Town’s first retro bar and arcade, Barcadia is free to play and free to enter.
There’s always plenty of things to do in Cape Town this week(end).
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