Cipher Room
A series of physical digital escape rooms built for a UK public-sector security body — four iPads facing each other around a central lockbox, all synced through a Raspberry Pi socket server that also drives the lockbox's lock and unlock as part of the puzzle. 1–4 players, multiple full-length and mini versions, designed to teach security practices through play.
The brief, the build, and the result.
Cipher Room is a series of physical digital escape rooms Remiam built for one of the UK's largest public-sector security bodies. The hardware: four iPads facing inwards around a central lockbox, all on the same local network, all driven by a Raspberry Pi running a custom Node + socket server. The RPi controls the lockbox's solenoid through GPIO pins — locking it as the experience starts and physically releasing the lid when the team solves the puzzles. The iPad apps are Nuxt 3 + Ionic + Capacitor builds with tsparticles for in-app visual effects, designed to host 1–4 players co-operating across separate screens to crack ciphers, decode messages, and coordinate the unlock sequence. Three versions of the experience exist — a full-length flagship, a v2 with updated content, and a mini variant for shorter event slots — plus a parallel Arduino-based socket server variant. Heavy custom design and graphics production accompanied the build to make the briefing feel like a real operations room.
- 01Four iPads + central lockbox, synced through a Raspberry Pi
- 02RPi controls the physical lock via GPIO pins as part of gameplay
- 03Custom Node + Express socket server running on the Pi
- 04iPad apps: Nuxt 3 + Ionic + Capacitor (native iOS), tsparticles effects
- 051–4 players co-operating across separate screens
- 06Three versions shipped — flagship, v2, and mini for shorter slots
- 07Alternate Arduino-based socket server variant for hardware flexibility
- 08Custom design + graphics production for an ops-room feel
- 09Teaches security practices through escape-room play